WESTMONT – A suburban Chinese food fixture for nearly 20 years, Katy’s Dumpling House has been rebranded by new owner Diane Johnson of Sushi House fame. Shortened to Katy’s Dumplings, the inside has been brightened up by the addition of new tables and decor, providing for a visually more appealing look.
There’s even an outside bench for table waiting, as the inside of Katy’s is cozy and clean with just eight tables. Menus have been updated and enhanced with color photos and a blackboard wall depicting the menu in Chinese. In the past, ordering in English was a problem, but this also has been remedied while still maintaining a large Chinese and Asian audience.
Why go to Katy’s? Three reasons: dumplings, noodles and pancakes! All three are handmade, daily and on site. It’s like fresh pasta with the difference noticeable.
On a typical day, Katy’s makes 1,200 to 1,500 dumplings, and it’s our job to make sure they need to make more the next day! It is tedious and labor intensive, starting with making the dough, rolling it into tubes and breaking off the small, thumb-size pieces that will be hand-flattened and then hand-rolled into discs. The discs are filled with various combinations such as pork and chive or beef and scallion, and the edges are pinched, readying them for cooking or freezing into bags of 50 for resale.
The menu lists two options: boiled (steamed) dumpling or (fried) pot sticker. While it’s personal preference, I admit to preferring mine boiled, but I have never turned down a fried one! Pork with chives is one of my favorites, with chive or a substitute like Napa cabbage or scallion adding a subtle flavor further enhanced by various dipping options.
Another option is the juicy steamed buns, which are similar to soup dumplings. The inside contains a liquid burst of flavor along with the various fillings. Served in a tabletop steamer, they can be extremely hot temperature-wise on first bite. A challenge ensues as these are best eaten in one bite, thereby preserving each drop of liquid. Attempts at biting off the top half typically result in lost opportunity for complete enjoyment.
The same dough also is used to make the larger buns or bao, of which a barbecue pork style is always on the menu. Weekends call for specials, and on one weekend, I happened across the Tianjin bun filled with pork, mushroom and shrimp. They were freshly made and delicious, with the bottoms fried to a golden brown. Available either steamed or fried, it never hurts to ask if anything was just prepped in the kitchen.
The refrigerated case next to the front counter houses drinks as well as a variety of cold snacks. From the more exotic pig ear and beef stomach to the more sublime like spicy tofu noodle. Tofu is julienned into fine strips and mixed with spicy red peppers as well as neutral green peppers. A toss with chili oil along with several dry spices finishes the dish before it’s refrigerated for chilling. This dish is perfect for vegetarians and those loving a subtle, yet spicy cold dish.
Fresh-made noodles are perhaps the hallmark at Katy’s. They are used in several dishes including all of the soups, which unlike American counterparts, are a full meal-sized portion. It’s a labor of love often shared by two as the intricate steps of noodle-making go back and forth, resulting in 100 to 150 noodle bundles per day ready for the soup bowl or the wok.
Of the menu list of about 15 soups, beef noodle soup is the undisputed bestseller. The spicy broth is rich in flavor with fork-tender slices of beef, vegetables, both fresh and dry herbs, and of course, handmade noodles. This is Chinese comfort food at its finest.
With shrimp fried noodles, Napa cabbage, onions, carrots and bean sprouts are added to the wok, along with several liquids, shrimp and more noodles. The resulting dish is both aromatic and tasty as the noodles take on a slight caramelization.
So many more noodle options are available under chow mein or stir fry sections of the menu, such as stir-fried noodle with dry chili, which really packs a wallop!
Another distinguishing menu section is labeled "stir fried pancake." Freshly made, 1-foot diameter pancakes are pulled and hand-rolled after being infused with spices and onion oil. A quick pan-fry to lightly brown both sides and the pancakes are carefully shredded with a large cleaver.
The resulting pancake strips are combined with your choice of ingredients such as pork and onion, creating a flavorful dish as the caramelization of the onion provides an off-setting sweetness to the oil and spices. This is one of Katy’s most famous dishes, and it's almost always on my table.
Mix it up with shredded pork stir fried with bamboo shoot and tofu as another shredded pancake option. The addition of hot red peppers allows for a spicy dish that’s easy to tone down to mild by eating around the peppers.
Traditional items also are available such as kung bao beef, chicken or shrimp with your protein choice flash-cooked in the giant wok along with vegetables and lots of spicy peppers. Topped with peanuts, it is an easily recognizable dish, representative of the Americanized portion of the menu.
With a group, it is always fun to share a Chinese prepared vegetable. My Katy’s favorite is eggplant in spicy garlic sauce. Chunks of eggplant are wok-cooked in a black bean sauce with lots of garlic. The eggplant arrives softened and coated in a rich and garlicky sauce. The sauce also serves as a great base for a few spoons of rice.
Some restaurants under-spice or overly represent the heat level on their menu. At Katy’s, perhaps because of the large Chinese following, these single- and double-pepper markers serve as an accurate warning.
While physical changes mentioned above have occurred under new ownership, virtually the entire staff has remained and seems energized. There’s more banter between front of the house and kitchen, and smiles abound! Good food and a fun atmosphere. And while there’s no dessert, Dairy Queen is just down the strip.
With Sushi House a perennial Best of the West and Reader’s Choice winner, look for continued high standards at Katy’s. After all, when you make your own dumplings, noodles and pancakes every day, you have a great start.
If you go
WHAT: Katy’s Dumplings
WHERE: 665 N. Cass Ave., Westmont
HOURS: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday
DRESS CODE: Casual
INFO: katysdumplings.com, 630-323-9393
RESERVATIONS: Not accepted
PARKING: Easy
WIFI: Available
NOISE FACTOR: Medium buzz
PRICING: $$
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