Chinese food, without a doubt, is a key part of college life. With the convenience of takeout, quality and healthiness are often overlooked. Chef David Mao is trying to change that with his new restaurant, David’s Dumpling and Noodle Bar.
After leaving his former white-tablecloth world of high-end dining at The Duck and Dumpling, Mao tried to settle into retirement. However, within weeks of leaving the business, Mao ditched retirement to start David’s Dumpling and Noodle Bar, located on 1900 Hillsborough Street, by the Pullen Park traffic circle.
“I just retired for a couple weeks,” Mao said. “Then I got bored. It was fun for a while. I saw this space available, so I decided that I might get back to work.”
David’s Dumpling and Noodle Bar offers a casual menu of Asian inspired cuisine, focusing on soups and dumplings, Mao’s specialties.
“I prefer the dumplings,” the chef commented. “They can be eaten any time, as a meal or snack.”
The restaurant features a slew of his interpretation of traditional dishes from Southeast Asia. Mao added a Vietnamese classic, Pho, a rice noodle soup served with bean sprouts and herbs. Mao includes Chinese dishes, Indian dishes and even his spin on Americanized Chinese food, like General “Mao’s” Chicken.
Nevertheless, Mao keeps tradition in balance with customer preference. “You have to be creative,” Mao explained. “If you talk about traditional, people probably won’t accept it in this country.” Mao described that traditional Vietnamese or Chinese cuisine may present uninviting flavors or textures from food. “So you have to do it with a twist.”
Mao has been an icon in the Raleigh fine-dining scene, since he arrived here from Vietnam in 1972, with sponsor help from N.C. State professor Harold Hopfenberg. Hopfenberg, a professor in chemical and biomolecular engineering, met Mao in Saigon, Vietnam while Hopfenberg was deployed as an Army captain in 1966.
“David worked in a restaurant in my neighborhood, Cholon, Saigon, and we became good friends,” Hopfenberg said.
Hopfenberg and Mao met in the restaurant of Mao’s older brother in the Chinese-controlled neighborhood of Cholon.
“He was a good cook then,” Hopfenberg said, “and I think he’s been keeping it up for the past 44 years that I’ve known him. I really like his new restaurant.”
Despite the affordable prices and option for take out, David’s Dumpling and Noodle Bar does not resemble the MSG-rich wok factories that abound. Located in the renovated brick building off of Hillsborough Street, the restaurant appears inviting with a retro ambiance.
The restaurant layout focuses on the beer and noodle bar, the centerpiece of eatery. Nothing spells comfort like hot soup and cold beer. Mao compiled a large beer selection on draft.
After scrapping retirement to try this “experiment,” Mao did not announce his comeback.
“I just opened the restaurant,” Mao said. “No grand opening sign. I just got my permit and unlocked the door. People just come in. I have very loyal clientele.”
Such proximity to campus and reasonable prices allow Mao to target the student demographic. Jasmine Velez, a senior in microbiology, said she frequents the restaurant.
“I go because they have generous portions but also because it’s affordable,” Velez said. “I’ve been about four or five times now, since, I think, October.”
“I think it’s a refreshing change from pizza and a lot of other places on Hillsborough Street,” Rashmi Patel, a junior in biochemistry, said. “If you have any craving—sweet, salty or spicy—you can fulfill it. I always get the pad thai.”
The restaurant also connects with students through employment. Sokun Hourn, a senior in biochemistry, and Stefan Gruber, a post-graduate student, have been working as food runners for Mao since the bar opened in September.
“I bring out the food and serve it and then bus the tables,” Hourn said. “It’s really interesting to stay in the kitchen and to also interact with the customers too.”
Mao allows his food to speak for itself. As a chef, he strives for pleasing his customers. Nevertheless, while trying to lure and feed the common passerby, Mao’s food also makes a culinary statement.
“Thirty or forty years ago, people only had their peppered steaks and sweet and sour pork,” Mao said. “Things are changing. As the times pass, people will get educated.”
Mao commonly works hosting in the front of the restaurant. He will also share a drink from the bar and chat with the patrons.
“I’ve been a chef all my life,” Mao said. “My brother had a restaurant in Vietnam, where I first worked. I have been in the restaurant business for a long time. It’s like a small universe. You either love it or you hate it.”
