Eastern Dumpling House

One of my favourite Chinese restaurants in Melbourne is Eastern Dumpling House, located just a couple of stores down from Mrs Kim's Grill and Huff Bagelry. I don't normally go gaga over Chinese food here, but I was blown away by the quality of Shanghainese pan-fried dumplings here

Their Pan-fried Pork Dumplings (6 pieces) was the best version I've ever had, with a crispy exterior and deeply-flavoured pork broth within. Be careful when biting into these dumplings; don't take a big bite or you might end up scalding your tongue on the soup contained in the dumpling skin. My way is to nibble off a piece of skin, and slowly make my way inwards. It helps if you get a spoon, and pour some of the soup out and let it cool. 

I particularly love the sesame-studded bottoms, which gave the dumpling such fragrance. 

There were a few other dumplings that were good, but not outstanding in the way the Pan-fried pork dumplings were. I often order another type of dumplings as well (One that comes in 12/15 pcs), and Xiao Long Baos. The xiao long baos are good, but their skins were a bit too thick for my liking when I last tried.  

If you can take spicy food, Szechuan Beef with Noodles ($9.80) is particularly outstanding, and surprisingly less spicy than it sounds, considering I'm a noob at spicy food.


Must Try:
Pan-fried Pork Dumplings 
Szechuan Beef with Noodles 

I tried the nearby Auntie Dumplings, which is more popular online. In my opinion, they have similar standards - almost indistinguishable - except for the Pan-fried Pork Dumplings. The ones here are sesame-studded, which was how I like it.