Steamed

Steamed offers a great alternate to sandwiches and sushi at Lunch for those in the city. A number of dumpling/​yum cha places have started popping up in and around the city of late to cater to those that want a quick spicy different bite other than the usual, pies etc at lunch. Thank goodness steamed has opened up on Turbot street. A little out of the way and with a set menu, add to the charm of this storefront. I’d love to see them add either a special of the day or a sweet bun/​dumpling. Good price, always want more.

I love dumplings and there is only one place that I will go to in the CBD. Steamed is on the edge of the CBD and a little walk, but well worth it. They keep it simple with three types of dumplings, pork, chicken and vegetarian and I always go for the pork and chicken. If you’re inclined, they also do a steamed bun, but I’m a dumpling man, so normally pass on these.
This place is definitely worth the walk. Go check it out!

I think I’m stuck in the old American Asian mindset because the first thing I saw when I went into the shop was that 8 dumplings cost $ 10! I nearly had a heart attack because back at home, we would normally expect dumplings to be at most 12 for $ 6. But enough about my longing for cheaply priced Asian food.
The shop is very inviting with a couple different choices for dumplings and buns. The girl at the front was very friendly and cheerful. You could see into the kitchen where the items were made and it looked to be fairly clean (which is a must when you’re chowing down on meat hidden in dough). At the end though the flavor left much to be desired. I got the signature harbin pork dumplings as well as the Zen dumplings which seemed to be vegetarian. The skin was a bit thick and tough to bite through and the filling was fairly bland. I might have run into a bad batch so I think I’ll need to revisit again, but I think I’m going to have some serious trouble justifying to myself that dumplings are worth more than $ 1 each!

I usually catch these guys at the Jan Power markets both in the CBD and out in New Farm, but can get them any time I want at their storefront on Turbot now. This is a good thing. I’m a big fan of the pork bun, which has a juicy ginger pork meatball in the center. The dumplings are great, too. I have a lot of love for a business that focuses on doing a few things and doing them really, really well. With only four regular items on the menu (three dumpling, one bun), these guys are able to turn out consistently delicious product that I go back for again and again.