Food Critic Alan Merda
+5
The atmosphere is crowded at times and tables are shared with others as most often happens in China, the food is a traditional Chinese Cantonese Style, and the dishes are a very big serving for the price. I have been going there for over 20 years now and even though the flavours have changed a little from then they’re still fantastic, love their Combination fried noodles if you love some surf n turf with a crispy fried egg noodle in a very delicious sauce.
Also lover their Bao, specially their BBQ Bao is really hard to beat!
We always get takeaway here while in the city. Love their Salted Fish and Chicken Fried Rice, which is super flavourful and also comes in a big serving size for the price. Definitely try their house made baos too - my favourite is the salted egg lava bao, and the BBQ pork bun is super good too. Service is pretty quick too.
We did not dine in, passed by this place and the name of the restaurant is familiar, heard of if before or some one has actually recommended it to me before. We take away char siew bao, $12 for 6 (chose frozen ones as we will only eat it tomorrow). This morning we heated up for 15 mins, wow we love it and its very tasty, I will go back next time to try other bao.
xx 💚
The porridge is the bomb! Reminds me of home, not too watery nor starchy. Ingredients are generous and price is reasonable too. Not much to fault except hoping they have another branch closer to where I live.
A long time establishment for quick tasty and cheap Chinese food, most notably the steamed paos. Ignore the shoddy entrance and interior deco, it’s been around for so many decades simply because it’s that good!
This is the go to place for “golden sand” Bao.
Every time I am in town I must get some. Always willing to steam and heat them up for you straight away. Notice they are getting smaller though but still the same grest taste and flavour!!
Mister and I first came here nearly 30 years ago when we were students, and it quickly became our regular hangout for tasty value meals. Nothing much has changed. Sure, it's no-frills dining, yet Nam Loong continues to pump out old favourites at reasonable prices. For a quick meal, we like the choice of single-plate rice combos and noodle dishes. Or the yum cha delights many swoop on from the bamboo steamer that still stands proud at the front of the shop. And it's practically tradition for us to end the visit with a takeaway steamed bun(s)! On a recent visit, our table of 4 was filled with Char Siew on Rice, Sweet Sour Pork on Rice, Lemon Chicken on Rice, Har Gow dumplings and Char Koay Teow. Service, as always, was chop-chop quick and efficient, with our waiter advising us of a few minutes wait while the har gow dumplings were freshly steamed - enabling one just enough time to peruse the various signs and A4 menus that adorn the walls.
Really loved the food here, and the service was great too. The environment was relaxing and cosy. We ordered duck with foie gras, which was expensive (to be expected) but very delicious, and the soups were delightful as well. Will definitely come here again!
This is a great little restaurant that’s always packed. Great value for money and hearty servings. Love their steamed bun selection and always have a BBQ pork bun for the road after my meal no matter how full I am!
Absolutely love it here! Food is always good value with a large portion, must try their homemade buns, the lady at the front counter is fun to talk with. The iced coffee is good too and ice lemon tea if you don't want a milk drink. Delicious and satisfying!
Absolutely love it here, visit at least once a month and love the food and low key no frills atmosphere. The lady who runs it is always lovely and we always leave very satisfied. Wonderful!
Golden lava bun aka custard flowing buns..the sweet salty custard oozes out of the bun..(not too much in mines) ..was craving for this and had six!
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It really reminds me of my home. Love the congee here. Definitely a comfort food for me. And the staffs here are so friendly. When I and my friend ordered a hotpot which would come with rice but we did not realize that, we ordered rice again and the staff was so kind that she reminded us of that. So we did not over-order. And the portions of food here are pretty decent as well. Would love to come back if I come back to Melbourne again.
Legendary place that's been here since long time ago.
Do not go here if you expect to be serve like one of those fancy restaurant which charge you $20 for a small bowl of sweet corn soup okay because you will be disappointed with the capital D.
This place is famous for lots of student and office workers around due to its variety of food options and price oh also their pork buns.
I recommend you to try the following if you are new to this place : spare ribs with Peking style sauce, pork chop with black pepper / tomato sauce on fried rice, Mongolian beef/chicken on rice, spicy chicken / pork chop on rice.
There are many more and also I do notice they take cards now so c'mon be brave and try this place out. You (your wallet ) will be glad once you did it .
Have been 15 years loyalty customer and will be continue going there. Nam Long is typical Hong Kong Street food restaurant, small, noisy, quick service and normal customer service. Exactly as you are in Hong Kong. If you want a nice customer service, quite dining environment, go out the door, turn around and fxxk off. Food is always good value with large portion, must try their homemade buns, lady at front counter is fun to talk with. If I dont know what to eat in Chinatown, always come here and always find something delicious. Milk tea, Lemon tea and Milk Coffee tea are must try as well. As what I see, if you like Hong Kong street food, come here, if you want quiet environment with no many people talk next to your seat, go somewhere else.
Love the buns over here! Especially with their bbq pork buns! Taste sooo good! The food was quite food except the portion is a bit small and price is a bit expensive, it may be due to the rental in CBD. Highly recommended for people who loves canto-asian food!
Cheap and yummy. So much to choose from so you can't go wrong. You can also take away. I often order the salt and pepper spicy chicken chop with rice and ice milk tea for a drink or I will order a hotpot. The iced coffee is good too and ice lemon tea if you don't want a milk drink.
My first return to Nam Loong after 10 years. It's still the same: great value, tasty food, friendly customer service and one little pot of tea for each customer (you don't get this elsewhere). I ordered the soup noodles with fried pork fillets and a marinated hard boiled egg 大排鹵蛋麵. Delicious and satisfying. The place is small but cosy, perfect for dining alone or with a couple of friends.
Been coming here for years for take away char siew bao. One of the very originals. Go to the smaller one- trapped in a time warp. I heard older
aussies still asking for classics like chicken chow mein. Don’t forget you can get cold bao to steam at home. Still great value and hits the spot.
Always love to take away the steamed buns here. Cheap and tasty. Love the golden sand bun the most, a combination of salted egg yolk custard and sugar. Hot and sweet. The Chinese sausage bun was also quite nice. For the main, I used to order Deep fried chicken ribs in salt and pepper and Hokkien Fried Rice.
The ONLY place for pork buns in Melbourne.
Has been there forever. I've been eating pork buns from there since the eighties and nothing has changed, even some of the staff! It's perfect just the way it is.
Like little fluffy clouds of light and steamy moist dough with a piping hot sweet yet savoury filling. I thoroughly recommend you try them, especially the take away option on a frosty Melbourne winters night. Love em.
Located Russell street , supper supper supper can come over here , midnight times still open . The customer service great , Chinese cuisine , the food tasty and the price is reasonable. Lastly will come back again , cheers
fresh vegetables and chicken chinese food than this is the place, very reasonable so for 1k 2 people can eat heavy and healthy with amazing green tea on the house, i called for a chilly rice, reminded me of the indian way of eating rice and gravy and thats how its made in some soya sauce and awesome fresh chicken.
ambiance is a very small and classic hotel way back in 1980,s but who cares, food is good and reasonable, remember to carry in cash as cards not acceptable. this is to avoid embarrassment
recommended and good to go place
Nomafoodic Chipineats
+3.5
Go for the liu sa pao - which is a steamed bun with lava salted egg inside. good thing is you get to buy the frozen buns and steam them at home. the chinese sausage bun's also a good choice. the service is great once they have met you a couple of times. if you're new, it's a little brief. that's just how quick traditional old school takeaways go sometimes.
Make no mistake, this is a no frills Chinese joint with abrupt efficient service. A good variety of steamed buns are displayed for your selection, and can be taken away for heating at home. Liu shar bao is amazing and highly recommended.
Verdict: Australian 'Jade'
Old school Chinese restaurant that serves a variety of roast meats, rice/noodle dishes as well as cheap buns from their steamers. I'm always drawn back in because of its comfort food. It's also a great takeaway spot for grabbing a few buns on the go (they can get a bit steamy/wet in the bag). I heard they also sell salted egg buns, I must investigate!
Nam Loong has been in Melbourne for decades. Food is served at the speed of light! So fast. Prices are low and portions are large and filling. BBQ meats on rice are a safe option if you can't decide. Be sure to try the snacks in the display at the front counter. The buns are freshly made.
only tried their baos thus rating is given based only on their baos.
golden egg is the star! char siew bao is good too. red bean is okay. too bad the size is slightly small but still okay for the price.
Your typical Chinese restaurant. Went with bunch of friends for a late night eat.
Humble and comforting Asian food.
Can't ever go wrong!!
The best buns I found in Melbourne CBD. I also dine here as well. They serve a really nice Si Chuan dishes and the price is not expensive at all. The service is always good. Beware that if you are not dine in there is a charge for seating in the dining area apart from take-away wating seats. Odds.
Ordered the roast pork bun, egg custard bun, legendary golden sand bun, and pork congee. The roast pork bun is definitely one of my favourites in Melbourne, along with the egg custard bun. I don't have any words left to describe the golden sand bun, as it definitely lives up to all the hype. Although it's definitely smaller than I expected, it packs all the punch the ten minute wait has stored up. The pork congee is also delicious, albeit a bit too watery. Overall, would definitely recommend coming here, as delicious food is served with friendly staff, even during peak hours.
It never really occurred to me to eat at a Chinese restaurant with this sort of food that’s similar to home cooking, but I’ve recently been trying it out due to the affordable and filling dishes. Nam Loong has been on my list, mainly because of that delicious looking egg custard bun I’ve seen on Zomato.
Katherine's Food Diary
+4
Nam Loong sells all the usual types of baos for $1.80 each (takeaway price).
Sweet: Red bean, Golden Sand, Lotus Seed, Black sesame, Egg custard
Savouries: Roast pork (char siew), Chinese Sausage, Vegetarian, Chicken & Mushroom, Seaweed Pork. They also have a Combination Bun with chicken, pork, Chinese sausage, egg & vegetables for $3.50.
My char siew bao was pretty damn good, just like how I remembered. Soft, fluffy skin that was not too thick. Juicy roast pork filling with just the right amount of sweetness. Just a little mound of deliciousness.
I had to get a Golden Sand Bun every time - the whole idea is that the insides ooze out like golden lava when you bite into it. Really yummy, with soft fluffy skin and the salty sweet, almost gritty texture of salted eggs that I love.
More than 200 choices & everything is cheap & quick. My favourite is scallop omelette, roast duck, coconut shrimp,...& i love their buns. Open till late & always busy. Nothing flash but really good quaility.
YUM! Love their buns! Always fresh and hot. 🖒🖒
I will recommend the roast pork bun or the golden sand bun if you're after something sweet.
Quick service and food. Cheap, cheerful and authentic which is what you'd want and expect from this style of restaurant. Extensive menu too.
Nam loong make the best combination bao! Fresh from the steamer. The dough is light and the filling is tasty and generous. Great filling snack while in the city.
The golden sand bao is everything. I've always been here only for that little bao. It tastes so freaking good. I recommended it to many friends and no one hates it so far. The only minus point that makes me hesitate to come is the service. If you've been here once and you already knew how they work, it shouldn't be much of a problem but if it's your first time and you took quite a time to order/pay, the staff would get angry and shout at you. I felt really sorry for my friends who got shouted at. Overall, I would highly recommend the golden sand bao here.
Had a dinner with cousins and auntie last night! Ordered kungpao chicken, fried rice, beef with green bean, and steam chicken. The whipped egg rice was delicious! Very fast service. Had takeaway for the buns aswell. Buns are their specialities here and they were all yummy especially the golden sand bun :)
Renowned for its Baos' Nam Loong restaurant is a small Chinese restaurant which offers a very extensive menu. I remember coming here as a child with my parents for Bao's. I have been here a few times in the past when they had a good deal going for lunch $13 for fish congee + fried noodles. Today I had a Handmade noodles with marinated pork and eggs which was very delicious. The noodles were chewy and the pork was very well marinated. Service is good and the food is excellent. I will be back for a few other things i saw on the menu.
This was one of the first places in the CBD that I tried about 2 years ago and honestly, I don't have a good enough excuse for not coming here all the time. The very reasonable price is and the take away steamed buns are my favorite in Melbourne. The BBQ pork bun is the perfect ratio and I'm pretty sure I could 20 of the Chinese sausage buns. At least!!!
Their roast pork bun taste a lot better than any other outlet. We walked tonight looking for snacks and we went away with roast pork bun, wife biscuit, roast pork pie. They are pretty good.
UPDATES
8/10 for their buns ...
Still consistent, those "steamed hot" buns are just awesomely wholesome for about $2.20 take away ... min. $8.00/person eat-in.
Best "walking" desserts on cold Melbourne's winter nights.
PREVIOUS
6/10 for their mains ...
Nothing fancy, just good old typical 70's or 80's Chinese restaurant in Chinatown; Red paint too ;-)
Going back here once in a while is more like revisiting those good times during my teenage years .... memory lane moments, where nothing much has change, still the same option on the Menu, more or less the same taste and standard, just enough service and never enough smiles, that's just fine and fun.
Always ordered the same food and build it around that Combination Crispy Egg Noodles.
When roaming the City and hungry at night .... Always love that midnight or near midnight runs for some hot steamy Char Siew Pao (BBQ Pork Bun) and Golden Sands, maybe Egg Custards too.
Thank you for serving us Melbournians all these year.
Delicious pork buns and dumplings. No pan fried dumplings unfortunately. Very fast service . Friendly staff.
Don't expect good service, just come here for the baos. They deserve a 5 for their golden sand bao, black sesame bao and char siew bao!!!!!!
No frills good Chinese food. The decor might be shabby by this place serves very tasty Chinese dishes. The golden sand bun is a must try also their various dishes served in a sizzling hot pot are also very good
I love this place. Sure, if you are not chinese, you'd probably feel you are being short changed in terms of service. They are not 3-star Michelin, but I do find them sincere and attentive if you can make yourself understood. The buns are great, so are the pastries. For the rice dishes, nothing to shout about, but at this price, why am I complaining? I will be definitely coming back for more.
Nam Loong is a Melbourne Chinese restaurant dynasty and institution. It has been trading (in one form or another) for as long as we can remember, and at one stage there were up to 3 different Nam Loong Restaurants (Nam Loong 1, Wing Loong – aka Nam Loong 2, and Nam Loong Seafood). All restaurants serve Cantonese style Chinese food. We visited Nam Loong with some friends on a Friday night out.
I've never dined at the restaurant, but I've dropped by a few times to buy their buns. They steam them on the spot so you have to wait a few minutes, but it also means they're lovely and hot when you get them! I've tried their meat buns, char siu baos, golden sand buns and custard buns and they're all delicious! They're a great, cheap treat, especially during the winter.
Very deceptive, gritty, low-key ambience housing the best BBQ Roast Pork buns in Melbourne. Hands down.
I've tried these buns in many places around the world and these truly are the best.
The meat mixture is flavourous, with just the right amount of sauciness and wrapped in soft fluffy bread bun.
The other menu items aren't too bad, but you need only come here for these buns.
Although I've never eaten in, I sometimes grab some of the great dim sum to bring home. They have the best char siew bao in Melbourne probably, and have been famous for this for decades. Drop in and take some home of you're in the CBD!
It could have been Great but it was still very very good!
I ordered Spicy Salt and pepper Chicken Spare Ribs on Egg Fried Rice $16.....the Chicken Ribs are the BEST I've had in a long time, perfectly seasoned with a light and crispy coating. The Egg Fried Rice was good but it could have been better. It lacked a bit of seasoning, the rice was ever so slightly overcooked and it could have stayed in the wok for another minute to develop some smokey goodness. It's a small unassuming place...what it lacks in decor it certainly makes up in spades with warm comforting food, great for lunch or dinner on a cold winters day.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
We wanted a no nonsense, simple meal and we got it.
It is like stepping back in time when you enter this restaurant.
I had the Chinese sausage with Fried rice which was very good. My friend had Pork omelette on rice which was also perfectly cooked.
I highly recommend Nam Loong for anyone who wants a good basic meal.
Nam loong and rose garden are the best chinese resto in melb
Five stars just for the pork bao. Been visiting for 25 years to get these. Best in Melbourne hot from the giant steamers at the front counter. You can also take away cold ones to steam at home. Other dishes like half roast duck, fried rice are very good as well.
For those of us who have had a few years in Asia this is as close as you will get to authentic Chinese "diner food". Huge menu and the chefs somehow meet all challenges. I eat here regularly with family. It's BYO too. It's revolving doors here with shifts of customers coming every hour. Lots of regular non Asians eat here. Clearly they have found the gem.
Personally attached to the golden sand buns as they are sweet, warm, and have unique texture compared to the custard bun. I believe they used to have the black sesame buns, but still, worth to give it a visit if you are in the CBD or Chinatown area.
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