Melbourne - HuTong Dumpling Bar





Well, here we go.  First review, and it's not even in Adelaide...for shame.  However, before you write me off completely, bear in mind that my travels to Victoria follows a long pursuit of those mouth-wateringly flavoursome and delicate Asian morsels known commonly as dumplings.  And on this occasion I am in search for arguably the mother of all dumplings...but onto that in a minute. 

It was an unseasonably warm night in Melbourne as I strolled onto Little Bourke Street.  My stomach rumbled as the melange of smells coming from what seemed like an unlimited number of restaurants hit my senses all at once and I began salivating like a crack addict after his next fix.  “Patience my precious” I muttered to myself – “your mission should you choose to accept it – is dumplings”.  I manage to resist the temptation to deviate from my pilgrimage and round the corner to Market Lane where, adjacent to Flower Drum (an establishment I intend to frequent and review at a later date), I see it.  HuTong Dumpling Bar.  I’ve arrived.
As we opened the door, unsurprisingly, we were greeted with a queue.  My heart sank.  You see, I was dining with my brother that evening, and years growing up together meant that I understood what a queue meant.  I took one look to my left and he said "well - maybe next time".  I stayed strong and despite his attempts at pulling rank on me (he is a few years my senior), the fact that I had handcuffed myself to one of the waitresses in protest coupled with the fact that it was my turn to pay for dinner, meant that he was in a difficult position.  Leave without me and pay for his own dinner, or god-forbid wait.  For anyone who knows my brother, the decision was clear.  He waited.

After a cruel 15 minute wait which felt like a lifetime, we were seated.  The decor is perfectly fine and doesn’t really require much discussion.  I do note that the seats were surprisingly low and also completely lacked any cushioning whatsoever.  "I've sat on worse"  I thought to myself - finding it very difficult to dislike a place which displays its workers with pride preparing the dumplings which had lured me here in the first place.  

http://hutong.com.au/

We order quickly. I don't spend long on the menu.  I go straight to the dumplings.  Xiao Long Bao - keep them coming.  Check.  Wantons with hot chilli sauce.  Check.  From here it was time to think of mains.  Salted braised pork in New style.  Why not.  Chicken wings in chilli. Yes please.  Stir fried string bean with minced pork in chilli.  Done. The menu kept going but this would do the two of us for this evening.

Then we wait.

Patiently.

The next 5 minutes felt like forever.  Each time a waitress would walk past, I think to myself, is this ours?  Please let this be ours.  Finally, on the 6th minute, she arrives with a deadpan emotionless expression on her face that anybody who frequents Asian restaurants with any form of regularity will recognise instantly.  She places them down.  The dumplings have arrived.

Now just so that we're clear.  I have experienced some good dumplings in my life. Each had their time and place.  Dumpling King and Julie's Dumplings in Adelaide are just a couple.  However, Xiao long bao is different.  For those of you who don't know, these handcrafted parcels of deliciously goodness are unlike your average dumpling.  It is the liquid broth held within the dumpling skin which brings takes this variety of dumpling to another level.  There are 3 main ingredients which in my opinion make up a perfect Xiao long bao.  1 - Smooth thin delicate dumpling skins.  2 - Flavoursome yet subtle broth.  3 - Pork mince filling that has just the right balance so as to not detract from the broth, but bring out the flavour of the entire dumpling. 

The best xiao long bao I've ever had is at Din Tai Fung in Sydney (subject of a much needed review also) - which is a Taiwanese franchise from my understanding, and having been quite a regular there on my travels to Sydney, it has a special place in my heart.  The Dumpling skins there are phenomenal.  Paper thin and translucent they almost melt in the mouth.  The broth is complex yet subtle and the filling?  Top notch.  The holy trinity.  Or so I thought.  I dive into my first dumpling, biting the skin and sucking the broth as it seeps out of the tiny opening I had created.  My first impression was that the skin was a little on the thicker side.  A little more chewy...not quite as smooth and silky as I would like...and began to feel disappointed.  Quickly afterwards however the flavour of the broth hits me.  The impact this had upon me was profound.  I had always thought that to create a subtle flavour, meant to create flavour that was more on the bland side without being bland.  The broth here was full of flavour, sweet, salty, a little sour, and oh so complex.  At the same time, there was a level of subtlety to it that took my breath away.  This...is how broth should be, and this is amazing.  I place my broth-less dumpling back on my spoon and take a dip of Chinese vinegar, a few ginger strips, and just a touch of chilli oil and place what remained of the dumpling into my mouth.  The filling was divine.  I can barely describe it, but just know this.  If you are any form of dumpling lover, until you've tasted these dumplings, your life will not be complete.  They're that good.  And they just kept getting better and better.  Onto the decision then.  Overall (and I didn't think I would ever say this), the HuTong Dumpling Bar Xiao Long Bao marginally trumped the Din Tai Fung ones.  On the holy trinity scale, the DTF wins hands down because of their ability to tick the boxes in all three categories, however HuTong and their broth and filling have stolen my heart.  It really is a case of "you had me at hello".   

The wantons in chilli sauce came next.  Sublime.  A perfect follow up to the Xiao long bao.  The flavor profile was completely different where the XLB were subtle and delicate, these wantons were a right hook from Ali in his prime.  Do not forget to order these.  As we finished them I had to restrain myself from telling the waitress to leave the chilli sauce as I'd be using it for other dishes.  Phenomenal. 

The mains were next, and as always, they were a little hit and miss.  Of the 3 mains our favourite was the Chilli chicken wings which were absolutely covered in stir fried dried chillies and shallots.  The spice packed quite a punch but was essential to the dish and went perfectly with a steaming bowl of white rice.  A warning to those who don’t like their food too spicy - don't order this one.  The next was the fried string beans.  A classic dish executed brilliantly.  Finally was the Braised Pork.  The only let down of the evening.  Not enough pork and what was there was too salty. 

In summary, if you're in Melbourne and enjoy dumplings in any way shape or form, this place is nirvana.  I'm looking forward to coming back. 
I may just load up on the dumplings next time though and forgo the main courses.

Until next time - keep on eating.Moe V 

4.5 / 5 Chilli's*

*The chilli scale system does not in any way shape or form measure the relative spiciness of the meals. They are a reflection of the overall quality of the food and dining visit.  There is no science to how the ratings are derived.  As the old saying goes, opinions are like ar$eholes.  Everyone has one.  Deal with it :)