Shandong Mama

No stranger to the Melbourne dumpling scene, Shandong Mama is currently one of the most talked about dumpling houses in Melbourne. They take their dumplings very seriously here, with Mama and daughter, Meiyan Wang and Ying Hou serving up traditional recipes from the coastal city of Yantai in the Shandong Province.

Every dumpling is unique and crafted with creative fillings by Mama herself. Choose from dumplings tailored just for Melbourne or dumplings inspired by family and happiness - ‘Little Rachel’ Dumplings, named after her newborn granddaughter.

Melbourne Fried Dumplings

A contemporary recipe inspired by Australia's multicultural scene, the Melbourne Fried Dumplings are a combination of dried seafood (prawn, calamari, mussel, fish) and chicken mince, zesty lemon rind, olive oil, garlic and parsley. Certainly, very interesting flavours to find in a dumpling. These weren't my fave, but were easily fixed up with lashings of vinegar and chilli oil.

Boiled Fish Dumplings

The Boiled Fish Dumplings housed a mousse like mince of fresh mackerel fillet, coriander, ginger and chives, all encased in a thin dumpling skin. What I really enjoyed about these massively juicy parcels was how light and bouncy-like they were.

DILL-licious Pork Fried Dumplings

Lastly, we had the DILL-licious Pork Fried Dumplings which was a blend of pork, dried shrimps, spring onions, dill, garlic and sesame oil. Just like the Melbourne Fried Dumplings, each dumpling was crispy and chewy.

Looking inside, Shandong Mama looks just like your typical Chinese dumpling house. But take a peek at their menu and you'll be able to see that it offers dumplings you cannot find anywhere else in Melbourne. Personally, I prefer the traditional Beijing pork dumplings, but I would still recommend checking out Shandong Mama's dumplings with a twist and let your own tastebuds decide if they're worth the hype.

Shandong Mama

Shop 7, 200 Bourke Street  

Melbourne, VIC

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Auntie's Dumpling

Dumplings. My brothers always reply with dumplings. Sometimes I don't know why I even ask. With queues forming every day of the week, Auntie's is no stranger in Carnegie, or the dumpling world. Here at Aunties, it isn't the prettiest restaurant of all, but the food is fast, cheap and hearty. And so became a place I visited every week in my high school days, to load up on carbs for very affordable prices. But times have changed, and now, I only visit when the brothers call the shots.

Boiled Peking Pork Dumplings

They have perfected their dumplings here, and have consistently delivered for many years now. The morsels of doughy chewy skin encasing generous fillings of pork, ginger and shredded vegetables are juicy and delicious. Watch out for the squirting juice when you bite in !

Fried Chicken and Prawn Dumplings

I think it's also worth nothing that Auntie's fry their dumplings exceptionally well. Golden, fluffy, crispy, and most importantly, they don't arrive soaked in oil. The chicken and prawn dumplings were as equally tasty, but nothing ever beats the original peking pork dumplings.

Shanghai Fried Noodles

Shanghai fried noodles, the other dumpling house staple. Wok tossed with Chinese broccoli, Chinese cabbage, carrot and pork strips, these thick chunky noodles were chewy, greasy and had a balanced flavour of soy sauce, sesame oil and sweetness. 

Beef Noodle Soup

This was a pretty standard dish, and was also the last dish to arrive. By now, all of us were feeling a little gluggy form the all the heavy carbs. Not wanting it to go to complete waste, we only ate the vegetables, which were fresh and plentiful.

Of course you get all the pleasures of a Chinese takeaway shop, a little cramped and a little noisy at peak hours, with language barriers here and there. Do be careful when ordering, and make sure to confirm your orders. There have been a few times where orders of ours have been mistaken, but nothing that can't be fixed. Despite the bits and bob that can be improved, the dumplings here are surely unbeatable and are what brings the boys to the yard.

Auntie's Dumpling
68 Koornang Road
Carnegie

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Long Dragon Dumpling House

It was 4.00pm, probably one of the hardest times to find something to eat. Breakfast is definitely finished, lunch is over, and dinner is yet to start. Cue: dumplings. 4.00pm is dumpling time ! So, Long Dragon Dumpling House it was.

Every time I go into the city, or anywhere that is North or West of Melbourne, I drive past this dumpling joint. However, I never gave it much thought. One day, just as my mum and I drove past, we thought, why not ? Taking a U-turn we made our way back. At 4.00pm, the restaurant was empty, and we had come to find we had intruded on the staff having their dinner ! However, with a bounce in her step, the Boss Lady greeted us in Chinese and welcomed us in. 

Fried Pork Dumplings

Dumplings ! Dumplings are simply the best. These dumplings in particular reminded me of little golden money bags. Nice and crispy on the outside, and juicy on the inside. The pork and vegetable filling was a good ratio, however a little more ginger wouldn't hurt anyone. Having been drained, I was especially happy to see that these babies weren't drowning in oil.

Shanghai Fried Noodle

And then of course, you have to order the Shanghai fried noodles. Everyone knows that. 

Spicy Fish

Wanting a little more variety, we also ordered the (not so) spicy fish. Surprisingly, the spicy fish here wasn't fully submerged in oil, like what I was accustomed to. Despite not being so spicy, it just meant I could eat eat and eat without worrying about the evil tingly peppercorns. 

Half slurping her noodles, and half serving us, I reckon she did a pretty good job. And honestly, I didn't mind at all. I actually felt more comfortable this way. I mean, we were at a dumpling house anyway. Overall, it's not the best dumpling house on offer, but if I were in the neighbourhood at dumpling pm, and looking for something easy, I would definitely pop in for a quick bite.

Long Dragon Dumpling House

322 Kings Way 
South Melbourne 

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