Hong Kong Dessert House

Great Shanghai style Chinese restaurant. The pan fried dumplings are a must, with crispy bottom and light steamed dough on top. Also their homemade noodles are great, I reccomend the noodles with pork and green beans. Great value and a good place to go as a group.

Nong Tang is a hidden gem off Little Bourke St. You won't see this walking through China Town unless you stumble in Mid City arcade. I was invited by the owner to try an array of dishes and I decided to take some friends who have recently moved to Melbourne. The stars were the pot stickers, and the pan fried beef dumplings. I must admit, the dumplings looked rather exquisite. My friends enjoyed the other dishes including the roast duck, steamed greens in oyster sauce and the hor fun noods. The flavour balance in the chilli oil dumplings could use some minor tweaks. It was a bit too sweet for my liking. There are other places that have better chilli oil dumplings like HuTong, Dumplings Plus, Din Tai Fung. It's not a deal breaker but I wouldn't order these again - but presentation was great. That said, I love how hidden and no frills this place is. I could easily be in some off the beaten track mall in Hong Kong or Singapore, and that made me feel really happy. Me and my friends enjoyed our experience at Nong Tang - this is what Chinatown is all about, and we didn't leave hungry. Get the dumplings and the pot stickers, share some greens and you'll be really happy.