It would be easy to walk past Cranky Joe’s Ugly Dumplings none-the-wiser. That, friends, would be a monumental mistake. The tiny shopfront next door to Stones Throw Cafe along Station Street in Currumbin is the definition of unassuming, with just an A-frame sign directing customers to the back window. Venture down the driveway and you’re greeted with a small ordering window that overlooks a spacious deck lined with tables they share with Stones Throw and a grassed area shaded by an enormous jacaranda tree. There’s even a caravan at the back for the kids to play. The deck area is a shared space for patrons of either Stones Throw or Cranky Joe’s Ugly Dumplings so you can pick and mix, if you fancy. 

Cranky Joe’s is the handiwork of husband-and-wife duo Joe and Deb Ning, who opened the space 12 years ago as a baby shop that also did coffee. There was no backyard and certainly no food. About seven years ago, the Nings shifted gears and introduced a limited menu of handmade dumplings that utilised some of Joe’s Cantonese family recipes. Now, let’s get one thing clear, when we say dumplings, we don’t mean your run-of-the-mill store-bought variety, we mean fresh, flavoursome fillings hand-stuffed and steamed. The fillings are made fresh in-house and rolled by Deb’s own hands, hence the ‘ugly’ part of the name. Perfectly imperfect, the flavour more than makes up for any lumps and bumps around the edges. The dumplings, which are also available in frozen take-home packs, are the true hero of the menu and are available in pork, chicken, a vegetarian option that is filled with sweet potato, chickpea and coriander, and a pork and cabbage. The succinct menu also features some seriously tasty pork buns, that are a labour of love for Joe with each batch taking around 45-hours to create, bao buns and rice paper rolls. If you cannot decide, opt for the Chapas Platter, which includes a little taste of everything. On a Friday evening, from 5:00–8:00 pm, you can also enjoy YumCha Friday, but be warned, it’s been known to get busy so if you’ve got your heart set on a table, best to text Deb for a table. No fancy booking system, just the way they like it. If you love discovering hidden gems, check out Cranky Joe’s Ugly Dumplings.

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