Dumpling Dream

Talin Market pop-up will dissolve your case of the Mondays

When it comes to dumplings, it's no contest. Asian beats American, hands-down. If the very word conjures up images of a sloppy Cracker Barrel plate with a doughy rendition of Grandma's specialty, allow me to invite you into bit of expansion.

Enter: Dumpling Day at Talin Market.

News has already spread around Santa Fe that this red-varnished space tucked into the grocery store at the Luna Center (505 Cerrillos Road, 780-5073) is the place to be on Mondays for the lunch hour.

Like any good joint with limited choices, luncheon begins when you grab a slip of paper that lists your options. Next, pick up one of several highlighters taped to a plastic spoon and start choosing. An order of seven dumplings comes with a bowl of either egg drop or hot and sour soup. Neither one is a bad choice, though the hot delivers with a peppery mix of crunchy bamboo and soft tofu.

Then, the choices get more complicated. What kind of sauce suits your fancy? Traditional (soy, vinegar and sesame oil with hints of ginger and garlic); Sichuan (containing the red peppercorns popular in the central China province), or spicy.

Finally, it's time to choose your dumpling style. Although you can't go wrong with the flavor combos the pop-up serves up, traditional is always a winner. These noodle pockets of ground-pork goodness with herbs, grated carrots and spices features a profile that, when combined with the traditional sauce, has us making quick work of cleaning the plate. The lamb version ($9) uses the gamey character of that meat to create a richer taste and is complemented by the addition of dill. Depending on the day, you might also have a chance to try dumplings with lobster or salmon.

You'll find no chicken on this menu, or at least we didn't. What's likely to tempt you, however, are the two small sandwiches that appear there. The duckwich, touted as "The Best Asian Sandwich," is a healthy portion of the waterfowl with a slice of apple and green onion, while the braised pork belly sandwich resembles pulled pork with finely shredded cabbage and red sauce ($3.59 each), both served on soft cha bao, a steamed wheat dough.

As we dine, I'm amused to watch the happenings in the cooking space. A man who looks like he's boiled a million dumplings in his lifetime is keeping the food moving, hopping from a stool to a raised platform in front of the heating elements, tossing freshies into six pots of boiling water and twirling them deftly with a long-handled spoon. When the time is right, he fishes them out of the pot with a wire-basket ladle contraption, making the endeavor look effortless and greeting patrons with a closed-lipped grin.

He turns out to be David Chao, who together with his wife Susan has formulated all the recipes for the dumpling house. While he's facing the steam, Susan constructs the dumplings.

"They've probably been doing this since they were kids, so they have a lot of experience," says Victor Limrary, the market's director of operations. "Their families are both from Sichuan Province and so all the food that they are making is as authentic and as close to homestyle as possible."

So, it's not Monday. What are you going to eat now? Talin's noodle bar is in full swing Tuesdays through Saturdays, offering a long list of ramen choices and Japanese style curry offerings that come with rice. On Friday and Saturdays, the space also has spring rolls.

Adventurers can score an off-the-wall beverage with a fun name. It being the season, we tried the winter gourd chiao kuo, which my companion, the indefatigable SFR Deputy Editor Enrique Limón, described as tasting "like a liquified cookie." It is sweet, yet not to be outdone by the gooey basil seed beverage I chose, which I later realize contains way more sugar than the Dr. Pepper I've been avoiding.

Considering our drinks as desert, we hightail it back to HQ, but I know I won't be avoiding a return trip soon.

At a Glance
Best bet:
Traditional dumpling with trad. sauce
Heads up:
Call ahead for carry out, 780-5073
Go crazy:
Buy a beverage made from vegetables and sugar

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