Linyun Ouyang aka ‘Linda’ is known in the local Chinese community as the mum who had a delivery-only service for traditional Chinese “festival food” — moon cakes, zongzi & more. But now this mother of two recently opened up a teeny tiny café with a wildly mouthwatering menu of dim sum, handmade noodles, cakes, sweets, pizza (Durian cheese pizza?!) & even homemade yogurt.
This café is NOT easy to find on google maps nor is the menu online, which is why we photographed it and posted it here (below). Linda herself was shocked that we found her. Click here for the google pin. We also recommend calling/WhatsApp’ing in advance (052-801-1088) to check:
- if Linda is going to be around when you plan to visit because she seems to be the only one who truly knows how things are supposed to be.
- to check if any dishes you really want to try are available, since not every dish on the menu is available every day.
Linda is warm, welcoming and articulate — she can break down ingredients for you in English in a way that most Chinese restaurants in International City wouldn’t be able to (she’s currently telling us about pickled Brassica juncea var. crispifolia 雪裡蕻 in her dumplings!!!)
We’ve only been once at the time of this post but we’re sharing this so that you can go try the food and we can collectively figure out what the hits are on Linda’s menu beyond the hot pot buns (which are far superior to the mutton and beef buns on the menu–yet to try the scallop and noodles.)
What else we enjoyed: beef & pickled mustard dumplings dunked in black vinegar chilli dipping sauce, green (mung bean?) Chinese pancakes aka jian bing wraps with tender chicken & crunchy veg, dense nut-filled mooncakes & greasy spring onion ‘prata.’
Arva Ahmed is the co-founder of Frying Pan Adventures, Dubai’s first food tour company, and a celebrated food explorer known for uncovering Dubai’s hidden culinary gems. Her expertise in the city’s diverse food scene has been featured in prominent publications such as CNN, Khaleej Times, BBC Travel, The Sun, The Independent and countless more. She also hosts Ditch the Silver on YouTube. Through her immersive tours and storytelling, Arva brings Dubai’s rich flavors and vibrant cultures to life.
