Oi! Dumplings: I tried out the new restaurant by former teachers bringing a taste of Asia to Yorkshire - this is what I thought

What about the pintxos in San Sebastian and the Portuguese pesticos, and the surprisingly good bifana – essentially a pork sandwich which arrives after your main course (in my case sea urchins, thanks for asking) as a sort of savoury dessert.

The meat is marinated and simmered in a sauce of white wine, garlic, and paprika and served on soft rolls with plenty of mustard and piri-piri sauce. It’s a matter of national pride.

While we’re in Lisbon I can’t go without mentioning the pasteis de nata (or Belem, where they originate). My waistline would suggest that I ate my body weight in them.

Maisie Davies and Mollie Power went to Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China, so guess what they’re making in Marsden? Yup, it’s pho, xinijang dumplings, yellow curry and orange duck, Kung Pao chicken and Goi Cuon – spring rolls.

They weren’t on holiday, but teaching English, and had a good four years in Asia – enough time to get to love the food and the culture, and want to bring it back home.

They travelled back to the UK in a safe gap during the pandemic and missed the cuisine so started recreating some of their best loved dishes – mainly dumplings, helped along with an on-line cooking course with a chef in Shanghai.

They began home-delivery, making dumplings by hand (which they still do) and dropping them off round the valley.

After lock-down they started doing street food and pop-ups, at the same time continuing to teach English to Chinese students online, but when the political situation changed in China and they were no longer able to teach and lost their jobs, it was time for a re-think.

Marsden is a food lovers mecca; Peel street alone has at least half a dozen places to eat and drink, including the famous Riverhead Brewery Tap, ‘cask ale heaven since 1995’ and round a corner is a fab little Italian outdoor café, the smell of good coffee and the sight of Cannoli in the cabinet making it hard to pass without stopping.

It is, in fact, the spot Maisie and Mollie first had their outdoor pop-up, called ‘This Must Be The Place’. Their new and permanent home is a handsome old building with full length windows, and as we have a window seat it’s an ideal spot for a) sunshine and b) people watching.

Inside, a calm palette showcases eclectic art work, most of it eastern-inspired, plus the now-famous Anthony Bourdin quote offering life-affirming advice framed on the wall above me.

It’s a sunny Sunday lunchtime and all sorts of folk are filling the place – couples, families, kids and dogs with a couple of tables on the pavement too.

The menu is short at the moment; they’ve only been here a couple of months and have plans to extend it, so we chose rather randomly: dumplings (of course), braised pork belly and Goi Ga, a crunchy Vietnamese salad.

The belly is braised in char siu sauce and it’s wonderfully dark and sticky. There’s ‘celebration rice’ all over the menu – I don’t know how it differs from any other, but it certainly suits the pork dish.

There’s a huge umami hit with house pickles, and a bottle of Japanese Ramune Yuzu soda is nicely refreshing, and I’m tickled to see that there’s a glass ball in the neck – just like cream soda in the old days.

Goi Ga is a Vietnamese salad full of crunch and herby notes, with spring onions, coriander, rice noodles, peanuts, lime, toasted and coconut with nu’oc cham, a subtle fish sauce.

I was looking forward to the dumplings – after all it’s their MO – and I was a bit deflated, they need a bit more oomph – the ginger was almost undetectable alongside the pork. Maybe the lemongrass chicken or Xinjiang lamb ones pack more punch?

Desserts at the moment are homemade cakes, and Yee Kwan ice cream made in Sheffield. And oh the flavours! Black sesame. Hong Kong milk tea. Chocolate miso.

Step aside Mr Whippy these are sensational. There are two beers on draft: Bia Oi which is bespoke and brewed down the road at Zapato, and it’s excellent, and Asahi. Bottles include Lucky Buddha and Hanoi.

The short but interesting wine list has a Chilean Orange Wine, an Italian Pinot Grigio, both white and rose and Rag & Bone, an Australian Riesling, which I’ve had elsewhere; I bet it pairs well with Asian food.

It’s a lovely space; calm, welcoming and sociable, and I’m looking forward to the extended menu. It’s a huge effort you’ve made to bring this lovely food back home and I know it’s not been any easy ride; I applaud you.

All the flavours are here, but I’d like to make a plea for boldness! More ginger! More fire! Altogether more poke. We can take it, honestly. Don’t hold back.

I miss the wisdom of the late Anthony Bourdin.

He’s looking down at me from his place on the wall … for anyone unfamiliar with it, here it is in full; advice to live by, which becomes more pertinent with age. “Eat at a local restaurant tonight. Get the cream sauce. Have a cold pint at 4 o’clock in a mostly empty bar. Go somewhere you’ve never been. Listen to someone you think may have nothing in common with you. Order the steak rare. Eat an oyster. Have a negroni. Have two. Be open to a world where you may not understand or agree with the person next to you, but have a drink with them anyways. Eat slowly. Tip your server. Check in on your friends. Check in on yourself. Enjoy the ride.”

Lunch for two with drinks £56.50.

Oi! Dumplings, Peel Street, Marsden www.thecafeoi.com

Hours: 10 – 6 Thursday to Monday

Welcome 5/5

Food 4/5

Atmosphere 5/5

Prices 5/5