the poets, a yellow teapot and dumplings

Long title but quick post….

I’ve found another great dumpling place to go to and it’s tucked away in Top Ryde of all places! The restaurant is called The Poets and gives nothing away in its name but is situated in the alfresco area of the shopping centre is a restaurant with excellent quality Northern Chinese food at reasonable prices too. Unlike other dumpling haunts, The Poets is nicely decorated with comfortable custom made chairs, blue and white oriental cushions and has a wall entirely made out of chopsticks.

Tea was served in a stunning yellow teapot with matching tea cups which reminded me of a teapot that my mum has stashed somewhere. Note to self; must look for that and ask if I can borrow…?

And well the dumplings themselves were steaming hot, fresh and it was a lovely generous serving. MM also thought highly of them as an alternative baby food for lunch!

I told you – short and sweet.

The Poets @ Top Ryde Shopping Centre; corner Devlin and Blaxland Road Ryde 2112

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Published in: on February 16, 2012 at 4:03 am  Comments (1)  
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I love my dumplings fresh with a part vinegar and soy sauce on the side

It was during a hurried Tuesday lunch special that I tried the two-week old Bamboo on Reservoir Street, Surry Hills. Notified by my friend Maz to try it out given it is literally a local and I do walk past it everyday on my way to work, it seemed a no brainer. And then there is my number one love of dumplings which gets me everytime. I love my dumplings steaming hot, fresh and not gluggy. A tell-tale sign of their prior steaming is when they arrive in a steamed round box and when the lid is taken off, it’s such a lovely surprise. I love to dip my dumpling lightly into a combination of soy sauce and vinegar so it’s not doused but enriched by the salt and tartiness of the sauces. More often than not, I usually then burn the insides of my mouth in a rush to eat my dumpling due to the spurting soup trapped inside. But it is so worth it.

Back to Bamboo; tucked away at the back of a corner pub it is decorated in a rustic old-Beijing fashion with different coloured wooden bird cages hanging from the ceiling and a lone push bike. Signs inform the eater that Bamboo believes “everyone has nice dumplings” and there is an assortment of shared tables pre-set with plates and chopsticks and local workers are starting to crowd the place as more people swing by to try the new kid on the block.

Bamboo is not a no-Go but only go there if you need a quick bite and dumplings don’t rate high on your list of food loves. Unfortunately for me, it was borderline gweilo, the Northern Chinese (where xiaolongbao dumplings hail from) flavours were not distinct enough and I think the sauce that the dumplings and grilled salmon came with was simply soy. And when you’re stacking this place up against Din Tai Fung which is a ten minute walk away, it doesn’t come close even in the price factor. I think I could have done better to go to Ho’s Dim Sim Kitchen on Pitt Street, buy my own dumplings, heat them up and eat them. It was worth trying but next…?

Bamboo @ Corner of Commonwealth and Reservoir Streets, Surry Hills Sydney 2010

Ho’s Dim Sim Kitchen @ 429A Pitt Street, Sydney 2000

Published in: on May 12, 2010 at 8:35 am  Comments (1)  
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