TORA DUMPLINGS: BRINGING THE SHANGHAI STYLE TO MELBOURNE
The Cost - $14
The Atmosphere – Small restaurant with a counter to place an order. Just a few tables inside with some countertop seating as well. Very casual.
While walking around the hipster Fitzroy neighborhood of Melbourne, I got hungry and wanted to grab a bite to eat. Some quick research on my phone led me to Tora Dumplings, a small, Shanghai style dumpling house located in an area with a bunch of shops and restaurants.
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The Order - I kept this one simple - one order of their Pork & Prawn wontons and a Tsingtao to wash them down.
The Great - Those dumplings were pretty darn good. It’s hard to go wrong with pork and shrimp dumplings to begin with but add in the fact that they were homemade and came in this incredible chili, peanut and sesame sauce and you have a winner on your hands. The dumplings come 15 pieces to an order and so the dish was more filling than I thought it would be. They were not too spicy, though the Tsingtao definitely helped anytime i felt like my tongue was heating up.
The Not So Good - The restaurant is small and doesn’t offer much in terms of seating so you may have to wait for a seat or take your order to go.
The Verdict - Tora Dumplings is a great casual place to stop in for some homemade, quality dumplings. They have a bunch of dumpling options that are vegetarian-friendly and have other options on the menu like noodles and bao if you or someone you are with are not in the mood for these little treats. This place is definitely worth a stop if you are in the Fitzroy area and makes for a very well priced restaurant option in a city where food prices can be quite expensive.
The Verdict - The food at Gigi’s was very good but with both entrées in the $40-$50 range, I expected more. With so many other amazing dining options in LA, the value just wasn’t there for me.