It’s about time Brisbane city had some nicer dining options if you ask me. Jumbo Thai has recently opened at the Embassy Chambers on Elizabeth Street, next to the Hilton and fulfils just that.
We received a warm welcome and menu recommendations – I immediately jumped on the dumpling reccommendation (obviously) with a glass of chardonnay. For wine lovers, there’s a fab wine list too.
The dumplings were Jumbo Thai’s signature butterfly pea flower steamed with sand crab – lovely and fresh, the crab not overpowering and of course, very insta-worthy with the slight purple the butterfly pea flower provides.
We also tried the bao buns with soft shell crab, ginger & chilli mayo. The bao was fresh and springy (bao can so easily be overdone), the crab crispy and a nice ontrast with the lettuce and spicy chilis.
I was feeling a little unwell (Brisbane winter weather got to me) so I tried the spicy Tom Yum soup with grilled scampi, scallops, mussels, squid & mushrooms for my main. Oh my, did it hit the spot! They missed the description that says ‘filled with spices, chilli, ginger and whole garlic cloves that will kick your cold to the sidewalk!’ Very generous serves of seafood with an exceptionally tasty Tom Yum soup filled with all the goodness you could desire. Quite possibly the best I have ever had.
The restaurant has a lovely fit-out, modern with Thai touches, the perfect spot for a corporate mid-week lunch or a nicer option for evening diners.
I look forward to going back and trying more of the menu… and wine list!
I love dumplings. You guys know that! Fat Dumpling Bowen Hills is no exception
Megan and I went to Victoria Park to attempt to hit some balls at the driving range. She did a great job, and well, I was there. So obviously we went for dumplings to discuss our newfound skills afterwards!
This (newer) Fat Dumpling is on the strip of restaurants that popped up in Bowen Hills on King Street not so long ago.
We ordered the stir fried green beans, Xiao Long Bao (XLB) and the prawn and garlic chive steamed dumplings.
The green beans are always awesome. First of all, you feel better because there’s something green on your plate. Well done you, you’re feeding your body the right things! It’s okay that you’re about to smash your body weight in dumplings now! They’ve got this lovely spice to them but not too hot and the peanut oil brings it all together nicely. Oh and the fresh garlic and chilli – yum.
Then the prawn and garlic chive steamed dumplings were quite the quiet achiever. I mean, I expected them to be good but I didn’t expect them to be that good! They were very generous portions and so juicy and full of flavour. They’re great value at around $9 for 4 of them too. They were my favourite of the night.
Then the XLB – always a winner for me (provided they have soup in them otherwise I’m one of those people who will complain), they are a light dough, not so fluffy but lovely all the same because they are filled with soup! Tasty, delicious broth. You have to add black vinegar in them to complete the flavour though. It’s a must. I’m a black vinegar fiend.
Random fact – black vinegar helps to acidise your stomach if you’re hungover. That’s why smashing dumplings is always great the day after a big night out. I don’t actually know if that’s true but I heard it somewhere and if I’m wrong, I don’t want to know anyway. It works for me.
I used to go to Fat Dumpling in the valley (BYO – my idea of a good time to kick off a weekend!) and the XLB was excellent then went downhill. Turns out the dumpling maker from the Valley venue moved to the King Street venue and that’s why the King Street XLB are so amazing – they’re the original.
A great spot for some mid-price range dumplings in Brisbane.
I found Nong Tang Noodle House in Melbourne on Instagram, because obviously, I follow #dumplings! Don’t judge me. It’s my happy place.
I finally made it to Melbourne and took the crew there for dinner. It’s in a tiny alleyway filled with what looks like great food finds. I’d love to try the Sichuan place down the hall sometime too.
We ordered the spicy wontons to start (great chilli level and wrapper – not too hot), the XLB (very difficult not to break the dough and eat properly. Meat very soft & tasty), the pork & chive traditionally cooked pan fried dumplings (super juicy!) and the shanghai noodle (we couldn’t even finish the plate).
We had a feast and the total came to $13.60 each at Nong Tang Noodle House! We couldn’t even finish all the noodles. Unreal value. And it’s BYO.
Where’s your favorite place in Melbourne for dumplings? I still love Mr Jin Huang for XLB, Dumpling Table in South Yarra for pork and chive and Hutong for something a little fancier.
Damn it, now I feel like dumplings again. I’m trying to not eat so much at the moment and dumplings is the hardest to cut back on! I just love them so much!!!
I loooove XLB. Xiao long bao are those freaking tasty soup dumplings. Delicious pockets of goodness.
Soooo my hotel in Melbourne CBD was evacuated for fire for four hours and I became really sick of standing around outside in the cold. I meandered off and found Mr Huang Jin. I think I have been here before, many years ago. I have vague recollections.
I ordered a green tea (I was freezing) and the steamed chilli pork xiao long bao.
Oh.my.life.
Amazing.
Great dumpling wrapper. Not too thick, not too thin. LOTS of soup – my favourite. I hate a dry XLB. Feels like you’ve been cheated. The chilli pork was a great combo. I’d love to try their two other flavours – a plain XLB & a laksa!
They use a different type of vinegar to what I’m used to. They’re usually served with a black vinegar but these came with a Taiwanese vinegar that was lighter and almost a little tangy. I added a tiny splash of soy and the fresh ginger always complements the flavours.
Most people don’t know how to eat XLB, there’s an etiquette you know?! So, you pick them up with your chopsticks & place them on your spoon. Then you bite off the top and blow to cool down the soup. Then you seal your mouth around the top and slurp up the soup! Next, you dip them in the vinegar sauce with fresh ginger and devour! Mmmm
A vacation for your mouth… I love that! Smart marketing campaign, Richmond BC!
A Dumpling Trail. Can you imagine my excitement when I came across it on Twitter? I still didn’t realise it was an actual campaign, I thought it was just some bloggers in Vancouver going to town with the dumplings and making up hashtags.
Then I found the website… I may have squealed with excitement. And just like that, I knew what I was doing the next day!
The website is a fantastic resource – there’s itineraries, maps, fast facts. It’s a hive of information and I wanted to devour it all! It was like they had created a marketing campaign just for me and luckily other people would enjoy it too.
I checked out the dumpling itineraries on the site and came up with my own. I’m a huge fan of Xiao Long Bao (XLB soup dumplings) which automatically added R&H Chinese to my list. I also can’t go past a spicy wonton option – those bad boys make my mouth water when they’re done right! Xi’an Cuisine was rumoured to have the best ones around so they went on the list. I had a third option too, Golden Sichuan for more spicy dumplings, water boiled ones. I never made it there though as I was so full! I recommend taking a friend so you can get through more dishes.
R&H Chinese is at Lansdowne Centre Food Court. you get off the skytrain and turn right (I turned left, oops – lucky I enjoy walking and the sun was shining) to head into the small foodcourt. You go around and around and end up in the food court. There there was a large line up for the outlet already, turns out there’s no secret that these are fab dumplings. It took all my willpower not to order a bunch of plates and just the XLB. You can watch the staff make the dumplings right in front of you by hand while you wait. The wait was worth it, the XLB was delicious and full of soup! The wrappers weren’t too thick or thin, the broth was flavorsome and steaming hot. Perfect!
I walked to my next spot, Xi’an Cuisine at Richmond Public Markets. Â It’s a very unassuming place. You have no idea about the buzz on the inside from the outside. It’s a plain building, I thought I was in the wrong place! You enter, go up some stairs and come out in an open spaced hawker-style market, bustling with people and stalls and eateries. I ordered my spicy wontons (again, so many things I wanted to try) and waited, people watching. These are hands down the best spicy wontons I have eaten. And believe me, I have eaten soooo many spicy wontons! They were soft and silky with a delicious filling and the sauce, oh the sauce!!! I actually drank it from my spoon when I was finished. It was both spicy and sweet, not too hot though. I was in a very happy place right there.
A very happy place and a very full place. I couldn’t eat any more if I tried. That was the end of the dumpling trail for me unfortunately, although fortunately for my waistline.
Awesome tourism idea – I loved it and wish I had more time to sample the entire list of twenty!
Check out their website here and create your own dumpling trail – awesome day out for a group of friends who love those little parcels of goodness that we call dumplings.
Every* Friday at work we have started trying a new place for dumplings.
That’s right, the dumpling craze has spread from myself to my wonderful colleagues! Moahahahaa.
Anyway, this fateful Friday we headed down the highway to Sunnybank to try out Taste Gallery.
The dumplings were great, particularly the xiao long bao. Really juicy and the wrapper wasn’t too thick. We had the fluffy pan fried pork buns, pan fried beef dumplings (interesting they don’t do pork?) and the Wonton in spicy sauce.
The stand outs were the stir fried green beans chilli sauce (also with pork mince) and the combination stir fried noodle. Both of which disappeared in about two seconds flat.
The lazy susan and round table made it easier for us all to chat instead of the long tables we are used to. And you can watch them make the dumplings!
Good choice.
*Most. No, sometimes.
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