The contents of this blog are matters of opinion formed over one more visits. There has been some artistry applied and metaphors and similes should not necessarily be taken literally.
Shanghai Dumpling Bar is one of many small street-food vendors tucked away in Spice Alley in Chippendale. We visited after Monkey’s Corner so that I could bring some food home for my partner who made the wise decision not to come out.
Green pork and chive boiled dumplings – 6 for $8.80
I ordered only one serving of green pork and chive boiled dumplings (6 for $8.80), although they snuck in an extra one for free. Service was quick, with a sub 5 minute wait for freshly cooked dumplings.
I thought that the filling was very tasty and genuine. I loved that they had the option of boiled or pan-fried dumplings, as most place will only offer the option of steamed or pan-fried. I’ve always felt that boiled dumplings are the most wholesome, and they’re also the kind that I grew up with. While the filling was good I did feel like the green coloured dough was a bit gimmicky, however respect that perhaps that’s what it takes to draw in a largely Caucasian customer base in the Sydney CBD. I also thought that the dough was a bit thick, however the delicious juicy filling made up for it. Of the eight dumplings I had, around half were broken, however despite this their flavour was not watered down too much.
I can recommend the green dumplings at Shanghai Dumpling Bar to a friend or colleague, however cannot speak for the other foods on offer.
Shanghai Dumpling Bar 18-20 Kensington St, Sydney NSW
Bang Tang is a small South-East Asian fusion eatery in Potts Point, located unfortunately close to Ms G, a somewhat more famous and upscale competitor.
While it’s my understanding that there is usually lots of outdoor dining space, we ate lunch on a very rainy day in Potts Point, and internal seating was limited to only a few small tables. The small interior room really gave the place the vibe of a small diner. The service was good, and the food was served quickly. We finished our meal within 50 minutes, which was good as the nearby street parking is limited to 1 and 2 hour spots.
Cigar roll (2 for $6)
The cigar roll (2 for $6) is one of Bang Tang’s specialties. It is a thick, crispy chicken spring roll with a characteristic dry internal filling structure. It was quite large, fresh, a nd delicious, although I couldn’t help but feel that the skewer on which it was served was superfluous. It was much easier to eat with fingers, and chopsticks would have been fine as well.
Prawn and scallop dumpling (2 for $12)
The prawn and scallop dumpling (2 for $12) were a daily special, and quite delicious. We were disappointed when they were served, as they looked flat and unappealing, however this all changed when we tasted them. The filling had a great scallop taste, and the pastry wrapping was also delicious. Unfortunately we weren’t told the price of the dish, and in fact I did not realise they were $12 until writing this review and I took a look at the receipt. $6 for a single dumpling is far too much. But yum.
The Bang Broth Noodle ($17) was basically a chicken pho but with rice noodle rolls instead of rice noodle strips. I liked it. I enjoyed the clear broth and the voluminous serving of fresh bean sprouts and herbs. My partner, who does not like chicken, did not like it as she thought that the roast chicken could’ve been any chicken that was roasted and split up. She is a chicken hater.
The Duck It Up bowl ($24) was a mixture of strongly marinated duck breast, rice, hoisin sauce and maple syrup, tofu, nuts, bean sprouts, herbs. My feelings about this dish were quite mixed. I thought that the fresh bites of vegetables, herbs, and bean sprouts were deliciously fresh, and that the nuts and other crunchy bits provided a great variation in texture. On the other hand, I thought that the duck and the rice and sauce components on the bottom of the bowl were too tasty and oversauced. It was basically two meals in one – one that I very much enjoyed the freshness of, and one that I thought was too bogged down in sauce. Even when mixing the bowl together I found that the entire bowl was too sauced. I particularly didn’t care for t he duck, which was too sauced, however my girlfriend enjoyed it.
Overall I quite enjoyed the food at Bang Tang. Everything ranged from good to great. I did think that the expensive prawn and scallop dumplings were a bit of a price shock, however their good taste almost made up for it. I would definitely recommend Bang Tang for a quick dinner, however I don’t know how the logistics would work for a long date or dinner with a group of friends as parking is quite limited.
4/5
Bang Tang 2/145 Victoria St, Potts Point NSW 2011 (02) 8542 0133
“The Best Dumplings in Kensington” is a big claim to make for this small, pan-fried-only dumpling restaurant. While I can’t directly refute this claim given I’ve never had dumplings at any other Kensington restaurant, I can tell you with certainty that their dumplings are not the best in the Randwick-Kensington-Kingsford Anzac Parade area (that crown is currently worn by the Northeast Restaurant in Kingsford).
I had a selection of dumplings and Chu’s fried chicken wings.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT – Egg, Chive, and Prawn; Chicken and Mushroom; Crayfish and Pork; Pork, Chive, and Prawn
Each type of dumpling is offered in 6 or 12 piece portions, and only come pan-fried. They were on average not bad – very juicy and with fresh ingredients, but a bit underflavoured for me (which is unusual).
The Egg, Chive, and Prawn dumplings (6 for $9) and the Pork, Chive, and Prawn dumplings (6 for $9) both had large and generous pieces of prawn inside which provided a good mouthfeel and taste. Both could’ve used a bit more flavouring, however there was ample soy sauce and vinegar for adjustment to personal taste.
The Chicken and Mushroom dumplings (6 for $8) were also mildly flavoured – I had this meal two days ago and it is not memorable at all.
The Crayfish and Pork dumplings (6 for $13) were a bit more expensive given the addition of seafood. These tasted vastly different to the other three, with a strong spicy flavour.
The chicken wings (6 for $9) were moist on the inside and crispy on the outside. They were deep fried in a thin but very eggy batter and dusted with a seasoning similar to that used in Taiwanese Fried Chicken. These wings were different to any other wings I’ve had before, and definitely a highlight. The guy who came in after me also asked for wings, and after a brief conversation in Mandarin between the guy at front of house and the lady in the kitchen it was revealed that they only had 5 wings in stock. He was told that they had sold out of chicken wings and opted for some diced fried chicken instead, although I wonder if he would’ve been happy to have just five wings (he was alone, after all) at a discount. We’ll never know.
VERDICT Does Chu’s Dumpling House really have the best dumplings in Kensington? I don’t know – I guess they’re the best I’ve ever had in Kensington, a low bar as they’re also the only I’ve had in Kensington. I think that despite what I suspect is a bit of hyperbole Chu’s Dumpling House is still worth a visit. Their dumplings are fresh and juicy, and their chicken wings are different and special. I only wish they did their dumplings boiled.
Luckfood Fish Dumplings 六福魚水饺 is a small Chinese restaurant in Waterloo, centering around dumplings but also featuring other components of Chinese cuisine. Our lunch today was fully dumpling focused, and consisted of 10 each of five types of dumplings.
L: Cuttlefish dumplings, M: Fish dumplings, beef dumplings, R: pork and chive and prawn dumplings, pork and cabbage and scallop dumplingsDipping sauce
We ordered 50 dumplings between the two of us for lunch, and managed to finish 45. The dumplings were small in size but not in taste. They were all boiled and all extremely juicy inside – each was bursting with soup which was an absolute treat. They were all handmade with a good filling to wrapping ratio. The dipping sauce provided was a mixture of soy, vinegar, and freshly chopped garlic, although garlic was optional for those who may not like it. I will describe the dumplings I had in order of goodness.
Pork A Dumplings (Pork + Prawn + Chive)
The Pork A Dumplings (Pork + Prawn + Chive) were by far my favourite. They tasted very similar to how my parents would make it. The dumplings had a good juice within them. A strong recommendation from me.
Pork B Dumplings (Pork + Scallop + Cabbage)
The Pork B Dumplings (Pork + Scallop + Cabbage) were good too. A stronger but less complex flavour compared to the Pork A Dumplings.
Lucky 6 Cuttlefish Dumplings
The Lucky 6 Cuttlefish Dumplings are part of the restaurant’s premium range, and recommended to me by the chef. The fillings were crunchy cuttlefish, and recommended for their internal juiciness. These were quite good, although a bit too salty for me.
Beef + Onion Dumplings
The Beef and Onion Dumplings were my partner’s choice – she was keen on some dumplings that were not seafood related. I didn’t like them, but I generally never like beef or lamb dumplings. I feel like beef dumpling are always too beefy.
Signature Fish Dumplings
The Signature Fish Dumplings were not very good. I’m not sure what type of fish they use, but I thought it tasted a lot like the frozen basa fillets you get at the supermarket, down to the weird water taste. Not a keen bean for this one. This was the only plate that we didn’t finish – we only had 5 of these between the two of us.
In conclusion: while the restaurant is called Luckfood Fish Dumplings, their best dumplings are in my opinion their pork, prawn, and chive dumplings. All of their dumplings are boiled and bursting with juice and flavour. While there were some that didn’t appeal to me quite so much, Luckfood Fish Dumplings 六福魚水饺 provides homestyle food and good value for money. (Please note that any order of 20 dumplings can be a mixture of flavours – we paid $51.90 for 50 dumplings and a can of Calpis Water)
A nod from me. 4/5.
六福鱼水饺 Luckfood Fish Dumplings Shop 11/5 Potter St, Waterloo NSW 2017 0405 313 333
This review is about China Bowl in Waterloo (Sydney) NSW Australia, not China Bowl in Waterloo Ontario Canada.
Pan-fried pork and cabbage dumplings
The pan-fried pork and cabbage dumplings were minimally fried, with juicy insides and no breakage in the pastry. Pretty good. Also comes in boiled.
shredded pancake with beef
My partner’s order of shredded pancake with beef was not our favourite. It was a huge portion of food, but taste did not meet the expectations set by the other dishes.
The Biang Biang Noodles were yummy, a large portion with lots of toppings. It’s important to eat this with a spoon as otherwise the toppings sink to the bottom and you end up just filling up on noodles. The noodles themselves were very jin dao (bouncy)
cold poached chicken in chilli oil and peanuts
The cold poached chicken in chilli oil and peanuts (口水鸡, mouth-watering saliva chicken)were delicious. My partner’s second favourite dish, even though she doesn’t normally like Sichuan cuisine. It was also a large portion.
All in all China Bowl is good food at a good price. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to a colleague for a quick late night meal, especially if you live in the area.
