Ally's Dumplings

Best meal in Sardinia ! Food was flavorful, intense and beautiful. We had raw fish, eggplant with African spices and cheese foam, pasta with quail and mullet and an amazing cheese foam and fig ice cream dessert. Happy bellies!

The generous tapas for 2 tasting at Chef’s Warehouse at Maison in Franschhoek was a treat. The lunch in the sun progressed from oysters, mussels to venison, Jerusalem artichoke and finally to fish and duck. The dining room opens to several picnic tables on the wine farm, giving the whole place a warm and relaxed vibe.

Finally got a spot to try out this popular Korean restaurant I found out through Instagram. The short ribs is a meat lover’s must-have, succulent, flavorful and satiating. Almost every table ordered it. The squid yuja salad, in contrast, was light and tangy, a perfectly refreshing dish, especially needed as a relief from the spicy octopus rice cake dish. We finished the meal with frozen Korean rice wine with puffed rice. The sweet and sour slushy goodness left me a bit tipsy. I would definitely go back!

First meal at the ski hotel and it was top notch! It includes pasta with shrimp crudo and caviar and poached lobster. If we keep eating like this, I doubt if I can fit into my ski pants!

On the menu of Chinese New Year celebrations at Ally’s Dumplings:
- Crispy fried golden pork, prawn and chive dumplings
- Succulent boiled pork, prawn and chive dumplings
- Soft and chewy butter mochi cake

Class No 87, I had the pleasure of ushering in the Year of Dragon with this lovely group, 3 of whom were spending the last day of their NYC trip with us. Delicious dumplings, engaging conversation and loads of laughters - I can’t think of a better way to spend my Sunday! Thank you so much for coming , you made this a memorable celebration. Grateful for for bringing these amazing guests!

Gramercy Tavern doesn’t disappoint! Had a wonderful tasting at their elegant and yet casual dining room. Every dish was well thought out and packed full of flavors. My favorite were the sea bass and squid ink pasta. Very on point. The services were implacable and yet warm. Can wait to try their Tavern menu.

Chef Ally struck again, hosting a low key New Year’s Eve dinner with neighbors. We started with my favorite soup - celeriac and pear soup, followed by roasted chicken, Russian salad (thanks for the recipe), broccoli, and finally finished with torta caprese. Took me half a day to cook but it was so much fun and very delicious.

Guayaquil is known for its red crabs and we will not miss the opportunity to enjoy them. The crab meat was firm and there is a great satisfaction when you cracked the shell open to pick out every fiber of the sweet meat. The crab salad was outstanding as well, refreshing, healthy and full of flavor. Highly recommend it!

Casa Julián was a pleasant surprise of Guayaquil. Hidden deep in the Historic Park, this little gem of a place served up delicious tasting menus that highlighted local ingredients and tradition flavors. We share two 7 course menu and the seafood dishes were outstanding. We had an early celebration of Thanksgiving and Yoko’s birthday! It was a great start to our adventure.

Boston Back Bay Area is super cute and filled with restaurants. I will never say no to oyster, so we ended up at Little Whale Oyster Bar for dinner. Oyster to start, followed by Hamachi crudo and scallop ceviche. What really hit the spot for me was the Boston Clam Chowder: creamy, flavorful and yet light. And finally clams and bread that mopped up all the juice. Highly recommend it!

Nothing beats delicious fresh raw seafood for me! Had a gorgeous dinner at Fulton Fish Company in Tin Building - by Jean Georges. We tried 6 different kinds of oysters, razor clam crudo with yuzo, sashimi, calamari and shrimp burger. And our thoughtful server, Santiago, brought me a non-alcohol cocktail as an ending to a perfect meal. Definitely will go back again!

Class No 86, Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration. Today I was fortunate enough to celebrate this very special holiday with 4 wonderful guests. They were all pros at dumpling making, so my job was super easy. After filling our tummies with dumplings, we shared tea and tasted a whole variety of mooncakes! What a fun afternoon!

Class No 85 Long Beach edition (much belated). I love it when I can take the dumpling class on the road. During Labor Day weekend I visited my dear friend Florence in Long Beach. She kindly opened her lovely home and we introduced dumplings making to the French community at Long Beach. We made loads of dumplings and enjoyed them al fresco under the Californian sun.

Had a wonderful tasting meal at Kochi tonight. Kochi means skewer in Korean, and the food is a combination of elevated street food and great Korean flavor. I especially enjoyed the halibut and chicken lollipops. Put it on your list!

Ally’s Dumplings is back in action! Class No 84! The rain didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the guests! These pros made 110 dumplings in record time and also did a great job consuming them! :-) Thanks so much for coming and special thanks to for the wonderful guests!

Wow, what a great dinning experience at .nyc! For our team dinner, I selected 3 course prix fixe and every single dish was generous and full of flavor. I could not fault anything and all team members were super happy customers as well. We even had a custom birthday cake made with only one day notice. Thank you so much for your hospitality and accommodations!

Class No 83 in NYC was a private birthday celebration! It was so much fun to host this lovely couple who quickly became dumpling masters!

La Cevicheria was featured in Bourdain’s “No Reservations” and if it was good enough for the Chef, it is good enough for me! I had ceviche Colombiana for lunch and it was on point! A generous potion of fish and shrimp ‘cooked’ in mouth watering lime marinade paired with mango and plantain. It was refreshing and satisfying. Just the right cure for the heat of Cartagena!

Before I left beautiful Colombia, I had an absolutely stunning tasting at . Every thing from the food to the services to the ambiance is top notch. The food featured local ingredients and I especially loved the grilled Amazonian fish ribs and duck and rice with mint foam. If you find yourself in Bogota, make sure to put it on your list.