Juicy Bao

Juicy Bao is everything a good dumpling house should be - clean, cheap, quick and easy - and serving absolutely delicious food.

The dumplings here are so fresh that you can watch them being crafted by the dozen in the makeshift kitchen set up by the restaurant's front door.  But not only are they fresh, they are incredibly cheap - for $25 you will be rolling out of Juicy Bao's doors (and did I mention that it was BYO!).

On this occasion we ordered the pork and prawn wontons with chilli and peanuts ($9.80), the stir fried noodles with seafood and XO sauce ($14.80) and the vegetarian Xiao long bao ($11.80). The pork and prawn wontons were the dish of the night - offering a suite of spice, flavours and textures - I'd highly recommend ordering this dish!

Busting with flavour, the stir fried noodles came a close second (and would have come a clear number 1 if the seafood tasted just a touch fresher). 

We couldn't go to Juicy Bao and not try their bao, so the vegetarian Xiao long bao were added to our list. For me, I found them to be a touch boring as they were filled only with spinach. Whereas my friend (who is vegetarian, so one could say is an expert on the matter) absolutely loved them and said that they were some of the best veggie dumplings she's ever had.

With its great food, value and service, Juicy Bao is definitely on my recommendation list for dumpling houses in Melbourne. 

Food: 4/5

Venue: 3.5/5

Service: 3.5/5

Total: 11/15

Verdict: love - get around to trying it soon

Tim Ho Wan

Hong Kong's dumpling house Tim Ho Wan is one of the world's cheapest Michelin Star restaurants. So you can just imagine Melbournites excitement when we found out that a Tim Ho Wan (well several) were coming to our shores.

Unfortunately the CBD restaurant didn't quite live up to the hype and high expectations, with only two dishes being worthy enough to claim the title of worth going back for. 

In terms of the venue, cleaner and shinier then it's China Town counterparts (mainly to do with it being new), the venue consists of a large beige room full of cheap plastic tables and chairs crammed in close together. Service is quick (mainly because you are made to complete your order whilst waiting outside in the shivering cold) but don't expect your drinks to come until you've almost finished all of your dishes. 

But onto the world famous food, the highlights of the night were the pork buns ($7.80 for 3) - deliciously sweet and sticky on outside, rich and flavoursome on the inside - best pork bun I've ever had, and the wasabi prawn dumplings ($7.80 for 3) - an interesting but successful fusion of Chinese and Japanese cuisine.

Pork Buns

Wasabi Prawn Dumplings

The prawn dumplings (4 for $8.20), pork dumplings (4 for $7.80) and egg white Spring rolls (3 for $6.00) were nice, but I've had better dumplings from China town for less than half the price. 

Prawn Dumplings

Pork Dumplings

Egg White Spring Rolls

In terms of the low lights, the vermicelli roll with BBQ pork (3 for $7.50) and the turnip cake (3 for $6.00) had no flavour, and the spinach dumplings with shrimp (3 for $7.80) mainly tasted of raw garlic. 

Vermicelli Roll with BBQ Pork

Turnip cakes

Spinach dumplings with shrimp

Whilst offering the best pork buns I've ever had, for the wait, expense and otherwise mediocre food, sorry Tim Ho Wan but I will not be back. 

Food: 2/5

Decor: 2/5

Service: 2/5

Total: 6/15

Verdict: don't bother.

Glovers Station

The biggest draw card of Glovers Station in Elsternwick is its venue - transformed from what once used to be a service station from the 1930s, the cafe which prides itself on using locally sourced organic produce is bright and spacious on the inside with a courtyard for brunch in the sun on the outside.

Using only seasonal produce, Glovers Station changes its menu monthly to make the most of the local produce in season.  On this occasion i ordered the smoky beans with mozzarella, pesto and corn purée.  The dish came out looking magnificently drool worthy and he flavours of the beans, pesto and corn purée worked beautifully together. However, I wouldn't have called the beans "smokey" as it lacked any smokiness flavour (or any big flavours) and the couple of tiny dollops of mozzarella were completely lost in the dish.

Whilst I loved Glovers Stations' concept of using only organic local produce and my dish was "nice", unfortunately on this occasion it wasn't a dish that I would run back for.  At least next month there will be a new menu to look forward to!

Food: 2.5/5
Decor: 4.5/5
Service: 4/5
Total: 11/15
Verdict: Like - get around to trying it at some point.

The Burger Block

Fish burgers are completely underrated if (and it's a big if) they are done well. Offering Asian fusion burgers, The Burger Block in Kew is one such place that manages to hit the mark!

Located in Kew, the venue itself is reminiscent of a small town cafe - warm, friendly, with attention to detail down to the wicker baskets containing serviettes on the tables. 

The chips were definitely a highlight  - crunchy on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, and smothered with a delicious seasoning. The sweet chilli Mayo is also a sauce I'd recommend not to go past! 

In terms of burgers, we tried the Eureka beef burger (beef pattie, American cheese, bacon, Spanish onion, beer battered onion rings and BBQ sauce) and the Tempua Fish burger (tempura hake fillet with cheese, lettuce, tomato, Jap Mayo). Whilst I generally like my beef pattie a bit pinker, the Eureka beef burger is an excellent choice for lovers of BBQ sauce. 

The Tempura Fish Burger was my personal favourite - the fish was crispy, the sauce tangy and the lettuce crunchy.

If you're feeling hungry, The Burger Block offers 5 levels of 'The Block Legends' - each level offering an extra layer of cheese, beef and bacon.  And if you're feeling extra brave, there are the Burger Block Challenges. First up there is the 1.5kg 'Saw' challenge - 8 layers of beef, cheese, bacon and special fusion sauce. And then there's the 3kg 'Chainsaw Massacre' challenge which definitely isn't for the faint hearted - upping it up to 16 layers of beef, cheese, bacon and secret sauce! Whilst I definitely cannot say challenge accepted - I do look forward to heading back to The Burger Block to try other burgers from their menu. 

Decor: 3/5

Food: 4/5

Service: 4/5

Total: 11/15

Verdict: love - get around to trying it soon!

The New Fave dined courtesy of The Burger Block