hu tong

Finally!
Finally... got to try the so-called best dumplings in melbourne last night! I actually booked the day before this time and even then there was only one small table for 4 available for the late 9pm sitting which i accepted nonetheless just because the place seemed so hard to book all the time! And so my idea of getting a big gang catch up to happen there had to go out the door.

Well it was starvation (from waiting till 9!) and full anticipation walking in there...but i gotta say i came out feeling that it was quite overrated!!

The shao long bao were definitely really good - the skin was sooo thin and delicate while it still kept all the soup in without popping till u put it in ya mouth~ mmm :D But besides that, the rest seemed to be nothing special. The noodles we ordered were kinda bland...and won tons that we expected to be extra hot, weren't exactly very spicy at all... more kinda sweet and sour?

Hmm.. actually personally, i think dumplings plus on swanston seems to be just AS good and they aren't all 'exclusive' about themselves which is a bonus. You can just walk in, sit down and order without all the fuss. And they don't inflate their prices like how HuTong seem to have done...Just because they have the hype built up about em and can afford to set their prices higher than necessary. However the environment did seem to be more comfortable when compared to other dumpling restaurants. all three stories of the place looks kinda impressive i guess.

Apparently HuTong has been compared to Din Tai Fung which is suppose to be THE ULTIMATE dumpling place but unfortunately i cant even remember what the dumplings there were like because i was so sick the day we ate there in sydney but kev seems came out still raving about there and was disappointed by HuTong in comparison. lol. so i guess i'll have to go back up there and try it properly again some day~

Well anyway, even though i wasn't as blown away as i expected to be by the dumplings; at least i know what all the fuss was about. It's more hype than anything i'd say and personally i probably wouldn't bother with the hassle of booking in advance to go there again when i could easily get just as good dumplings elsewhere.


The Famous ~ Xiao Long Bao



Pan Fried Pork Dumplings

Peking Noodles (Before)

Peking Noodles (Mixed)

Spicy Wontons


:: Hu Tong Dumpling Bar ::
14-16 Market Lane
Melbourne 3000

cassava cake

I don't think cassava is a very common vegetable coz i don't see any fresh ones around not even in azn groceries nor do I even think i'd be confident in recognising it if i saw it either lol. Actually i bet most people won't even know wat cassava is? Anyhow besides steaming it like a potato, this is the only other way i know that it's eaten...?

Well I found this frozen package of it in my freezer before and so had a go at a childhood Vietnamese bakery treat: Cassava Cake aka Banh Khoai Mi.

Cassava Cake ~



It may not be the most impressive looking thing; but i really like the mild sweet taste and chewy gooey texture.