As first timers to this restaurant we weren't disappointed.
Tables are a bit close together, but the food makes up for that; it's scrumptious!
The staff were friendly, helpful and professional.
Service was prompt, but dishes came out one by one,
so we had our main courses before our rice did which
was a bit of a bummer.
The sweet and sour pork was to die for as was the seafood dish. Cooked to perfection.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
The spring rolls there are delicious and well sized ! 😊
The front of house staff are always delight towards me and always make sure I have refreshments. 10/10 would recommend going there.
Abit of an Asian fusion mix, it's Abit westernised but I throughly enjoyed my meal. A great option of vegetarian and presentation was unique and tasted great! Staff are freindly and helpful. Environment was a little quiet but nice, I did go on a Tuesday though! Highly recommend the green vege dumplings! Came in a beautiful flower shape
I really enjoyed our meal here. Yes a little pricier than Melbourne, but the food was delicious. Some of the nicest dumplings I’ve had. The staff were friendly and the service was speedy. I really liked the decor too.
Probably the best dumplings in Ballarat! A small cafe type feel place, very modern in its theming. Often do here and share a few dishes. The dumplings are always hot and cooked to perfection!
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I just don't know what to think of Fu Man Lou. It's pretty bent.
Some things I love. Others, not so much.
First thing I wasn't expecting was the service. I was shown to the table by (most likely) the Chinese owner. Sitting down looking at the menu I nearly fell of my chair when approached by a large Aussie woman with a broad and loud Aussie accent wanting to know if I needed anything. While I tried to compose myself, she proceeded to grab the menu and "help" me with it... Flipping through the pages for me. "Do ya know what a hotpot is luv?" "This is hot... Do ya like hot food?"
Never in my life have I had that happen to me.
I sort of managed to mumble that, um yes I might have had a hotpot before and um yes, perhaps something hot would be good.
I pulled myself together and ordered and she trotted off. Then noticing the decor I took a few pics. If you look at them, try and zoom in. There is a great dumpling theme and a good bit of humour in the place and I really found it enjoyable, quirky and refreshing. I mean how many no name, bare wall dumpling joints in Melbourne could learn a thing or two here!
THEN the food arrived. OK, one dish arrived. Szechuan Shredded Pork in Noodle Soup. The dish is smaller than what you get in Melbourne and almost twice the price. I suppose they just don't get the volume in Ballarat. It was OK. It looked bloody hot but was nowhere near it. Tell tale flavours of broad bean chilli paste and in itself this is a beautiful flavour but despite this and dried chillies on top, the dish was strangely "mild"! The noodles also, VERY ordinary.
The next dish was just a spring onion pancake. I order this everywhere. I don't think they were expecting anyone to order it. I pretty much gave up on it coming out. Certainly, the big Aussie waitress did too because she was playing with her phone.
I'd nearly finished he soup when it came out, and it was huge! Huge and stodgy. Nothing like the light flaky and crunchy example I was expecting. More like a spring onion pizza!
But the thing is, I'm in Ballarat and I'm eating some reasonable Chinese food. I'm enchanted with the theme, but the food here would not survive in Melbourne for 5 minutes... But I'm not in Melbourne, and overall it's pretty darn good, if a bit different... especially the service.
Pricing? Yes, their volumes will be lower than most places in Melbourne, but nearly $15.00 for 6 Xiao Long Bao? Wow, that's more expensive than Din Tai Fung. They gotta look at that. At that price they are too expensive to even try one.
Tasty, authentic Chinese food, great decor, laid back atmosphere and friendly staff. What's not to like!
I had some vegetarian dumplings which had a really interesting shape - so top marks for presentation too.
Excellent Laziji here, juicy and delicious with a unique flavour. The dumplings were fresh and tasty. Aussie staff need to learn Chinese names of dishes.
Great friendly service and delicious dumplings. Particularly liked the prawn dumplings and the salt and pepper squid. Very fast too! Oh and bbq pork buns a winner.
After having an enjoyable time at Sovereign Hill's Christmas in July we went to Fu Man Lou for dinner. I really do think out of everything we ordered the dumplings and wontons were the best. I really enjoyed the mushroom and bok choi dumplings. This is a great place for vegetarians since they have a few vegetarian dumpling options. The chilli oil that came with the wontons was not too spicy so they were enjoyable to eat.
My friend ordered the lemon chicken. The sauce was a lot sweeter than other lemon chickens he had eaten at other places. I tried a bit of the sauce and I had to agree!!
I found the Singapore Noodles to be bland.
The prawn crackers were interesting - they were very tasty but a bit sticky/oily.
My friend also enjoyed his spring rolls. They were huge. Never seen such fat looking spring rolls so they were definitely worth the price.
I would probably come back for the dumplings but not the mains.
Checked out this little gem whilst in Ballarat for the long weekend. The decor is fabulous and the service was really good. We started with pork wok tip dumplings which were delicious, mixed seafood dumplings again really tasty and yummy salt & pepper calamari. We then shared Mongolian lamb which had a beautiful flavour and was really tender, caramel pork belly melted in the mouth, seafood birds nest was also tasty, the special Chinese broccoli was amazing and the fried rice good. We shared a bottle of wine and really enjoyed it but for the price the mains were just not big enough and the boys were still hungry, had they made the servings a bit more generous they would have got 4 stars, still recommend you give it a go if visiting Ballarat.
Came here spontaneously on a Sunday night with zero expectations - we were pleasantly surprised! Very cool interior; this restaurant would be right at home on Little Collins Street in Melbourne. Service was very good - attentive, confident but friendly, helpful and professional but not stuffy. Suited the vibe perfectly and some of the best service we have had in Ballarat so far. Food was very tasty and also the best Asian food we have had in Ballarat. Wine list was another pleasant surprise. Overall: Yes. Go.
This quirky, bustling little gem ticked all the boxes. Generous serves of tasty, fresh food at a good price, friendly, efficient staff and a great atmosphere. We shared the dumplings and the Mongolian beef with rice and paired our dishes with a crisp NZ white. A really good evening. We’ll be back soon.
Always a pleasure to visit Fu Man Lou!
The staff are always friendly, hard-working and respective of your experience.
I usually order a range of different items including the BBQ pork buns, pork wontons and the szechuan chicken.
I would also argue they make the best dumplings in town (I will stand my ground on this)
I always leave with a full and satisfied stomach, highly recommend!
It was absolutely incredible. Even on a busy night we were seated immediately and customer service was prompt and so efficient. Nice pleasant atmosphere and the food was really flavorful, especially recommend the fish dumplings and beef stir fry. Even the rice was light and fluffly. Will definitely be returning.
Oh I do recommend, food was brilliant!! Kung pao chicken, came with a pow alright. Was amazing, if I could 6 stars, came with the family and had a blast and the service was extraordinary.
This has to be the best Asian food and dumplings in Ballarat food is always fresh and thumbs Up 👍👍👍to the chief keep up the good work and the waitress Kerry is so friendly and lovely keep up the good work you deserve more than 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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