Working this hard has some benefits. Let me think of one if I try really hard…. oh ok yes weeknight dinners out when I just can’t be bothered cooking and washing up (and I’ve yet to train my husband to do the dishes). So whilst we are housesitting I am taking full advantage of the numerous cheap eats nearby and tonight we’re dining at Chinese Dumpling Noodle House at Kingsford.
My husband is what people call an egg, white on the outside, yellow on the inside. That is to mean that whilst he might look like “white” on the outside, inside he is Chinese for all intents and purposes. And we’ve managed to figure out that not only is he Chinese but he is Northern Chinese. He adores the dumplings and noodle soups associated with this colder Chinese climate much more than anyone else that I know. The place that he asked to be taken to for his birthday is Shanghai Night at Ashfield. So when I gave him a choice of places to go, his finger pointed straight at Chinese Dumpling Noodle House.
We’re early this evening having skived off work a bit early and there are a few tables occupied. We’re issued with out laminated menus (surprisngly new looking) and it looks to be a range of dumplings and hand made noodles as well as other asian food including laksas. We’d been warned to stick to the dumplings and noodles and to reinforce the point, the SMH article featuring Kylie Kwong beams at us from the window where she recommends this particular place for the dumplings and hand made noodles. So we choose the mega dumpling feast – 18 boiled Northern Style dumplings for $7.80; 8 pan fried meat buns $7.80 and a bowl of shredded pork and pickled vegetables with handmade noodles $7.60.
Shredded pork and pickled vegetables with handmade noodles $7.60
The noodles arrive almost instantly, a huge cavernous bowl of thick starchy wheat noodles, some are thicker than others which shows that they really are handmade and some are twisted around. What they also are is a perfect texture, not too soft (my pet hate) but perfectly cooked. The broth is lightly flavoured and to be honest, I prefer a heartier broth but the flavour comes courtesy of the pile of stir fried pork strips and pickled vegetables. The thick twisted ropes of noodles are delicious and next time I would try these in a stir fried dish.
Boiled Northern Style dumplings $7.80 for 18
The boiled Northern Style dumplings come out next, with the thicker starchy pastry encasing the pork and vegetable filling. The filling is mostly vegetable and lacks a little in flavour, some dumplings have a bit of a much needed ginger zing whereas other don’t at all which is a little disappointing. However 18 of these slippery little suckers for that price is a steal.
Pan fried meat buns $7.80 for 8
The pan fried meat buns are next, the bottoms upturned on some to show the burnished finish. Although I am not a bready person, I do love these soft squidgy dumplings with the crispy bottoms. The centre is flavoursome and it really comes alive when combined with the Chungking vinegar provided. The chili flakes in oil are very hot though which I learnt through tasting. The vinegar suits me fine.
The “egg” pats his stomach, satisfied.
Chinese Dumpling & Noodle House
396 Anzac Pde This restaurant has moved to 323 Anzac Parade, Kngsford NSW
Phone 9662 0158
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15 Comments | Add your own
Hi there!
I have only recently been introduced to the dumpling and noodle slurping scene and now, every week I drag my uni friend out for dumplings and those thick fried dark saucy noodles (she orders in chinese so I have never had to order!) All I can say is… i’m thinking about them right now…
The chilli oil in chinese restaurants really vary in heat. Sometimes it isn’t hot at all, and then sometimes it will burn your tongue off! If it was socially acceptable, I would bring my own! I am all about the condiments.
Being vietnamese I actually prefer soy sauce instead of vinegar. Is that weird?
Those fried pork buns look beautiful in the pictures! And so many dumplings for such a small price! The chinese really do know how to eat plentifully.
My favourite is boiled dumplings so I think I will have to try Shanghai Nights. You are quite right about dumplings needing a bit of ginger. So much more flavour!
Sorry to hear the soup was abit hit and miss. I think there are few restaurants out there that get it right. Takes a lot of love to get a great broth. Mum always says its better to make it at home. And no MSG!
Ooh a Kylie Kwong recommendation! I actually tend to mix soy and vinegar together for a dipping sauce. I’ve probably not eaten out enough because I don’t recall ever being served chilli oil as an accompaniment.. though come to think of it.. I think I have received it as part of takeaway! And it was atomic!
That is SO funny that you described your husband as an egg..and it makes sense!
I think it’s great you have these eateries nearby and it makes sense to try them.
I think the shredded pork dish would have been my favourite
haha I love that you love condiments. Shoot, if it was socially acceptable I would STEAL condiments. But some book from the old times told me stealing was bad and I wouldn’t go the place in the clouds…so, no free condiments for me.
This is my first time at this site. I’m going to snoop around a little more.
Hi Maria T-That’s great! I’d love someone to order for me so I am sure to get something good
Yes, it was so fiery I didn’t dare touch it again! And your preference is not weird at all, sometimes I can’t stand the vinegar (at Shanghai night) and sometimes I like it (here). I am not a huge soy sauce fan though.
Yes it was great value and so warm and filling for a cold night.
I had 3 dumplings and only 1 had the ginger flavour
If only they had mixed it up a bit more!
I’m sure your mum is right, I think soup broth at home is uniformly fantastic
Hi Maria-Yes I was surprised to see it in the window too but of course they proudly highlighted it.
He is most definitely an egg and quite proud of it too. He even has a Chinese sounding name and Chinese people always wonder why he has that name but doesn’t look Chinese
I wish I lived closer to these places, it’s only now that we’re housesitting that we can!
Hi Caleb-I’m a huge condiment fan, sauces, seasonings, you name it, I love to fiddle with the flavours. LOL at stealing condiments if socially acceptable!
Welcome and I hope you like it and come back often!
I love the look of the pan fried meat buns with their scorched …buns. Mmm.. saucy scorched buns..
Hi Y-I love the texture of the crispy bottoms with the soft upper. So good!
Hi,
Are the dumplings taste the same with the ones from Shanghai Night? Which one do you reckon is better?
Hi Adrian-Of the boiled ones, I’d have to say I prefer the Shanghai Night ones (the pork and mushroom are my favourites). I’d like these better if they had ginger more consistently throughout them.
Of the pan fried ones, both are very good, one isn’t better than the other
This used to be (and on occasion now) a regular haunt of mine so I’m very impressed you got your food quickly (they’ve become increasingly slower as the years have progressed..)
If you ever go back I recommend you substitute the boiled dumplings for the steamed ones which taste infinitely better (I don’t eat the boiled ones as they are tasteless, as though the flavour drained away with the water). I think you only get 14 with the steamed though (still cheap!)
Hi Bev-I think we got it because we went a bit earlier than the crowd. Once it filled, it might have been slower.
Cool, thanks for letting me know about the steamed versus boiled. To me it’s quality over quantity. However in this case, my husband chose and he chose quantity!
we went there today – and the shallot pancake (chong yau pang) is wonderful. can’t say the same about the spring pancake, though – i’m sure it’s an acquired taste, but i’ve had it before and it was better, but i don’t know whether it was authentic or not, where as, i’d say this place is the real deal.
i was going to suggest you try pinangsia, but i noticed your post on it today! i remember the first time we tried it, we bumped into people we knew who live in wahroonga! unbelievable that they bothered to make the treck down for no other reason than to eat – we only eat down there whenever we’re in the neighbourhood, mostly to compensate for having to do saturday morning sport “all the way down there”. of course, then, there’s compensation in the form of peter’s of kensington down the road and the indonesian place diagonally across from peter’s.
cheers
lynn
Hi lynn-Thanks for the recommendation. What is in the spring pancake?
Yup, am trying to eat at as many places on Anzac parade as possible while we’re in the area. If I had to choose any compensation for doing sport, it would most certainly be a culinary compensation such as this
Yep I do like shopping at PoK and Pondok Buyung (I did a story on this too a while back 
)
the spring pancake is a large mandarin pancake filled with bean sprouts and, i think, duck. i say duck because i’ve had it with duck and bean sprouts before… anyway, i guess it wasn’t as good as it could’ve been, nor was it as delicate as it could have been – the spring pancake comes two to a serve and could almost be a meal for two (and i’m a good eater).
as an aside, i don’t know if you like pizza, but arthur’s pizza (randwick, paddington) is a favourite of ours that you may like to try.
have a great time away; i’m sure you are going to whet our appetites with your upcoming culinary adventures.
cheers
lynn
Hi lynn-Wow, it sounds huge. But duck and bean sprouts are an unusual combination, I don’t think I’ve tried it yet.
We actually walked past Arthur’s the other night after Bite Me Burger and contemplated going in. Thanks for the rec!
Thankyou, only a few more days to go now!
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