It all started when my daughters begged for fried dumplings. Sakura Grill has been their go-to since the first bite! They ask to visit so often they'd turn into dumplings if I obliged. And I admit... they are delicious.
A full conversation followed about trying them at other restaurants for comparison. We agreed this was a fantastic idea-especially since we only purchase them periodically.
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In true mom fashion, I also explained that we weren't buying full meals. Dumplings were the mission and that's it. I have to break things down to my girls ahead of time. And no... that doesn't always work.
We consulted Google's expertise to find nearby places. The less traveling the better.
Next, was determining our criteria. No way was I breaking the bank on dumplings so I set a $25 dollar limit. The restaurant also had to have "fried dumplings" listed on the menu. Last but not least, a 4.0 star rating.
We settled on four locations because one can only eat so many dumplings in a day. Don't ask my daughters about that, however. You'll get a much different answer.
Our list of chosen restaurants is below. Each order came with 6-8 dumplings and a dipping sauce.
1. Sakura Grill (Japanese Express) - 1327 Mebane Oaks Rd, Mebane
2. Stir King - 1014 Mebane Oaks Rd #9679, Mebane
3. Shanghai Restaurant - 500 West Elm Street, Graham
4. Great Wall - 921 S Main St M, Graham
Off we went! For a few Saturday hours and from one stop to the next, we were in dumpling bliss. We even brought journals to scribble notes about flavors and textures after each tasting.
The plan was to purchase one dumpling order per restaurant. We went a few dollars over our budget because we bought two orders from their fave, Sakura Grill. That was a must because you cannot eat just one.
Full transparency... the day didn't go exactly as planned.
One chosen restaurant operated during different hours than what was on the website. This led us on another Google search and altered plans slightly.
Another restaurant had a longer wait than our time allowed. The only other nearby location caused us to deter from our 4.0 rating criteria. It was just a few points less but we were shooting for consistency in our experiment.
Know that we enjoyed eating at each restaurant but remain committed to Sakura Grill. Their dumplings, in our opinion, are simply the best. We've eaten meals from there as well and never have a complaint.
If you're in the Alamance County area, give any of these restaurants a try. They're definitely worth the time.
See our Sakura enjoyment in this Instagram reel
At the end of the day, we laughed and laughed about how things played out. My daughters found it hilarious that we spent our Saturday trying dumplings. I made sure to add an extra helping of vegetables for dinner.
Are you a fan of fried dumplings? If so, at which restaurants should we purchase them on our next go 'round?
This little experiment was so much fun, we've decided to do it for other things we like. We'll be sure to take you along.
Tandra Wilkerson is a regular Go Ask Mom contributor. You can read more of her adventures on her blog, Thriller Mom.