A plate of dumplings is right up there with the great comfort foods. Or pair them with a cold beer and they’re fuel for a night of partying. Below you’ll find some of Melbourne’s best specials for International Dumpling Day on Thursday September 26 such as free shots of sake and multi-course dinners. There’s even a chance to win an all-you-can eat feast and hotel stay.
Goldie Asian Canteen & Brews
This Little Lonsdale diner is giving away 600 free dumplings between 12pm and 2pm. Choose from: mini pork bun, vegetarian dumpling, har gau (prawn) and siu mai (pork and prawn). Additional two-dumpling servings are also going for $4 during the event.
Hidden in one of the bowls will be a Goldie Golden Ticket redeemable for an all-you-can-eat dumpling feast and a one-night stay for two at Ibis Melbourne Central. The all-you-can-eat offer is available without a golden ticket for $25 until the end of September.
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SIGN UPHawker Hall
At Lucas Restaurants' bustling Windsor dining hall, the menu is a hit-list of Asia's best hawker market dishes. From Thursday to Sunday, you can pick up six dishes from the limited-edition dumpling menu for $60. Choose from pork and chive with chilli and black bean sauce, shiitake and garlic chive, prawn and ginger with black vinegar caramel, char siu pork steamed buns, duck wontons and more.
Spice Temple
At Neil Perry’s Spice Temple you can try dishes from regions all over China such as Sichuan, Yunnan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangxi and Xinjiang, some of which are augmented with an Australian twist. For International Dumpling Day it’s hosting a yum cha banquet for $59 per person or $99 with free flowing Domaine Chandon Brut.
On the menu you’ll find a broad range of dumpling options to choose from, such as a prawn and scallop, mushroom, and lamb with chilli dressing. There’s also a tea-smoked duck salad to begin, and an egg-custard tart to finish. Longjing green tea is included in the banquet price.
Din Tai Fung
This Taiwanese dumpling chain has created a special Yeti Fun Bun for International Dumpling Day. The giant bun opens up to reveal three differently flavoured coloured mini buns. There’s molten chocolate in the orange bun, red-velvet filling inside the pink one and the purple is hiding blueberry cream cheese. It goes for $9.20.
Emporium Shopping Centre, 287 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne
ShanDong MaMa
ShanDong MaMa is in Midcity Arcade among stores selling glittery mobile phone cases and anime figurines. Owners Ying Hou and her mother Meiyan Wang
serve traditional recipes from the fishing town of Yantai on the Chinese Shandong Peninsula.
It’s offering 10 pieces of kimchi tofu vegan dumplings for $10. The dumplings can come either pan-fried or boiled and are finished with a punchy seasoning of chilli and vinegar. All profits made from the dumpling special will go to the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Midcity Arcade, 7/200 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Tokyo Tina
If you really want to party on International Dumpling day, Windsor Japanese diner Tokyo Tina is keeping it simple by giving away free shots of Kizakura Yamahai Junmai sake with every plate of pork and kimchi gyoza.
Ruyi
CBD modern Chinese restaurant Ruyi has a $38 per person International Dumpling Day set menu that involves a Peking duck bao bao followed by its chilli wontons and pan-fried pork and chive dumplings. Finish off with ricotta dumplings and a glass of prosecco.
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