Passing by the gas station near Granite Bay and Folsom Lake, I saw a sign displaying “Soft Opening” over a small restaurant named Hometown Dumpling, and my curiosity intrigued me once again. On a Sunday evening, I finally got a chance to try freshly made Chinese cuisine, accompanied by mouth watering desserts.
Formerly known as Poke and Boba, Hometown Dumpling is a small family-owned business that had a soft opening in the recent months. The restaurant is located in a plaza near Folsom Auburn Road and Folsom Lake Crossing.
When I checked the online menu, the options seemed quite limited, displaying only dumpling options and side dishes. However, when I visited the restaurant, one of the staff members handed me a physical menu and to my surprise, the in-person menu had a wide selection of foods such as various flavors of dumplings, wonton soup and desserts. Interestingly, clicking on the online order button on the website revealed the items of the physical menu.
To my delight, there was a boba section on the display menus of the restaurant that was not shown on the website. A wide array of toppings could be selected for your drink like coconut jelly, fruits and, of course, boba. I settled for a strawberry smoothie with regular boba pearls, unfortunately the staff informed me that the regular boba pearls were sold out. I substituted them for strawberry popping boba, which was decent but not what I was looking for.
Other than my boba order, I had ordered Fried Pork-Cabbage dumplings, sesame balls and taro buns. The taro buns arrived first, then the sesame balls and the main dish, the fried dumplings, came last. The food arrived pretty quickly, so there wasn’t a long wait.
I first tasted the fried dumplings, since I wanted to start off with a savory note rather than a sweet one. The filling of the dumplings was plentiful, creating a delicious harmony of the crispy cabbage and flavorful meat. I would definitely recommend trying the dumplings with the red chili sauce because it compliments the filling with a spicy kick. The crunch of the wrapping was enjoyable, but I would have preferred it to be less thick and doughy because it took away some of the flavor of the meal.
After tasting the dumplings, I went on to try the sesame balls with red bean filling, which came in 6 pieces. Sesame balls are a type of fried Chinese dessert that is typically chewy and covered with sesame seeds. Various fillings include black bean, mung bean paste or red bean, which is the most popular among the flavors. I found them to be pretty tasty,
and the chewiness and consistency of the dessert was satisfying, especially considering that I typically don’t eat red bean-filled desserts as much.
Since taro is one of my favorite dessert flavors, I was pleasantly surprised about how delicious these taro buns were! Taro is a tropical Asian plant, often related with ube and sweet potatoes for their similar flavor, and is commonly used in many Chinese desserts such as boba and taro sago. The Hometown Dumpling dessert had a creamy taro filling, and the outside layer resembled a vibrant lavender color. The bun was soft and airy, with the perfect amount of sweetness that reminded me of taro desserts that my mom made at home. I could tell that they put a lot of care into this dish, and this made me want to go back for more!
Overall, their food was quite delicious, as they had incorporated many fantastic Chinese dishes into their restaurant, particularly in their desserts section. I would suggest that Hometown Dumpling should make their updated menu available online to allow potential customers explore the full range of dishes the restaurant offers. Additionally, I would recommend them to increase their stock of regular tapioca pearls, as they are a popular item, especially among boba lovers! I would rate this restaurant a 8/10, and I would definitely go back and try more of their dishes soon.
Hometown Dumpling can be found at this address: 7610 Folsom-Auburn Rd Suite 190, Folsom, CA 95630
