January 13, 2011: Hutong Dumpling Bar

a comment on our China Red post service letting us know that she'd establish around winning vegeterian HuTong dishes for us to endeavour out. (and summarising her ain vegetarian XLB recipe!) Armed amongst the noesis that nosotros could swallow there, nosotros booked ourselves a tabular array in addition to headed inwards for dinner.

We ended upward ordering precisely what GGF suggested, starting amongst the claypot eggplant inwards Szechuan chilli sauce ($13.80).

This was my favourite dish of the nighttime - the eggplant was meltingly soft, thick amongst chilli fossil oil in addition to somehow sugariness in addition to spicy at the same time. I'm certain I ended upward amongst a sheen of scarlet fossil oil all over my face, but it was definitely worth it.

Next upward was the dumplings, the genre inwards which HuTong has made its name. These were mixed vegie dumplings ($5), in addition to were total of satisfying chunks of a hit of vegetables.

China Red. Luckily, HuTong has the same amazing Szechuan chilli fossil oil that I cruel inwards dearest amongst at China Red, which turns whatever half-decent dumpling into a gustation sensation.

Finally nosotros went amongst the stir-fried spinach inwards ginger in addition to boundary onion sauce ($15.80).

This was an splendid serving of greens - non overcooked in addition to smothered inwards equally good much sauce equally is sometimes the case. The ginger in addition to boundary onion sauce gave a overnice spark the crispy greens, giving us a peril to pretend that nosotros were salubrious afterward equally good much of the oily eggplant.

So, how to amount upward our Hutong experience? The nutrient was quite expert in addition to the prices much to a greater extent than reasonable than Cathay Red - for a tick over $30, nosotros ate ourselves to a standstill. Still, there's something unsatisfying virtually having to mass a tabular array for this variety of nutrient - inwards my head, dumplings are something you lot instruct the urge for all of a abrupt in addition to necessitate to swallow at once, non something you lot excogitation a few days ahead for. Despite the horror stories inwards many other reviews (seriously, there's a weird vibe to much of the writing virtually HuTong where it seems you lot accept to earn a gustation of the precious XLB past times putting upward amongst abominable treatment), nosotros had expert service - they were helpful in addition to speedy in addition to nosotros didn't accept to hold back for our table. The room itself was a chip frustrating - nosotros were seated upstairs in addition to the vibrations seemed to bounce off the walls, pregnant whatever loud conversations nearby speedily drowned us out. Still, HuTong is in all probability worth a see - only to sense Melbourne's hippest dumpling place. Now, tin somebody delight brand me around vegetarian Xiao Long Bao?

Compiling in addition to reading this listing of other Hutong reviews took me a goddamn historic menstruum - it actually is 1 of the buzziest places inwards town (I didn't fifty-fifty include reviews of their Prahran venue!).

Most visitors accept raved virtually the nutrient (at to the lowest degree the XLB, which everyone seems to accept ordered), fifty-fifty inwards the human face upward of mediocre service. Check out positive reviews from: Tummy Rumbles, Ooh, Look, The Modern Fabulous, Foodies n Places, Footscray Food Blog, Melbourne Culinary Journal, I Eat Therefore I Am, Mel: Hot or Not, Half Eaten, My Food Odyssey, Ms I-Hua, Melbourne Gastronome, Ichigo Shortcake, Christine's Foodie Adventures, Totally Addicted to Taste, Melbourne's Bargain Foodie, Gluttony Gluttony, Cookbook, Lisalicious, What's for Tea?, Munching inwards Melbourne, Saucy Thyme, Barley Blog, 730 Days of My Life, Our Food Tales, On Golden Food, Tastes Like Yum in addition to Eat in addition to Be Merry.

Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 few people accept been less impressed: Dollymic, A Daily Obsession, Sarah Cooks, Jeroxie.

It was cracking to read the experiences of Nouveau Potato in addition to Confessions of an eco-food dude eating vegetarian nutrient at that spot - looks similar we'll accept to function dorsum to depository fiscal establishment agree out the spinach dumplings at around stage.

HuTong Dumpling Bar
14-16 Market Lane, Melbourne
03 9650 8128
licensed
entrees $5-8, mains $10-15