Many Cape Town locals will know of the Salt River gem Sepial’s Kitchen that became known and loved for serving up North-East Asian flavours. While Sepial’s may be closed for now (and operating at the Oranjezicht City Farm), the team has taken on a new baby project in the form of The Ugly Dumpling.

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While we are saddened that @sepialskitchen as we know it will cease to exist, we're so happy that Sepial and her team have reinvented their offering as @uglydumplingza @vandafoodmarket. The space may be (even) smaller, but the quality of food and the personal touch remains the same. Good luck Sepial! 1. Korean Fried Chicken bao 2. Pork, chive and celery mandoo #koreanfood #dumplings #asianfood #familybusiness #foodie #bao #dimsum

A post shared by Garth Scholtz (@gourmetgarth) on Oct 11, 2020 at 12:44am PDT

The new dumpling bar, which is now open at the V&A Waterfront Food Market near the Watershed, was born out of the COVID-19 pandemic and created by Sepial Shim’s son, Mooru Yeo, to keep the team financially stable and to offer more delicious products to their loyal customers.

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It's chicken wonton soup kind of weather! Chicken soup to warm your soul 🥟🥢🍜

A post shared by The Ugly Dumpling (@uglydumplingza) on Oct 9, 2020 at 2:46am PDT

Mooru, who studied at Silwood School of Cookery, has developed a range of “ugly and delicious dumplings”. The stall is serving up (and selling out at lightning speed) easy, quick bites with the same quality that fans have come to know at Sepial’s Kitchen.

Think Korean fried chicken bao buns, wonton soup, cucumber and seaweed salad, pan-fried buns with a nutty cinnamon filling, and fried kimchi or prawn mandoo (steamed dumplings). New items will be introduced every week and they’ve even introduced frozen dumplings to enjoy at home.

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KFC(Korean Fried Chicken/Cauliflower) Gua Bao 🔥 Yes or yesssssss? #cannotwait #dumplings #bao #koreanfriedchicken #waterfrontfoodmarket #vnawaterfront

A post shared by The Ugly Dumpling (@uglydumplingza) on Oct 6, 2020 at 8:58am PDT

The Ugly Dumpling is open Thursdays to Sundays, 10am to 6pm, at the V&A Food Market. Follow them on Instagram for menu updates.

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