Auntie’s Dumplings

68 Koornang Road, Carnegie, 3163. (03) 95686641.
Score: 21/40
Maybe I was there on a bad day, but Auntie’s Dumpling was a very mixed bag I’m afraid, and the Chinese friend who was with me wholeheartedly agreed.

We went to Auntie’s in search of shengjian bao (Shanghai Fried Pork Mini Bun, $7.50 for 5). It’s a Shanghainese street food and something I hadn’t eaten since my last trip to China. This was the only place my mate knew of that had it on the menu.

Unfortunately they weren’t really shengjian bao. They were very tasty, but they just weren’t fair dinkum. But they were delicious. So the hunt continues…

Next up was a large dish of stir fried green veggies (choi sum, $8.50) with oyster sauce. No complaints. Then we had chaonian gao (Fried sliced rice cake, $7.80). We were a little surprised by the mean slivers of pork, but were very impressed by the flavour. I think they had used some sesame oil, which gave the whole dish a really warm taste. This is basically a huge rice cake sliced into smaller rounds into what is essentially a noodle. They’re gelatinous and they’ve got a wonderful texture.

Next up was the most disappointing aspect of the meal -the xiaolong bao (Steamed Shanghai pork mini bun $7 for eight) . These are supposed to be small, steamed dumplings filled with pork and hot soup. They were awful. As soon as the waitress lifted the lid on the steamer basket we could see that they were totally overdone. If the judge would please turn to exhibit A, the photography in the gallery. They were just hideous. Gluggy, too much dumpling skin, not enough meat and the soup was almost non-existent. Some of them were actually upside down, leading us to wonder if they were juggling too much in the kitchen (Lol). The plates of shuijiao (boiled dumplings) looked much more appetising, but I wasn’t in the mood for such a large serving of starch.

The final dish to arrive was the standout and was absolutely lovely. Fried ribs in garlic sauce ($6.50). The name of the dish is a little bit misleading, because they’re really dry fried and not served with a sauce, but the garlic hits you with a bang! They were juicy and crispy at the same time and I couldn’t stop munching on them! Divine.

But overall, this was a really disappointing meal, after hearing so much hype about Auntie’s. The fact that the restaurant was heaving, with people waiting for tables at 2pm on a Sunday afternoon, makes me think that perhaps I should give this one another go, just in case they were having an off day. But for now, I wouldn’t be recommending it to friends. Sorry, auntie.

Service:  5/10
Food: 4/10
Value for money: 6/10
Ambience: 6/10