Compared to Europe, Australia is a veritable heaven of Asian foods from all of the nearby lands! It really is something that I miss quite a lot when I return back to Europe with the pale imitations of the delicious food from the Eastern lands!

Grandma's Dumplings was a little restaurant that we popped into for a quick early lunch before we headed out to the airport on our way back to Europe. So, it was the last chance for a decent Chinese meal for at least a year!

The Space

The little restaurant is situated on a busy street (hence the side phot from the outside... I didn't want to stand in the middle of the road!), and so it is quite easy to miss. However, we were walking up and down the street on a Sunday morning... so there were very few places that were open... making this an easy choice and one that stood out from all the closed office buildings!

Despite the fact that it looks quite empty... it was a place that was quite popular as the lunch moved on. We happened to catch them just before opening time, and so we were literally the first customers through the door. In fact, we had the cooks stuffing down their meals and running for the kitchen!

The layout is quite spacious and the lighting is great due to the natural ambience from the large front windows. Unfortunately, I would have to say that the floor was a touch greasy which was a bit of a disturbing feeling. As you are walking along, you can feel just a little bit of slipperiness... doesn't really make you feel like you can leave the bags on the floor!

The Menu

There is a large selection of Chinese dishes on display... my mother (who is Chinese) was speaking with the owner... and they were from a specific part of China and so there was certain dishes that they specialised more in. However, all of that conversation was in Chinese... and I struggle to keep up, especially in Mandarin... Cantonese, I have a fighting chance... but otherwise... nope!

To a relatively novice eye, everything on the menu looked pretty interesting. I do know a fair deal about Chinese foods, but I am afraid that most of of this menu left me feeling a bit out of my depth!

The Food

This was a cold noodle dish with a slightly spicy meat sauce served with a side of cucumbers. We had insisted (as we had a long flight back to the other side of the world) that my mother shouldn't order too much food... and so, this was the main little thing to share between us.

It was really quite tasty... the noodles were decent, but the pork sauce was really something else. I can't place the taste, it did remind me of some other Chinese dish... but for the moment, it was just a really nice blend of spicy (not too spicy) and slightly sweet flavours.

So... I guess if you go to a restaurant called Grandma's Dumplings... you are obliged to order either Grandmas or Dumplings. We chose to order the pan fried pork dumplings! Perfect stuff... our girls just adore these things and will wolf them down.

... and for the more vegetarian orientated amongst us (my wife..), there was the steamed vegetable dumplings. Although I am a healthy carnivore... (well, carnivore... not totally sure about the healthy!), I did really enjoy these dimplings stuff with dark leafy greens and little chunks of nuts(?).

The Experience

This place was great for a quick and light snack. It was a bit of a pity that we were pressed for time to get to the airport and that we didn't have more time to try out more of the dishes. However, the ones that we did end up trying were really quite good!

This was a great experience, in that I got to try a completely new Chinese dish (the noodles) which I don't normally find in the Chinese restaurants that have opened up in Europe.

Likewise, the dumplings in Australia are just completely different to the ones on offer in Europe. There really is no comparison... and this is from a place that isn't especially grand or well-known. Just a restaurant on a street in the middle of the CBD!

Definitely worth a visit... and if you are curious, you should really try ordering something that is slightly off the beaten Chinese track!

Opening Times

Monday 11:30am–9:30pm
Tuesday 11:30am–9:30pm
Wednesday 11:30am–9:30pm
Thursday 11:30am–9:30pm
Friday 11:30am–9:30pm
Saturday 11:30am–9:30pm
Sunday 11:30am–9:30pm

Contact Details

Address: 311A Exhibition St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
Website: grandmadumpling.com.au
Phone: +61 3 9654 7798

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