ShanDong Mama: Mid City Arcade - 200 Bourke Street Melbourne

This place is damn hard to find. I didn’t know where the Mid City Arcade was and my GPS kept sending me to other places. It was worth the trip though.

Sadly I could not eat the pork dumplings as they put egg in the mixture (why???) but I did have the tasty tasty vegan zucchini and black fungus dumplings. They were good, real good and thank you for making a vegan option with something other than boring cabbage and bean sprouts.

Since I’ve discovered the superior pan fried pork dumplings at Shanghai Street I haven’t been back but one day when I get a hankering for veggie dumplings this place will be friend I’m sure. The only way they could get better is to either make the dumpling wrapper from scratch – it has that store bought texture to it, or improve it if they do make it themselves. I'm also going to try their hand made potato noodles, which I've heard good things about. The other mains are hit and miss.

Shanghai Street Dumpling: 342 Little Bourke Street Melbourne

These are the best dumplings I’ve had in Melbourne. OMG yum.

The pan fried pork dumplings are small and manageable. When you bite into them you get that satisfying crunch at the same time as that soft, moist burst of flavour. I’ve now been here a few times and one day I assure you I’m going to try something else on the menu.

The place is always packed and the staff a little overwhelmed so I am sure other things will be just as good. Especially given the fact that the dumplings are so evidently home made from scratch. Good work folks, you get three ticks.

Hutong Dumpling Bar: 14-16 Market Lane Melbourne

One Friday I went to Hutong Dumpling Bar to fill the void left by my salad. Salad, I love you, you know I do but sometimes you leave me feeling unsatisfied. Today was one of those days.

I love dumplings. Pan fried pork are my favourite. So naturally, at a dumpling bar, that’s exactly what I ordered. Senor Gringo also ordered salt and pepper squid.

The dumplings that arrived did not look pan fried, although some frying had gone on as they came out attached to this weird pan shaped batter. The dumplings were much larger than normal, didn’t have that lovely crispy base and due to their size each and every one fell apart as soon as I picked it up. Disappointing. It wasn’t a total write off though as they did have a homemade casing – a big tick - and nicely balanced flavours but I don’t need to go back and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

Senor Gringo advised his salt and pepper squid was not cooked enough and had too much batter making the batter, not the squid, the dominant flavour.

Overall, there were other things on the menu that I would have liked to have tried, if I had a bigger appetite, but they were the standard items you see at most Chinese restaurants and if I dumpling bar can’t excel at dumplings I’m happy to try those things elsewhere.

One tick - done, dusted, not going back.

1+1 Mandarin Dumpling Restaurant: 84 Hopkins Street Footscray

Not fussy eater friendly. 

The pork dumplings have egg in them (why?!), so do the vegetable dumplings though they made me some specially without egg. They were a greasy bland let down. So were the other two dishes we ordered, so much so that it was not even worth remembering what they were. 

The restaurant also had a grubby feel, which as I've mentioned I'll ignore if the food is good. 

One tick/thumbs down. Don't waste your time or calories.