Review Dumpling 88 - Melbourne

Much improved ... ❤ Salt & Pepper Eggplant ✔✔✔✔✔ New favourite ... S&P Calamari ✔✔✔✔✔ sensational. On the dumpling front 8/10 but their Eggplant is just a beaute 10/10, crispy skin, light battered, a bit of spice and just addictive, we have been coming back for that. Absolute value for money

A cosy little place serving hearty meals! The main meals we ordered was of a decent size and adequately priced! Their menu ranges from vietnamese to Chinese noodles and dishes.The dumplings we had were okay, the skin was a bit thick but the taste was there! Kudos for making them by hands daily! It would had been great if some fresh slices of ginger were served to go with the vinegar for the xiao long baos that we ordered. A good place for dining, would recommend for lunch or dinner on a wet and cold day!

Edit from my last review. The place has definitely gone down in the quality of its food. It's okay but definitely nothing special. The dumplings were okay however the mains that we ordered weren't nice at all. The meat was tough and super overcooked. Service was okay. Definitely not as busy as it used to be either.

Friendly staff, absolutely loved the food. haven't had pho this good for ages! I ordered dumplings as well but I would say that the skin was a bit thick. still liked the flavour inside though.

delicious food and friendly staff highly recommended.

Great little restaurant with lovely, friendly staff, always happy to go above and beyond to make us feel comfortable. The Pho is amazing and hits the spot on a cold day, and their Vietnamese Beef Salad is delicious. The meals are also very well priced with generous servings.Thank you for always taking care of us!

The food was not bad. The fried rice I had was fine, the chicken in the rice was not the greatest quality in my opinion. If I am in the area again and was hungry, I would probably go somewhere else.

The service is great. Servers are very attentive and super nice. The place is cozy and food tasted authentic and was well prepared.

cheap and cheerful. decent and friendly service. it satisfied my dumpling fix in Carlton. there's a decent crowd here so the people can't be wrong.

The chicken pho is nice.

Some girlfriends and I called in here for dinner and whilst the service wasn’t particularly attentive we really enjoyed the food and the pricing was quite reasonable to boot (and a good thing too as free accessible parking was impossible to come by). <br/><br/>We tried the chicken pad Thai which was extremely flavoursome, the salt and pepper eggplant, Chinese broccoli and spring onion pancake which was the first dish to come out and definitely the most lacklustre of the night. We also tried several serves of dumplings my favourite of which were the chicken and prawn though the beef also proved popular. Good Asian option in the Italian precinct of Lygon and the surrounding streets

We have walked past many time and finally on a Saturday night we decided to try Dumpling 88 and we were very happy with the outcome. Initially they were not very busy and this probably assisted the staff in providing good and attentive service although our waitress had such strong garlic breath that it could have stripped paint. After ordering, our meals arrived fairly quickly and as we ordered. The restaurant was clean and well ordered but it does look like a cheaper eats, but I feel that that is the market they are aiming to. We had chicken and prawn dumplings - simply great and then Xiao Long Bao and these too were great. The spring onion savory pancake, as recommended to us by the waiter, was a bland relatively tasteless dish. Then we had the Chicken Pho - one of the best we have had in ages, full of flavor and it had visible pieces of chicken that is often missing in other restaurants. Our Pad Thai looked great, was a very good serving size but it was a little light on flavor. We had a good meal, good service and we will definitely be back very soon to try out some of the other menu items all at a reasonable price too!

This is my all time favourite place to eat because of its proximity to Melbourne Uni. It serves Chinese and Vietnamese food at affordable prices. Although the service isn’t the best because they don’t have many waiters, I always find myself coming back to this restaurant. It’s also not overly busy so my boyfriend and I always get a table straight away. <br/><br/>I’ve been many times and I try new things on the menu (refer to photos for just 2 of the many flatlays) and each item never fails the taste factor. Furthermore, the portions are extremely generous and the price is reasonable especially considering the prices of other restaurants down Lygon St and in that area. <br/><br/>Honestly, I think this restaurant is such a hidden gem. I’m surprised more people don’t go.

Bad food...<br/>I really don’t like the taste of the food there.<br/>Ordered a vermicelli noodle with grilled pork and spring roll (bland spring roll), the nuoc nam sauce is not good as well. I also ordered a siumay with vinegar and soy sauce NG....<br/><br/>It looks good on pict only.

Great dumpling place only tried 3 dishes but all were great! A little scumming in the chilli sauce had to keep asking for more. Service was lacklustre but what do you expect from a cheap dumpling place.

I use to come here a lot after uni. The food is reasonably priced and delicious. Some favourites are bbq pork with rice, fried wantons and pho:) A good little place for some casual meals.

POOR SERVICE! I'm not sure when they changed hands but wow the service is crap! Their menu hasn't been updated so the waitress told me I couldn't order an item on the menu nor could they change it or do the old menu item because according to them it didn't taste good. <br/>I went in and ordered take away which took them 35mins to do because they're kitchen stuffed up half the order whilst the pho I ordered was ready and left sitting on the table to go cold! The soup was already added to the noodles so the noodles were also going soggy. By the time the whole order was ready, the pho was luke warm. The dumplings, I was told would take another 6 mins longer when I asked to cancel (by this stage it was 25 mins of waiting), but they wouldn't cancel my order and it took them 12 mins to fix up. They wouldn't compensate me in any way for having to wait. The old owners or staff got take away orders done in 10-15mins. The new lot are a disgrace. The chicken was also pink when I opened the lid and had to be reheated at home along with every other item. What a let down this place is! Absolute disappointment! Poor staffing, no customer service experience clearly 👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎👎

Service was efficient, the jasmine tea and vegetarian spring rolls delicious... but the fried vegetarian dumplings left a lot to be desired, lacking flavour or crunch, they tasted almost artificial, like a hastily heated frozen-food knockoff.

I used to come here occasionally, but it's yet another decent place that ruins the dining experience with an insane policy on no split bills or partial payments. We were literally the only people in the place with our group of six, and we each paid cash. The guy at the register was super rude and acted like giving individual change was the hardest thing in the world. He told us that next time we need to combine our cash at the table so as not to inconvenience him. Thanks, there will never be a next time!

I have 88 problems, but this dumpling house ain't one.<br/><br/>Easy to miss and doesn't stand out if you're not looking for it. When you do find it, the Asian inspired décor is a nice touch, feels cosy. It's a casual scene, but the tables and chairs could be better.<br/><br/>Service is friendly and efficient, everything happens fast, which is pleasing to see.<br/><br/>The food is delicious and you wouldn't pick it as it doesn't feel like it will deliver, but it does with bells on.<br/><br/>The Rice Paper Rolls and Golden Chilli Oil Pork Dumplings were our starters with Vietnamese coffee.<br/><br/>The peanut dip that came with the rice paper rolls didn't pack enough flavour, but the soy sauce on the table was a quick fix for that. Enjoyable and light.<br/><br/>The golden chilli oil pork dumplings were insane. Juicy, soft, tender, and if you're not careful, you could almost eat your fingers off. The chilli oil can be used in all your dishes to give it the necessary POW factor if it's missing. A must have dish if you're struggling to pick from the menu.<br/><br/>I have a love, hate relationship with the Vietnamese coffee. There's not enough, I could drink this all day and cannot get sick of it.<br/><br/>The Salt and Pepper Prawn and Stir-fried seasonal vegetables with chicken were the mains. Everything you have come to expect from the salt and pepper prawns was here, generous servings cooked with wonderful salty condiments (spring onions, chilli to name a few) that released a grilled and tasty favour that goes well with anything (dip the prawns in the chilli oil and don't look back).<br/><br/>The stir-fried seasonal vegetables and chicken was a classic dish done right, filled with flavour, which was saucy, satisfying and rounded off the selection. Chicken cooked perfectly along with the vegetables.<br/><br/>This is good quality food that strikes the taste head-on and is modest with its presentation.<br/><br/>I can't wait to try everything else on the menu, but I fear I might keep ordering the chilli oil pork and Vietnamese coffee over and over again, but, who could blame me?

Fantastic meal last night! Pork & chive and chicken & prawn dumplings were some of the best I've had. We also had the fried eggplant, chicken egg noodles (SO good), pepper beef, mixed veggies, and spring rolls - all of which were so delicious. Topped off by great and friendly service, and BYO! Will be back again soon!

Came here for a quick celebratory post-thesis-presentation dumplings and bev sesh (my favourite kind of sesh) with my groupmates before returning to uni for a lecture and was pleasantly surprised.<br/><br/>I had the fried beef dumplings and prawn & chives dumplings. The prawn & chive was deliciously juicy. The beef might have been a little bland and slightly too oily for my liking.<br/><br/>An excellent place for a cheap meal, though, with quick service and good-enough eats.

Service is slow. Order about an hour ahead for pickup. Have attended the restaurant twice just over an hour before their advertised closing time and told they were closed for all orders. Disappointing as when we have managed to get takeaway it has been lovely.

Dumplings were okay, not the greatest I've had. The best ones were the soup dumplings. We also had the prawn and chicken as well as the beef, they were quite dense and lacked flavour. Service was poor, I had to ask for water three times. Overpriced for what you get $8 (plus a $1 to fry) for 6. I'm used to dumpling places where you get 10-15 dumplings for $8. Overall it was okay, nothing special.

Cheats!!!  Menu specifies the number of dumplings/wontons per plate, but the number brought to the table was lower.  I informed the waiter but he told me that the menu has "mistakes" in it.  I answered that it was strange that the "mistakes" were in their favour and not the customer and that it was an interesting and new way to rip off customers.  No mistake about the prices though!!!  They will never see the colour of my money again.

Nice dumplings and good vietnamese food at a reasonable price. Service is good and food is delivered fresh and hot. Try the soup dumplings, they are awesome!

Went to dumpling 88 for a quick meal and was pleasantly suprised. <br/>We ordered the steamed beef dumplings, which were a little bland and lacked that rich beef flavour. We then had the spicy beef salad, which was really nice, the beef was nice a tender and it was just spicy enough to stay with you but no so much you were reaching for your glass after every bite. Lastly we had the salt and pepper pork with a garden salad. The salad was wonderful I was dipping my dumplings in the leftover dressing it was so lovely, the best park by far was the pork. The batter was so crisp and salty without being overly oily or heavy. <br/><br/>It was wonderful for a quick meal, good service and nice food.

Quick service, extensive menu of Asian cuisine.<br/>Tried their famous dumpling, but find it too oily. Services are nice. Decoration is modern.

Very nice dumplings. I will surely return. The attention was good and reasonably quick. Good value for your money. Came here with my wife and had a nice dinner.

A classic cheap eat - the service can be a bit slow but great value for money! Would highly recommend the vermicelli salads, generous portion with lots of fresh veggies through it :)

I work down the road and my colleagues and I eat here multi times each week. Fantastic Asian food. <br/><br/>Bo Luc Lac with Red Rice and Xiao Long Bao dumplings highly recommended. Chilli Oil dumplings are also very good.

Checked into this place for a Monday night dinner. Service was average, but the place had a nice atmosphere. Ordered beef dumplings and vegetarian dumplings, with a side of southern style beef with vermicelli. Beef dumplings were the winner, and the southern style beef also delicious. Would definitely come back.

Had this for dinner. They gave us very generous portion for the wanton noodles soup. The broth was clear yet very very tasty, which is why i think this menu is quite special. The veggies were fresh too but the meat pork was a little too hard ( but still chewable ). The xiao long baos were really good, juicy and yums. The dumplings were pretty good too.

The chilli oil dumplings are spectacular and famous for spicy lovers! It's a more costly venue for dumplings, although service is very polite and attentive and the decor and presentation of the restaurant and food is very classy! The dumpling were fresh and delicious, and definitely filling. My boyfriend and I ordered a plate of six large dumplings each, one serve of yummy fresh spring rolls to share(served in the proper way with lettuce and dipping sauce), and drinks, and all cost just over 20$. Great place for a special meal, in a good location for students especially. There's also a solid range of beers and spirits and sakes!

Waited 30 minutes for 6 Dumplings. When I was one of the last two meals still to come out. And they were average at best. Bit overpriced too.

Good value and good tasting food. Portions are quite big and served quickly. The interior has also been recently redone, making it a more pleasant atmosphere overall. It's worth noting the daily dinner specials, including half priced mains on Mondays (check the big board next to the door for each day).

Was quite impressed with this restaurant. Wasn't expecting much, but the dumplings were great. The Vietnamese salad was very average though, so I would recommend sticking to the dumpling and main dishes rather than the salads. Very, very well priced.

I came here about two weeks ago, probably my fifth or sixth tim eating here. i always love the food so we ordered, two serves of dumplings, (spicy pork and prawn and another steamed one). These dumplings all tasted fine, but as we were still hungry we ordered stirfried chicken and noodles. when we asked what was in the dish ie, what vegetables were in it, the waitress could not tell us even one vegetable, not for her lack of english but because she genuinely couldnt tell us, when i asked her to go and find out from the kitchen she seemed like she couldnt be bothered. anyway she returned and told us a few vegies that would be in it, i specified please no garlic, as i hate the flavour and low and behold my dish came out with garlic, and when i enquired about it she didnt even apologise and denied it was in there. i continued to eat the dish as my partner was becoming uncomfortable, and we quickly left. five or so hours later and my partner and i were both vomiting and sick, it was the only meal we had both eaten together in 2 days and this food was the sole cause of what made us sick.  we were both sick with severe food poisoning for a further 2 days. i will never eat here again, the service was appalling, the food was average and it is the only dumpling restaurant i have ever been to and actually gotten ILL from. <br/>definetly avoid at all costs.

Management has changed and prices are higher than they use to be, but would I pay $8 for 6 delicious dumpling from Ma's Dumpling Den? Hell yeah I would! <br/>I visit this place far too often and continue to fall in love with their chilli oil dumplings. <br/>Their wrappers are perfectly thin and have huge amounts of filling!! I'm so sick of thick wrappers and tiny amounts of filling, so it's a really nice change to find a dumpling house that cares about QUALITY, over quantity!

EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED (HIGHLY STRONGLY NOT RECOMMEND). I took my two friends to this place for lunch today. The big advertisement in the front says TUESDAY PHO 1/2 PRICE. <br/>After settling down, we were told it is only for dinner. We could not find it’s written anywhere, not on the table. not on the wall. The lady rudely told me everyone know it. The matter of fact as we found out later, it was written “dinner only” on Curry Friday only. The management tried to cheat people. pulling them through the door and then, let it be.<br/>The manner of the lady was very rude. The bowl of Pho was small for the full price of $9.00. The broth was flat, no taste. I left lunch with the bowl still full on the table. It is not worth even for the half price of $5.00. It was the worst lunch I’ve ever had.<br/><br/>I should read all the reviews before getting there. A waste of time and money.

Super disappointed (Strongly not recommend). Me and my boyfriend went there yesterday during the night time which is the place he used to like but we walked out with huge disappointment and anger about their customer service. <br/>We ordered the food and waited for the 30 minutes and the waitress ( seems like she is the owner) suddenly walked back to us and said "want to confirm your order" then she checked and walked away and we knew that the order didn't go to the kitchen. My boyfriend wanted to check the time on screen that she took the order and it showed up 1 minutes ago and asked her why. For us, be honest, it didn't really matter the waiting period even though we were a bit hungry as long as she explained why and apology, but her attitude was really unrespectable and made us really super angry. It was her fault that the our order even she was the person who received the order from us but she was so confident of whatever. My boyfriend told her that " it does not matter the period of waiting time but you should apology to us" but she kept lying that " I told you the order mixed up and the food will come out in 10 minutes". The argument kept going and she just walked to the kitchen " just cancel the order." and asked us " you want food or not?" after she told the kitchen to cancel the order. So disappointed. What an attitude. I don't know the quality of food and the taste but in terms of customer service, I give -10/10

Ma’s Dumpling Den recently came under new management followed by a renovation and renewal of the menu. The chicken pho wasn’t too bad and there was a decent amount of ingredients, though the broth didn’t have the same level of complexity as there was at somewhere like Pho Nom . Chicken Pho ($9) Ma’s Dumpling Den 88 Grattan St Carlton, VIC, 3053 (03) 9347 7702

I can’t remember the last time I tasted a dumpling without the fillings and skin all falling apart.

Carlton (yes Carlton) is home to Ma’s Dumpling Den, a little known almost hidden dumpling restaurant. There is nothing fancy about Ma’s, nothing of note hanging on her walls or adorning her ceiling. But that’s how I like it, no pretension. It’s just a small, simple restaurant in Carlton serving good

Dumplings in Carlton to add to the increasing number of Asian restaurants in the area. Melbourne has been exposed to Chinese Dumpling culture for a while. More importantly, Melbourne is used to the iconic Tattersall Lane shops which are ridiculously cheap. And then, Hu Tong Dumpling comes along, and Matt Preston highlights the delights of Chinese Dumplings, and then suddenly it's not only cool to have these dumplings, it's also classy. So, what's Dumpling Den like? The Dumplings are passable espeically in the tasty soups while the fried ones are a bit dry. Overall, while this is more pricey than the average Chinatown dumplings, it's not bad as far as dumplings go.

Best dumplings in town.. Dumplings still the best. Love the new menu. Nicely renovated with a refreshing ambience. Definitely worth a visit.

Disappointing - ordered two mains and some dumplings, the first main came out fine, but the second main came out firstly as the wrong order (ordered chicken salt & pepper ribs with red rice, only got the chicken without the rice). Took one bite - chicken was undercooked! Sent it back, no dramas. Waiting for a while longer, they finally came back and informed us they were out of the salt & pepper chicken! After one main was already eaten! Why couldn't they have informed us as soon as they knew rather than wait for us to finish one main?! Also, dumplings took so long that we decided to leave without waiting for them. I agree with the other reviews though - they did seem over priced.<br/><br/>Not going back ever, and would not recommend.

Doubled in price. We used to love this place. They appear to have changed hands and had a makeover recently. They now provide half as many dumplings for the same price. Not worth it. Will not be back.

When it comes to dumplings, you can always be sure of two things: They're cheap and they're served up quickly. Unfortunately, Ma's is neither of these anymore. My friends and I used to frequent Ma's, because the dumplings were delicious, possibly the best that we'd found in Melbourne. We finally got back to Ma's after its re-opening and were devastated to find that the prices were beyond ridiculous and the wait was far worse. It most cases, they've halved the quantity, but kept the price the same (or higher). Sadly, we will not be coming back. So long Ma's!

Im seriously say this was bad restaurant ever, foods were less experiences and taste. always lated my order but many staff in kitchen. the management was rule but no experience in asian kitchen. He must be out soon in melbourne city, im relly sure it.

Horrible experience, firstly no xiao long bao on that night (that's like one of most famous dish in dumpling restaurants), ordered a stirfry shanghai noodles instead, it was literally 10 strings (I could count every piece) of yellow noodle drowned in dark soy sauce with no greens and costed ~$13. Looked and tasted disgusting! It's was 6:30pm on a Friday night .. No wonder not many customers. Don't get fooled by the rating above!

Horrendous!. The waitresses were friendly but their lack of fluency made it hard to communicate, but I didn't mind. What I did find offensive was the behaviour of the other waiter who not only was rude to me and other guests but also rude to the waitresses. He doesn't greet customers - just gives a sharp look then hands over the menus, then pushes people through like they're animals. Such a stark comparison between the staff! I had to wait over 30 minutes for a takeaway and there was only 3 tables occupied, who are mid-way through their meals. The dumplings were slightly undercooked, the wrappers are too thick, but I guess you get what you pay for. I also had black pepper beef which was very dry and flavourless, all I can taste was soy sauce and starch. After giving me my order the waiter quickly rushed me out without even checking if I had paid. When I turned around and explained he seemed disgruntled to take my payment? Never coming back!

Its changed :(. Was good - cheap and addictive. BUT now prices are now MUCH higher and food not as good. how disappointing. Was the best dumplings in Melb, now I prob wont bother to return.

What's your telephone number??. Been twice since it re-opened under new management and won't be returning, I'm sorry to say. It used to be regular haunt, usually on Fridays, but as I go with a small group it's impossible to get a table, and it's impossible to book.<br/>Last Friday I posted a note on their Facebook page for the second time, asking them to update their phone number from what is listed on every website for them, including their own, their FB page and Urbanspoon, so that we could reserve a table. Again, no response. When we got there, no tables available for us, and rude waiters to boot. I asked once more for the new telephone number, as I had done on my previous visit and was told that they didn't know what it was, and furthermore, they weren't going to bother to find out for me. That told me all I needed to know about this place, and the staff attitude to potential clientele.<br/>It is also interesting to note the following since the re-open: the number of dumplings per serve has seriously diminished, while the price has seriously increased. The menu was extended to include pho, vermicelli noodles, and other tasty dishes, but as time has gone by, whole sections of the menu are being scrubbed out, so I assume that the staff have been unable to provide customers with an extended menu. What does that tell you? I'm not the only one who is dissatisfied by this establishment in its new incarnation, judging by other reviews. Has anyone noticed what this place is actually called now, according to the header on the receipt? It's not M.A's Dumpling Den.

Feeling a bit underwhelmed, dumpling den! <br/><br/>Pre-renovation, I used to come to this place all the time during my uni lunch breaks. At something like 8-10 bucks for 15 fried pork dumplings, you couldn't go wrong. <br/><br/>Today was my first time back since it reopened. As other reviews stated, the portions have literally halved. Still delicious (if not more) but I still felt super hungry after a measly six dumplings. They also only have Pepsi, not coke, and for me that's the death knell of any establishment. <br/><br/>The service was nice but I can't help but feel the old school dumpling den has sold out to trying to be trendy and thus sacrificed the true greatness of this place, which was it's affordability - something not so readily available in terms of Asian food in Carlton. <br/><br/>I'll probably go back but not nearly as often. All good things must come to an end it seems!

Delicious!. I went in the other day on my lunch break and was surprised at how quickly they got my order of a main and dumplings to me! That and it is super cheap. The dumplings were ahhhh-mazing and the lemongrass tofu was delicious!<br/>I was really happy with the selection. Being a vegetarian you generally don't get a lot of selection but dumpling den had a wide variety. I'm one happy lady!

Frustrating experience.. I wish I could say the food was amazing but I can't - I waited 25 mins and still couldn't get anyone to take my order so I left. Only one of the floor staff was allowed to take orders or payments. They are very clearly short of staff. Seems quite a few customers had the same experience as me and walked out in frustration. Might try again another day, Fridays seem very busy.

Let down but loyal. As with a number of other reviewers, I eagerly awaited the reopening after renovations. The very next day after hearing Ma's had reopened I went with a number of colleagues with whom we used to frequent.<br/>Our initial impression was very good. Inside looks fantastic! <br/>We were seated at a nice, dark stained wooden table, propped up by a bit of cardboard to stop it from wobbling and we reviewed the new menu (jk we went straight to the dumplings page!).<br/><br/>The price has increased substantially. Previously prices increased by a couple of cents every so often, though the new menu had increased prices by roughly 50%!!!<br/>Now I'm not a large person, but I used to demolish the larger servings of dumplings. At times I'd order 2 servings to myself and quite happily fit more in. With the new prices to avoid burning a hole in my pocket I order much less and leave feeling somewhat unsatisfied.<br/><br/>None of the staff looked familiar and the waiter who served our table seemed slightly rude, though perhaps he was just a bit flustered. After confusing the waiter with a throw away comment about how there was no beerlao (a tradition of ours) we ordered a round of Asahi only to find that they had sold out (at 12:15) and one of us would have to order something else. Not the end of the world, but slightly annoying.<br/><br/>The dumplings themselves arrived much faster than previously and I found that the quality of the fried chicken dumplings had improved while the fried pork were great as always.<br/><br/>Overall I'm just disappointed at the price.<br/>I'll continue to go there, but it'll have to be less often and ordering less.

Extremely disappointed. After eagerly waiting for Dumpling Den to reopen, I was extremely disappointed. The prices have shot up ($8 for 6 dumplings and in some cases $8 for 5 dumplings), the dumpling choices have reduced by half, of which very little was even available - and this is on a Friday night. The quality of the dumplings itself hasn't reduced, but there are better dumpling places elsewhere. Not sure why it's still called 'Dumping Den' when there's everything else, but a variety of dumplings on the menu. <br/>The staff aren't really friendly either. Another example of small, good restaurants selling out to people who make the venue look posh and increase prices, but can't maintain the same quality.

Disappointed. Having eagerly waited for this dumpling bar to reopen - the prices have gone waaaaay up and when we returned raw pork dumplings today the manager was argumentative. A sad loss to our lunchtime favourite list.

Hanging Out. Im a regular at Dumpling Den with My partner Robbie and was wondering when it is open again? <br/>hanging out for a few pork dumplings and LAO beers :)<br/>Tony. A

Closed for renos - we miss you!. Best dumpling bar in Melbourne! Shao long bao and pork dumplings are insanely good

Closed for reno. Currently closed until further notice. D; Was so looking forward to some dumplings haha

Just had the panfried prawn and chicken dumplings - 10 for $8- for my lunch. Yum!

Dumplings only.. Dumplings were good, tasty, can't complain for $10. The $15 broccoli in oyster sauce was kinda insulting though, I expected a whole lot more than a handful of soggy greens and a splash of watery sauce.

Delish dumplings. I work in the area and love going to Ma's for a cheeky bottle of wine and some dumplings with the girls at least every 2 weeks. I love the food, its always fresh and very consistent. The fried prawn and chicken are probably my top pick with a side of mixed vegetables but honestly i'm pretty happy with anything on the menu. Staff are fantastic and friendly and always happy to help.

Kerry. I am most disappointed by really terrible service provided at this restaurant. I went for lunch waited 10 min to order, waited 15 min to get my drink served then after 15 min the waiter informed us that the food we had ordered (both dishes) were not available at all!<br/>Do not go here, it is a waste of your time.

Do not order the chicken & prawn dumplings. There were no prawns harmed in the making of these dumplings. Not one to be seen nor to taste. I won't be returning.

Friendly service and the pan fried pork dumplings and xia long baos were very fresh and nice so will definitely come back and hope that the same experience will repeat!

Juicy hand-made dumplings!. It's refreshing to have consistently succulent and delicious dumplings at an affordable price (especially for a poor student such as myself). The friendly and caring customer service also makes you feel comfortable and right at home at Ma's. <br/><br/>I highly recommend the fried chicken and prawn dumplings with a side of their chilli oil. The skin is never too thick and they are always generous with the filling. You will undoubtedly leave with a satisfied belly :)

Staff were friendly, but dumplings were gluggy & bland. There's only so much starch you can eat & I left hungry. I won't be going back.

Don't eat here on a weeknight. <br/><br/>My friends and I noticed the good reviews and thought we would try it out, this was a big mistake. Firstly we were served RAW dumplings, once this was brought to there attention they said "it's mayhem back there, we have a rookie chef on", no apology. For the rest of the night orders came out in dribs and drabs(if at all), food continued to come out cold and tasted very funny (not in a good way), and the staff couldn't have cared less.<br/><br/>Overall this was a terrible experience and we won't be coming back here ever again.

Very nice and yummy!

Very juicy and tasty dumplings. A treasure near melbourne university. Attractively priced as well. The xlb may not be the best with the skin being on a bit of the thick side but the fried and steamed dumplings were amazing.

Yummy. One guy was sitting there making them all but it was worth the wait (none of the frozen rubbish you get at so many city dumpling houses) quality tasty fillings and the skins were perfect. Reasonably priced for handmade dumplings, carltons best kept secret! Stray off lygon, it is worth it!

Fried Dumplings. Had dinner there last Friday. food was good and the service was with a smile Fried pork and fried chicken with prawns dumplings were yum. Will recommend.

I will pass nex time!. I finally found parking to actually try this place.<br/>I must say friendly service that’s about it. I ordered the dumpling/noodle soup.... Portion size was good, but unfortunately the soup had no taste, dumplings average and I also found a piece of plastic or something similar in my dumpling. Not impressed!<br/><br/>The soy sauce was difficult to get out of its bottle, and bottle was very greasy and oily!<br/>I won’t be back anytime soon.<br/><br/>ps: I also waited an awfully long time and there were only 6 people dining in the place.

It's no HuTong but it doesn't disappoint!! Worth a go, just don't be too fussy. Tasty and good service, worth what you pay!!

Average. My partner and I go crazy for dumplings. Been here numerous amount of times. First few times was great, dumplings were perfect and tasted fantastic. However it seemed like lately the dumplings were getting more bland and a bit soggy. However overall for the price you pay and the amount of dumplings you receive on the plate is GREAT!

Great cheap lunch or no frills dinner - a mix of dumplings and some greens to share, or a bowl of dumpling soup is a great meal.

We had dinner here recently but needless to say we left disappointed. After seeing its ranking on urbanspoon we decided to go. Firsty don't order orange juice it is watered down cordial that has a foul aftertaste. To share we had the veg spring rolls, veg dumplings, pork dumplings and veg fried rice. The veg dumplings were bland, the pork dumplings had far too much ginger in them and the veg fried rice didn't taste fresh - it had no flavour and tasted like it was cooked a day ago and warned up. The only thing that was good was the veg spring rolls. Not worth the $50 dollar bill and we won't be going back. Oh and the decor is a bit tacky considering it is just off lygon st.

Great dumplings especially the beef dumplings and ask for tomato sauce!

BAD BAD SEAFOOD SOUP. The most disgusting seafood soup I have ever tasted, the broth tasted like cheap canned chicken soup, the noodles were overcooked and like glue, NO VEGETABLES or CHILLI like I asked, two tiny prawns, one tiny piece of calamari and this round chunky thing which Im not sure what the hell it was.................. never going back there again!

We decided to give this place a go tonight- not our best move! Our waitress got the order hideously wrong. The $15 Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce failed to impress and I nearly fell off my chair when after ordering fried pork skins for the table, a bowl of packet pork snacks was served! (you know the ones, from the chip aisle at woolies!) At a whopping $6.50 too! Needless to say, the next time we venture down Lygon st, we will stick to the usual Italian fare on offer. Although the decor at Ma's dumpling den is marginally better, they don't have a patch Camy Shanghai Dumpling in tattersall's lane.

Hmmm. Disappointing dumplings. Dumpling skins were too thick and fillings bland.

Great dumplings-although the serves could be smaller! Prices not bad-but $15.00 for a plate of broccoli is a bit rich and they should also be a bit more transparent when they advertise happy hour, but don't tell you what is excluded until you get the bill. And for a supposedly cheap & cheerful place corkage is very unnecessary. Above all, however, the service is terrible, terrible, terrible!!! You have to practically beg for water or chilli oil or perhaps another napkin. Would I go back??? Hmmm not sure!!!

Not too impressed. Went there around 9.30 after a movie. Even though the restaurant was open they decided to give it a sweep as we were sitting down. ordered prawn dumpling, OK, chive dumplings however OMG . the skin was sooo thick and the dumpling had no tatse that even a bath of chilli and soy sauce could not improve it . vegetarian egg noodles? Um just passable . Finally the steamed broccoli. They were swimming in sauce litterally, I swear one of them was wearing bathers and a pair of goggles.<br/>Went there when it first opened full of excitement and got disappointed. Thought I would give it another go a year later. has not improved. I no like!

Not Dumb -plings.. Found it a smart and easy going joint for a quick bite pre what ever. Nothing wrong with this place at all. Found the dumplings and soup to be good enough to recommend to friends. Fresh, flavoursome and fast service.You can do a lot worse. I'm surprised at some of the negative comments. Having lived in Hong Kong for several years this doesn't compare but it's much better than most here. Remember, it's a dumpling joint, it's not The Flower Drum.

Didn't like the dumplings. This place recently just opened up, decided to try it out for lunch, had the Dumpling Noodle Soup and Special Fried Rice. Didn't like the Dumpling Noodle Soup, dumpling's skin were thick and tasted like those frozen dumplings from your local asian grocery. The noodles and soup also had a flour-y taste and was suprisingly oily. Special Fried Rice was just alright.

Hmmm...is that what you call dumplings?. Soo Melbournians...fellow eaters...what shall i say...a good meal makes a catch up with an old friend even better...but when its not good, it leaves you unsatisfied....<br/>the staff were fine, but the vegetarian food ordered was definitely sub-par. Being the dumpling den was certainly not the name you want to keep when the dumplings are thick, dry and not tasty. As for the papaya salad, not enough lemon juice, or infect flavour. The rice-paper rolls were not very fresh and not the usual minty, juicy ones that you should have and the peanut sauce was too thick.. Am I too picky, perhaps but I love to have good dumplings and I hate to see ppl waste their money...so I feel i need to r.v this...<br/>So warnings poeple...the vegetarian food was 2/10 for me.

Great dumplings!. Took my self-confessed "dumpling h8r" boyfriend here for dinner and now he loves dumplings! The chicken and prawn ones especially. We've been back twice in a week, it's hard to find a combo of lovely and attentive wait staff and great dumplings, so we feel we've hit the jackpot!

Overall, just passable . Not sure if I’ll be returning to give it another try, even if I do, would probably be just the dumplings.

The interior was quite cosy and simple. But simple is a nice change. I also noticed that the place isn’t too big and it’s easy to see why this place would fill up during lunch time!

I remember less about the pork dumplings – not much aside from the fact they were a little tricky to separate as they’d become something of a homogeneous mass in the process of pan-frying them together – than I do about the exact hue of his eyes.