Review: Do Ding Dong Dim Sum meal kits live up to the hype?

Birdy was very kindly sent a box of Ding Dong Dim Sum‘s premium vegan dim sum kit to try out at home – it definitely hit the mark!

I was exceptionally lucky when Ding Dong Dim Sum got in touch to offer a review sample of their premium dim sum meal kits that I’d be able to try at home. Of course I said yes!

Ding Dong Dim Sum offer a variety of tempting boxes and kits which means there’s something for everyone (well, if you like dim dum, that is!). I chose the premium vegan box – not because we’re vegan, but because my husband, Murdo, can’t eat fish and this seemed like the safest choice).

Here’s everything we got in our premium vegan box:

•  The spinach and mushroom bun (2)
• Vegetable Wonton Soup (6)
• Mixed vegetable and potato Japanese gyoza (4)
• Shitake & mixed mushroom Japanese gyoza (4)
• Spicy tofu and vegetable dumplings (4)
• Green vegetable dumplings (6)
• Slaw Tang
• Sticky rice
• A selection of dips

Here’s the box as it arrived (with my address digitally erased for obvious reasons!).

But the box didn’t stay like that for long – we were well aware that as soon as things arrived, we had to unbox them and stick the dim sum in the freezer for later!

Unboxing my Ding Dong Dim Sum

I was so impressed at how prettily and professionally everything had been packaged up. Everything’s extremely well labelled, with very clear instructions for us ‘hungry dumplings’. It was rather lovely going through everything and seeing how it would all come together.

The dim sum itself had been packed using dry ice, which meant being a bit cautious when opening it up (as some remained on top of the packaging).

It was thankfully easy to get into, and we stuck our premium vegan dim sum – and our extra spicy veg dumpings (thanks, Ding Dong Dim Sum!) directly in the freezer for later.

By this point, we were really looking forward to our dinner! In the meantime, Murdo in particular familiarised himself with the instructions.

Time to get cooking!

We chose the option of receiving biodegradable steamers for our dim sum, which were very easy to use and with step-by-step instructions to ensure we couldn’t go far wrong.

Unfortunately whilst steaming, one of our dumplings got stuck to the bottom, hence it not being quite as aesthetically pleasing as the rest. Aside from that one mishap, it was simple and easy to prepare our kit.

The vegetable wonton broth came with a paste to make it up as strong as we like – and, as the instructions predicted, we only used about half the paste (as recommended).

We grated some carrots as recommended for the slaw tang, but I think next time we’d definitely add the red and white cabbage, too. The edamame beans were super easy to prepare (just add to some water, then drain and add a bit of salt), too.

All in all, the entire kit took us around 30 minutes, which included time for things like boiling the water. It was overall a relaxing, happy experience and everything pretty much went to plan. Hurrah! Time to eat.

The all-important taste test

Here’s how everything looked set out on our table. This really did feel like a treat, seeing everything all laid out and then tucking in. We both really enjoyed the variety of flavours in our vegan box – everything was cooked to perfection, and the edamame and slaw worked really well, too.

The selection of dips that came with our food were just perfect, and although I stuck mainly to the classic and sesame dipping sauces, plus a little of the seasoning provided, Murdo (who likes things a bit spicier) made full use of the ginger and chilli kicker, even mixing it in with his rice.

I’m not going to lie, when I knew we’d be eating dim sum from a kit for dinner, I had been a little worried about whether we’d need to buy anything extra to go with – but I can say now that yes, this was definitely enough food for two people to feel satisfyingly full!

Affordability

It’d be remiss of me not to mention the price of Ding Dong Dim Sum. At just under £40 per box, it’s basically the price of ordering yourself a Deliveroo – although, to be fair, there are usually offers on the site, like the current Valentine’s day code (LUVFEB15) offering 15% off.

If budget is of no concern, or if you live somewhere where you don’t have access to a Chinese supermarket where you can buy a multitude of dim sum to keep in the freezer, then I’d have absolutely no issue highly recommending Ding Dong Dim Sum. It was a lovely experience, resulting in some very tasty and stress-free dim sum.

Overall

Ding Dong Dim Sum provided us with a fabulous array of tasty dim sum and accompaniments, meaning we had everything we needed for a very satisfying meal. We even got a couple of fortune cookies thrown in, which was a welcome novelty.

I was so impressed with the presentation, packaging and easy-to-follow instructions provided, and it meant cooking was a great experience we’ll remember for all the right reasons. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking to try a kit like this in future!