Dumplings Delish

Very nice food and atmosphere. I'll be back.

We came in for a pre-dinner snack, and left wanting for more! The chicken and veg dumplings were excellent, and so were the spring rolls. Their homemade chilli oil is one of the best we’ve ever had! Definitely coming back for more...thank you!

On a bitterly cold evening on the way home from work, I decided I couldn’t be bothered cooking for myself. I had passed this restaurant many times wanting to try it. From the large window the decor looked interesting. Not your usual Asian pastiche but a warm timber interior with cosy tables & banquettes and pierced screens. The host was a friendly chap with a perfect command of English, which was reassuring. Once seated I was proffered a pitcher of tap water with a floating sprig of parsley & a cherry tomato sitting on the bottom. No effect on the taste of the water but certainly a curious choice of garnish for table water...
To start with I chose their signature dumplings, pork, chicken & ginger. An option of steamed or pan-fried. I chose pan-fried. The five dumplings arrived in a bowl with a selection of various sauces to choose from in a little timber box. The dumplings were plump, juicy & delicately flavoured. Their little browned bottoms were golden & crisp while the doughy tops smooth & silky. I wanted more but I ordered a main so I held back...The mains list was impressive with an unusual melange of options. Not quite sure if there was a common thread amongst the choices, which appeared to cover various Asian cuisines. Prices were hefty from mid $20- mid $30. I decided on my old favourite Nasi Goreng. It came out with a twist. A very minimal looking mound of glistening fried rice browned with thick dark soy, peppered with fried caramelised shallots and coloured with bright green finely sliced snow peas. It was accompanied by a seperate hot plate bearing a fried egg & char-grilled chicken thigh fillet resting on an unusual tomato based chilli sauce. I piled everything atop the rice, spooned over the sauce then dug in by breaking the egg yolk through the rice. It was simple but delicious & packed with flavour. The rice was plump, grains separated and very slightly ‘al dente’ - which is a refreshing change from gluggy fried rice offered up in some places. I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Some time later though, my mouth went a little dry & I became quite thirsty. A sure sign of the presence of MSG in the meal. I suspect the MSG wasn’t added but was in some of the prepared sauces used to prepare the meal. Not ideal but will forgive this negative. Overall a good meal, well cooked, nicely presented. Will return to further explore the dumpling selection.

Signature Pork and Chicken dumplings were the highlight. Peking duck spring rolls were crispy and flavoursome. Xiao long bao were ok. Priced well, smooth service and tasty dumplings.

Not just dumplings, a diverse range of asian mains and entrees at an appropriate price. But the dumplings are indeed lovely (the pumpkin and spinach probably my favorite), and well priced. The meals can take a while: they are obviously made with each order rather than pre-prepared. But worth the wait.

The pork and chicken dumplings were juicy and flavoursome by themselves, next level with just the basic soy sauce. The Peking duck spring rolls with accompanying sauce were a great starter. You won't be disappointed.