Check out our list of international doughy delights and where to find them in the capital…

We’re breaking down eight doughy bundles from eight different cuisines, and then offering up the best Abu Dhabi option for each… just for fun, because we can.

Xiao long bao (Origin: Taiwan)

Eating a soup dumpling takes skill: you don’t want to tear it and splatter its rich broth everywhere, but you also don’t want to burn the roof of your mouth. Luckily, the institution that is Din Tai Fung has perfected its dumplings, so that the dough is thick enough to safely make the journey from chopstick to mouth. As for the burning-your-mouth thing? You’re on your own.

The Galleria Mall, Abu Dhabi. @dintaifungae

Manti (Origin: Turkey)

Manti is most commonly associated with Turkish cuisine and they’re representative of a standard dumpling – nothing too special, but nothing too offensive either. It is usually filled with minced meat, onions, and spices and doused in butter. Tean in Jumeirah Saadiyat Island has a pretty gourmet option with each manti delicately stuffed with minced lamb and pine nuts and served with yoghurt sauce.

Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island. @jumeirahsaadiyat

Gnocchi (Origin: Italy)

Finding an Italian restaurant in Abu Dhabi is like trying to find hay in a haystack. And while it’s not hard to find gnocchi, there’s one new place that we are particularly fond of and that’s Talea. Order the homemade gnocchi with white veal ragu.

Emirates Palace. mandarinoriental.com

Gyoza (Origin: Japan)

These Japanese dumplings are made with thin wrappers, and filled with minced meat or fish, cabbage, scallions, garlic, and ginger. They are then served with rice vinegar, soy sauce and chili oil based dipping sauce. We’re particularly partial to the beef gyoza from Akiba Dori.

Yas Bay, Yas Island. akibadori.com

Patties (Origin: Jamaica)

A Jamaican beef patty is made with curry-flavoured beef stuffed in a buttery, flaky pastry dough, baked until golden brown and delicious. Order yours from What’s On Award-winning indie restaurant West to West and choose between spicy or non-spicy patties – we suggest the latter.

Al Bzaymi Street, Abu Dhabi. @westtowestkitchen

Har gow (Origin: Hong Kong)

A traditional Cantonese dumpling, har gow is served as dim sum. Sometimes called a ‘shrimp bonnet’, the translucent wrappers of these shrimp dumplings are filled with shrimp chunks, bamboo shoots, scallions, and grated ginger, and no one does them better than in Rosewood’s Dai Pai Dong.

Rosewood Abu Dhabi, Al Maryah Island. @daipaidongad

Bánh bột lọc (Origin: Vietnam)

Saigon House opened in late 2021 and has been impressing diners with its authentic Vietnamese cuisine ever since. One of its signature dishes are the tapioca shrimp dumplings otherwise known as bánh bột lọc. The small, clear-looking, chewy tapioca dumplings filled with shrimp, and topped with fried shallots.

Al Manhal Street. @saigonhouse.uae

Momo (Origin: Nepal)

In Nepal, momos – pastry shells stuffed with either meat or vegetables –  are a popular fast-food. Go straight to Nepal Palace. For a mere Dhs15, you can enjoy a mammoth platter of momos. Surrounded by Nepalese taxi drivers fueling up on their national food in between fares, you’ll feel transported to Kathmandu.

Between Hamdan & Zayed the First Streets near the World Trade Center Abu Dhabi.