James Buns

JAMES BUNS HAS NOW CLOSED

A long overdue catch up with one of my good friends from high school brought us to James Buns, a place which recently opened up on Gouger St called James Buns to satisfy our dumpling cravings. I had my eye on the xiao long bao because I have always wanted to try them and was very disappointed with the ones I had on my trip to Melbourne.  

Homemade Chinese iced tea $4

I had a sip of Sophie's drink and it was ridiculously sweet. She thought it tasted a bit like bubble tea (which I cannot attest to as I haven't drunk bubble tea years).

Fried rice with prawns $9.50 

I don't usually expect much from fried rice whenever I'm dining out but this was better than I expected. Simple, but a little on the salty side although that could just be my personal preference.

Spicy wonton with pork and Chinese spinach fillings $9.80

So addictive! The dumpling skins were very thin and the sauce was full of flavour, but not very spicy, so this was very easy to eat. My only criticism was that the sauce was far too oily.   

James' pork juicy steam buns $8.80

The moment of truth. The skin of the dumplings weren't too thick, but still thick enough to hold in all the soup. And yes, they contained soup! I think this might be the last time I have something like this for a while however, as I saw that the soup contained a lot of impurities, probably from the meat filling as it was cooked. It looked so unappetising pouring out onto my spoon, I've been completely put off. 

Stir fried vegetables with garlic sauce $6.50

We ordered these just to have some greens on the table. Soggy and disappointing, unfortunately!

Nothing about this meal seemed to have that 'wow' factor. My favourite dish was the spicy wontons, but even they weren't enough to win me over. I read a lot of bad reviews regarding the service so I paid particular attention to this while I was there, and it wasn't bad at all. Not the best I have encountered but the waitresses were friendly and helpful, and the food didn't take very long to come out after we placed our order.
Sorry James Buns, I don't think I'll be seeing you again for a while!

Shanghai Street Dumpling - #MELB2014

Day 2 - Dinner

I've been wanting to try xiao long bao ever since they first appeared on my instagram feed a while back. I wanted to try out HuTong Dumpling Bar but apparently you have to call and book in advance to secure a table. Instead, my friends and I dropped into Shanghai Street Dumpling which also seems to be rather popular. We decided to have an early dinner after an exhausting shopping expedition at DFO in South Wharf before spending the evening at the Eureka Skydeck and the CBD for more shopping and food, so getting a table was no issue at 5:30pm.

Seafood fried rice $12.80

Nothing really special about this - just your standard fried rice with prawns, fish and crab cake slices. The rice wasn't too soggy which I liked.

Fried pork dumplings $9.80

Tasty but nothing special. I liked how the dumpling skins weren't too thick.

Steamed chicken and prawn dumplings $9.80

These look rather sad, don't they? Again, nothing special!

Steamed chicken and prawn xiao long bao $11.80

I was so excited when these came out because I thought I was finally able to try my first xiao long bao! Imagine my disappointment when I placed one on my spoon and bit into the skin, only to find that there was no soup or even meat juices in it... Such a let down. The filling was identical to the steam chicken and prawn dumplings.

 Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce $11.80

We ordered this just to satisfy our veggie intake for the meal. You can't really screw this up and they didn't! My only criticism was that it was a little oily, but what else do you expect from Chinese food?

Unfortunately, that was a rather average meal and I'm so upset about the xiao long bao! This place would be good to satisfy your Chinese food cravings, as there is a decent menu and the food arrives at the table very efficiently. Warning - do not come here expecting fantastic service because you get the complete opposite. Honestly, the waiters and waitresses all look like they hate their job, and they will just plonk the dishes down on your table (even if the plate doesn't fit) and saunter off. Oh well...  

Dumpling King

The dumpling cravings were SO real last week.

A friend of mine has been insisting that we visit Dumpling King so this was the perfect opportunity!

The part of the menu we were most interested in - the dumplings!

 Steamed vegetarian dumplings $8.80

This came out first, and we were absolutely ravenous! I really enjoyed the filling, particularly the shiitake mushrooms. 

 Steamed chicken and prawn dumplings $8.80

I wasn't a huge fan of the slightly soggy dumpling skin although it had a delicious, juicy filling. Probably my least favourite of the night.

Fried pork dumplings $9.80

My favourite of the three dumplings because of the crispy pan fried dumpling skins! The filling also tasted great although I could practically taste the fat in it.

Dumpling King provides a great lunch or dinner option when you're craving something greasy, unhealthy and ridiculously cheap! Great for uni students like myself who don't want to make a huge dent in their bank accounts/wallets with most dishes coming in under the $10 mark.

However, the service is rather appalling, with the waitresses practically ignoring you for the first 3 times you try to catch their attention and some of the food being brought out only after we asked for it. We asked for some soy sauce and chilli oil since they weren't already on the tables outside where we were sitting, and the waitress brought them both out and slammed them down on the table. In saying all this though, I definitely did not expect any spectacular service coming here and I don't think you should either. Come for the food though! I saw a really nice rice and tofu dish which I will definitely consider ordering when I come back.

Mandoo Korean Dumplings

I was FINALLY able to try out Mandoo for lunch today with my friend Jenny after hearing people rave on and on about it!

 The counter and area where the chef was hand-making all the dumplings. He was working like a machine!

 It was tiny, but absolutely packed. Luckily, we were able to snag a table right by the entrance, but only just after I'd made an order to take away! 

Half steamed and half fried pork mandoo $14

 Half steamed and half fried pork mandoo (take-away) $14

I can really see the hype surrounding these dumplings. They make a perfect meal for lunch and one serve is actually really filling! I found that the dumpling filling could have been more juicy as it was a bit dry for my liking. I really loved the dipping sauce that accompanied it, which wasn't as spicy as I thought it would be upon first glance, and I also like how it's served with a salad and mashed potato. A well rounded meal!

I wouldn't say that these are the best dumplings I've ever had, but I think they're definitely up there! The menu is quite limited, but I think that's absolutely fine if everything on it is delicious and well made. I can't wait for my next visit because I really want to try the soup dumplings! I've also heard that their hotpot is perfect for dinner in winter, but I think I might have to wait until it's nice and cold again in Adelaide to try it! I'd definitely recommend visiting for a quick and cheap lunch option if you're ever in the CBD.

9/10!