Best Crab Rangoon in Columbus #18
Hello friends, and welcome back to 'Toastmuncher Tuesdays' where I hunt for the best crab rangoon in the city. Feel free to comment any recommendations.
Link to the map where I have all locations recommended to me and color coded categories based on my rankings is here. Full data spreadsheet is here. Link to the hub where you can access all of my previous reviews is here.
IMPORTANT PLEASE READ: I will be camping for Memorial Day weekend and will not return until Wednesday. Crab rangoon posts will be paused next week and resume on Tuesday June 7.
This week, I took u/vintagered01 's recommendation and tried out Nong's Hunan in Grandview. Enjoy!
Nong’s Hunan
4 for $7.85
Filling: 6/10
Wrapper: 9/10
Sauce: 5/10
Value: 2/5
Overall: 22/35
Filling: I am very impressed with the amount of filling in this rangoon. It is STUFFED. The filling is a slight departure from the traditional rangoon. It’s got an underlying sweetness and hints of pepper which is interesting. However, where I take issue is that the flavor isn’t strong enough. The pepper is a very different flavor from typical rangoon which I like, however, there isn’t nearly enough of it. There isn’t a very strong garlic or onion flavor either. I get just a hint of seafood flavor which is a bonus, but again, it’s too faint. There’s a great level of salt that pairs well with the slight sweetness, but overall this filling is just okay, not great. I respect adding in unique flavors, but I wish they had committed to them and really made them pop.
Wrapper: This wrapper is excellent! It’s a triangle wrapper, but I would call it more of a half square than the triangles I generally see. The shape makes for a massive pocket of filling in the middle and a solid filling to wrapper ratio. Good, crispy. It’s innovative. I’m very pleased with the wrapper.
Sauce: I’m a little torn on the sauce. I think it does a great job elevating the seafood flavor in the rangoon filling which is a huge plus, but the flavor itself is pretty bland. There’s a bit of sour, but it doesn’t pop like some of the sauces I have had. I also think it’s a bit too thick and gelatinous - it makes for a good first bite, but by the end, it’s heavy. Much like the filling, I think it needs a stronger flavor to really sing. Giving it a few bonus points because it compliments the filling very well, but with another rangoon this filling would not be it.
Value: Metrics can be found in my data sheet. At $1.96 each, these get a 2.
Overall: Although I was pretty critical of each individual element, I think when they all come together, they make for a tasty bite. The sauce helps bring out the best in the filling, and there is a very generous amount - some of the most well filled rangoon to date. The flavors were interesting - pepper and seafood - but they weren’t strong enough. If they had committed to the flavors and made a very strong tasting filling, I think these could have been some of the best. But the lack of strong flavors leaves me disappointed. However, my main issue with these rangoon - the price. These are the most expensive I have had thus far, and I have had some truly outstanding rangoon. For a rangoon this expensive, I expect Molly Woo’s and Ampersand level quality, and I do not feel that I got that with these. Overall, I think they’re good, but for that price I was expecting better.
Posted May 24, 2022, 10:50 PM UTC