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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All People Chinese Restaurant

With everyone being so busy with doing their own thing, it is our family dinners that have suffered the consequences. However, with much planning ahead, we finally fit one in. Hooray ! So it was without question, that we Dad's favourite Chinese restaurant, All People in Burwood East.

Now, when it comes to Chinese, Dad's definitely the expert. As always, he ordered a selection of roasts to start us off. This is before the man even sat down ! Whilst we all devoured the delicious meats, Dad calls over the head waiter to ask about the seasonal prices of crab and orders our next course. 

Pi Pa Duck

All People does roasts extremely well. And hands down, one of the best Pi Pa ducks I have ever had. Extraordinarily crispy skin, juicy tender meat and served with hoisin sauce, this dish was AMAZING.

Chinese Roast Pork Belly

Glistening Pork Belly. Crackling. Need I say more ?

Mud Crab with Ginger And Spring Onion

Fully prepped with moistened cleaning tissues, finger cleaning bowls and crab crackers, we were ready for our next course. To start off, we had our first mud crab the traditional way- Ginger and spring onion mud crab on a bed of egg noodles.

Mud Crab with Salted Duck Egg Yolk

From a mile away, I could smell salted duck egg yolk. It has that distinctive fragrant smell that my whole family loves. Coated in delicious salted duck egg yolk, the crab meat was fresh, juicy and sweet.  

Deep Fried King Prawns with French Goose Liver Pate 

 Generously coated in rich, smoky liver pate, these prawns were divine. The prawns were bouncy in texture, slightly firm giving way to that juicy crunch.

X.O Crocodile 

This dish would have to be the lowlight of the night. Rather than the juicy flavourful crocodile meat we were all expecting, the meat lacked flavour, and was quite bland. It seemed that they simply tossed it through the X.O sauce, rather than letting it cook and absorb the sauces. 

Chinese Doughnut Sticks

Chinese doughnut sticks to accompany the X.O crocodile.

To finish off, complimentary fresh fruits and red bean soup were also served.

With attentive staff frequently providing fresh bowls and plates, and making sure your tea is always topped up, All People remains my Dad's favourite restaurant and my family's number one pick for Chinese roast meats and mud crab.

All People

12/2-8 Burwood Highway 
Burwood East, VIC

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Ladro Greville

For the birthday girl's pizza weekend adventure, landed us at Ladro on a Friday night.  After our  initial struggles with parking and being mislead by the iPhone maps, we finally made it. 

Now, I have to admit, we had to have a lot of help with ordering. Help from Google that is. Amongst our conversation, every second question was "Hey .. what's *insert italian word* ?" With Google on our side, and the clock ticking away, we finally decided to choose a main each to share.

Gnocchi al Forno

Out first, came the Gnocchi al Forno. The gnocchi was submerged in a rich San Marzano tomato sugo sauce, cheesy bufala, parmigiano and topped with basil. The sweetness of the tomatoes came through and as always, went beautifully with the cheeses and basil. However, I did find the gnocchi to be a little overcooked, resulting in overly soft gnocchi.

Risi e bisi

Described to be a Venetian classic, came our next dish of risi e bisi, most commonly known as rissotto. I loved how the pea's vibrant green colours came out and gave the dish a happy feel. Cooked and fully packed with flavour, this dish of rice, peas, pancetta, shallots was a creamy dream.

'I do not like green eggs and ham

 I do not like them

 Jen-I-Am

Gamberi Piselli

tomato, lemon garlic prawns, peas, chilli, basil

Porcini

fior di latte, taleggio, porcini, basil, pangrattato

Scout's Pizza

tomato, taleggio, caramelised onion, basil, dressed rocket, parmigiano

And finally onto what Ladro is famous for - the Pizza !

And no, they did not disappoint. The base was perfect, thin, pillowy and a little chewy. With fresh toppings and ingredients, and well balanced flavours, it ticked all the right boxes. They were all delicious yet light, which didn't make me feel guilty for having so many slices !

Our experience at Ladro was fantastic. Relaxed atmosphere, attentive staff, and tasty pizzas was all we needed, and was what we got. 

Ladro Greville

162 Greville Street 
Prahran

And being so close by, we ended the night at Yo-Chi. I told you I'd be back for you !

Yo-chi
292 Carlisle St 
Balaclava

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