Shanghai Street Dumpling Restaurant (Melbourne, Australia) - the best hand made dumplings in Melbourne CBD..unless you can think of better?

342 Little Bourke Street, 
Melbourne VIC 3000
(03) 9600 2250

This cozy Chinese take-away/restaurant is located on the corner of Little Bourke St and Elizabeth st. I have been here once before and ever since been meaning to come back. When you arrive here, almost every time you will have to wait in line for at least half an hour before there is a free table available. The food here is that great, and that's not all. The prices here are very affordable. You can expect to pay in the range of 7-10$ a meal. The food portions are more than generous, which are bound to satisfy just about every foody. 

The restaurant on its own is not much to look at. The seating arrangement is tight but not so cramped that you might find yourself seating right next to a stranger. The tables and chairs are simple and functional. This restaurant does not feel cheap like most Asian take-away/restaurants I have been too. You can see clean lines, tidy finishes, and simple but eye pleasing lighting, making this an enjoyable place to sit down. You can also sit right next to the windows and enjoy people watching as you indulge on their delicately made dumplings. They also provide outdoor seating, which is not as comfortable, but you can choose to sit there if you are too impatient to wait for a table to free up indoor.

Our eyes once again proved much bigger than what our stomachs could handle. Somehow when you think that you're starving and could literally eat an entire horse you drift into the mindset that just the one main meal will not be enough to satisfy one's hunger. We ordered boiled Peking dumplings, fried vegetable dumplings, and pork and chicken dim sums. The service here is friendly and quick. The staff are polite and smile a lot, which is what is always good to see. After waiting for about 20 minutes our food arrived. 

The dumplings tasted fresh and juicy, prepared and cooked to perfection., much better than the frozen ones that you can purchase at any Asian groceries store. It is hard to pick which was the best dish on the table, but I would have to say the vegetable dumplings mainly because the vegetables tasted very fresh and juicy, and tended to almost melt in your mouth. It was just pure delight. 

After eating for about 30 minutes, the gradual realisation became apparent that we were not going to be able to finish all of the dumplings. With a dozen dumplings still on the plate my stomach was on the verge of exploding. However being in this situation many times before, one eventually learns how to master the art of eating a ridiculous amount without exploding on the spot. Pacing myself as I ate one dumpling after another while giving myself room to breath in between, eventually all of the dumplings were gone. 

For me this place pushes all the correct buttons. The service is friendly, the food is fantastic, the restaurant decor is simple but pleasant, and very importantly the prices are more than reasonable even for a student. So far this place is the most impressive dumplings restaurant I have been too and will most definitely come back to eat again.

Quality of Food: 8.5/10 stars
Quality of Service: 7.5/10 stars
Presentation and Atmosphere: 7/10 stars
Value for Money: 9/10 stars'

Overall Rating: 8/10 stars