Now that we have ordered the #10 dumpling soup a few times, I can attest that it contains a very generous serving of dumplings every time. Never less than 12 dumplings so far. The deliciousness and the value are hard to outdo.
We always get the #10 for takeout and receive a quart-sized container. The two of us split the dish at home for a light dinner of dumplings in hot and sour broth. If we aren’t eating the soup immediately, I open the container and let the contents cool before refrigerating. Yum, especially on a hectic weeknight when it’s late and we want something tasty right away.
Had lunch at the tiny, busy Boston location last weekend. #16 (hot sour hand pulled noodle soup) was terrific and a ton of food. I was tucked behind a table of 3 plainclothes BPD cops, only one of whom had eaten there before but all of whom agreed it needed to go into the regular rotation. A bit weird being jammed in about 12 inches from their guns. The shop was busy throughout but somehow everyone got a place to sit right about when their food came up.
I often say that medium-to-high end joints that can’t get their shit together in terms of timing could learn a lot from high-volume Asian places. At those places, even with limited kitchen staff, there rarely seems to be any timing issues. On the contrary, it’s more like “oh no, the next dish?!”
Pleasantly surprised to find vegetables added to my container of Gene’s #10 hot and sour dumpling soup when I heated a bowl for tonight’s dinner. Normally there’s only been cilantro, as shown in @Ferrari328’s photo at the start of this thread.
Not sure whether the added vegetables were a one-time fluke in the #10. With or without the added veg, this is a satisfying soup for a chilly day.
Noticed the same thing last week from the Woburn location when the weather called for exactly that soup. I think it’s a (relatively) recent change and agreed that it improves something that was already a great warm-up.
Thanks for sharing your observation. Now that the weather increasingly calls for a #10 dumpling soup fix, I’ll try to remember to post whether the added vegetables are appearing on the regular.
Also sometime over the last couple months the days of operation at Gene’s Westford location became Thursday through Sunday.
I see that Woburn is open Tuesday through Sunday.
There were vegetables in the #10 dumpling soup in Woburn today. Nice although a bit more carrot than I would have liked and not enough cilantro. Very tasty as always.
I had some of the new #10 soup last week as well (extra spicy as always). I was pleased to see there were still as many dumplings. It’s always been 11 to 13 dumplings, and I got 13 in my quart and the new veg was just fine.
I also had some pulled pork I had just cooked and hadn’t gotten around to making a North Carolina vinegar sauce for it yet. So some leftover broth from the #10 soup served just fine in the meantime.
Denise - you turned us on to this place when we went back up back up to your area last October. It was the middle of a weekday. We were the only people in there. The owner was so very nice, and we both got a big bowl of hot sour dumpling soup. Lived in Acton/Harvard area from 1979-1999. Now in Eastham on the Cape. No restaurants like that out here. I have to cook myself If we want spicy Asian.
Hi @retrospek! If you happen to be in the area again for some reason, both Sichuan Palace in Chelmsford Center and Tasty Dumplings in Lowell are close to my culinary heart. Of course neither is remotely like Gene’s but they are also go-to spots for us.
I miss that area a lot. We might make a day trip in a few weeks to hit up Bob’s Turkey Farm in Lancaster. We buy 10 dark meat potpies for our freezer for the winter. Might have to travel with our 2 Australian Shepherds if it’s going to be a long day but since it’s cooler weather now, leaving them in the car when we have lunch shouldn’t be a problem. Thanks for the recommendations!!
Down the road from Tasty Dumplings (which is excellent!) is the 1981 Ramen Bar. We haven’t been in a bit, but the ramen was pretty good. Not Gene’s Flatbread but still worth a consideration.
