Through thick and thin: a tale of two dumpling houses

A dining divide separates Central's Wellington Street. The Lan Kwai Fong end is characterised by the bigger names: the classic roasted meats of Yung Kee, the 1960s-style 'Western' dishes at Loyal Dining and the late-night drunken fare of Tsui Wah. Towards Lyndhurst Terrace a host of independent local restaurants reveal themselves, including two outlets battling it out to be the king of Beijing dumplings. In almost absurd proximity to each other, rivals Wang Fu and Dumpling Yuan are both famed for their jiaozi - generously stuffed dumplings. Two steamed types keep the masses coming back: the pork, chive and leek, served all day; and the unique tomato and egg, dished out only after 6pm (Wang Fu) or on weekends (Dumpling Yuan).

We start at the more popular of the two, Wang Fu. Its owner, Ms Wang, keeps a cosy restaurant, with wooden tables and chairs seating about 30. On a Sunday night, we get a table at the back of the busy outlet, with its even mix of locals and foreigners. Within minutes of ordering, the two plates (HK$39 each) arrive, with a small bowl to be filled with a personal preference mix of soy, vinegar and chilli sauce.

Wang Fu opts for a thinner skin to better appreciate the fillings. The melt-in-your-mouth minced pork blends perfectly with the fresh flavours of the chives. The tomato and egg meanwhile, is heavy on the red chunks but the light steaming softens the tomato and embeds it into the egg, each bite offering an even mix of both flavours.

Our only slight complaint is that the dough is occasionally too fragile. The thick egg holds together their late-night favourite, but the all-day dumpling occasionally falls apart after the first dip in the bowl, with chunks of pork lost in the sauce.

Moving quickly next door, we take a seat at one of Dumpling Yuan's larger tables, each able to seat a dozen diners elbow to elbow. Just a few patrons are seated, most trying one of their many meat dishes, including, um, spiced donkey. As with Wang Fu, the dumplings arrive quickly on two plates (HK$38 each), each holding 10 pieces, with the soy-vinegar-chilli sauce bowls. The chilli is fresher here - a new batch is made every few days - but all the condiments in the world can't save a bland dish.

Dumpling Yuan uses a thicker dough and, while satisfying in a carb-friendly way, the heavier shell takes away from the inner goodness.