Valerie Wei, 26, and Hydra Huang, 30, opened their authentic Chinese food restaurant and takeway eight months ago but business has been slow.

After settling in a small Taranaki town and starting their dream business of creating the authentic Chinese food they love, a young couple thought they were set.

But after eight months Hydra Huang and Valerie Wei are still struggling to get customers through their Inglewood doors, despite help from the local business community.

The pair own Panda Bowl in Inglewood just 10 minutes south of New Plymouth in Taranaki. Their small shop is on the town's main drag and it's open six days a week from 11am-8pm.

Wei said their Chinese food was so different from what Kiwis were used to, they were afraid to try it.

Instead of dishes like lemon chicken or vegetables with black bean sauce, the couple serve genuine Chinese favourites like homemade dumplings, kungpo chicken and pork belly buns.

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"Our food is quite authentic, not like other Chinese takeaways," Wei said. "It takes people a while to accept."

SIMON O'CONNOR/STUFF Huang is passionate about all the food he creates. He proudly declares his dumpings the best in the world.

Since opening in June last year they have occasional busy periods on a Friday nights but other than that it's quiet and "it's not stable," Wei said.

The 26-year-old has been with Huang for two and a half years, moved to Inglewood with him and loves it.

She used to be a pharmacist in a hospital in China but enjoys working in a dairy during the day, then Panda Bowl at night, because of the friendly people.

Huang moved to New Zealand seven years ago and studied at Witt in New Plymouth.

Like Wei, the 30-year-old loves the people of Inglewood, and is passionate about serving them his food.

"I use my heart to make it," he said.

Their dumpling sauce has 40 different ingredients and, like most of of his dishes, he has "Westernised" it for local taste buds to make sure it's not too spicy.

Huang not only thinks he makes the best dumplings in Taranaki and New Zealand, he thinks his are the best in the world because he styled them off the best he'd ever tasted as a youngster.

SIMON O'CONNOR/STUFF The pair think people are hesitant to try their food because it's not the usual Kiwi-style Chinese takeaways.

He thinks highly about all of his food and said most customers do too.

"If it's not good, not delicious, I don't put it on the menu."

The local community has tried to give the pair a helping hand, giving them a printer so they can get fliers out into the community and donating a laptop as a prize for a school colouring competition.

They have displayed some of the 700 entries they have had come back from children on their store wall.

Huang hopes business picks up soon because has his heart set on Inglewood; he wants to spend the rest of his life there.

"That's why I started a business here."