Heavenly may be a hyperbolic way to describe this place but you’ll read why we’ve enjoyed Dumpling House so much. We had food was on the brain when we first evening we visited and every subsequent evening, so I guess we could be forgiven for giving it such status.

Vibe

The vibe in Dumpling House could be described as busy, light, airy and fun, with a range of people. From toddlers, to the young millennial types, to grandparents; the space feels family friendly and welcoming to all. The restaurant is pretty big and can accommodate large and small groups. Serving staff always looks busy trying to fulfil someone’s request. Before we became vegan 6 year ago, we had a favourite noodle bar in London (Tai Tip Mein) and Dumpling House gave us that familiar feeling. The hustle and bustle of the place reminds me of being in London. It’s a welcoming environment.

Service 

Ordering food was pretty straight forward and the service was pretty good; the staff take your order on an ipad. Though there are many vegan restaurants popping up everywhere, sometimes you just want to go into a regular restaurant and order off the main menu. Due to the fact the staff were extremely knowledgeable regarding ingredients we were able to have what we wanted, because our hostess was able to given us a heads up on a few items that ‘looked and sounded vegan’ but actually was made with chicken broth. She was able to suggest some dishes and they were happy to substitute items like eggs from rice and recommend some good options for us to try. Service is quick and the chefs behind the window are always friendly to children. Even ourson, who’s picky with food, likes going there; his favorite is the plum sauce. 

Food

The menu has variety of dishes; dumplings, seafood, noodles to rice based dishes. So long as they have rice, we were usually sorted. We always order our usual fried rice (no egg of course), sweet and sour tofu and steamed rice, then we order one new thing each time we visit. This time it was their garlic Chinese broccoli and seasonal vegetables stir fry dishes which were both flavourful. We have been a few times since and it’s usually the first suggestion when we talk about eating out in Canberra.

Our son is a picky eater and usually only goes for chips (hot) but they don’t sell chips, so we were worried he wasn’t going to eat. J boy ate all (except 3 spoonful’s) of the ‘boiled rice for two’ which we were supposed to share. I didn’t mind of course, as he is a growing boy after all. He mixed it with their plum sauce and some vegetable spring rolls.

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Drink

I ordered the Chinese tea. A fragrant pot of hot jasmine tea arrived at the table and went down a treat. A lot of people think it’s weird that I drink a hot drink with my dinner but that’s always been something I’ve done since a young child; One of the many things I inherited from my mum. A hot drink just rounds off the meal, I think. If tea is not drink of choice, complimentary water was also provided on the table too, so I made sure to get some of that to ensure I remained hydrated. J boy ordered an Orange Juice to drink and it looked freshly pressed. Ahmed opted for the water on the table. I think he was trying to keep the cost down. They also serve a range of alcoholic beverages if that’s more your

Location

A glass-fronted restaurant located in the heart of Canberra center (Shop FG13C, 148 Bunda St, Canberra ACT 2601), the restaurant allows a lot of natural light in during the day and if you are anything like me, it’s a great opportunity to people watch, if you’re into that. It is opposite the cheap car park which has all day parking for just $10 and a reduced rate for after 6pm ($2). It is within walking distance of my office and in the perfect location to get passing trade and shoppers looking to fill up their bellies after a busy day shopping. It is close to bars too, ideal for those looking to line their stomach before a big night out. 

Price

The total cost of our meal was around $80, I think this is reasonable as it works out to just over £40 for a meal for 3 people. We probably could have fed another child under 10 with what we left, so it could have squeezed to a family of 4 with two children under 10.

Ahmed ordered the gluten free vegetable fried rice, which he would rate as a 9/10, we shared some sweet and sour tofu, Chinese broccoli and ginger and some boiled vegan dumplings. The broccoli was AMAZING! I literally could have eaten the whole thing. The sweet and sour tofu was middle of the range I think, on its own probably a 6/10, it’s just too sweet.

Overall rating: The overall rating for the Dumpling house is 9/10 Ahmed would give it an 8/10 and I would give it a 10/10, so a combined rating of 9/10 is fair.

If you are in Canberra, I would definitely recommend you pay them a visit.

Peace, Love and Happiness

The Jalloh Family