Drumplings, Bourke Street

The Overview…

Food: Signature D(r)umplings: Cheeseburger, Beef Rendang, Fish n chips, Chilli con Carne, Chicken Laksa. Traditional dumplings: Pork & Chive, Paleo Pearl, Scallop & Prawn, Shittake Mushroom, Spinach and Prawn, Prawn and Ginger. Sides: Pork Crackling, Pickled Cucumber. Dessert: Nutella Dumplings, Apple Crumble Dumplings

Sadly Drumplings is now closed. For affordable eats nearby try Nong Tang Noodle House or Le Charme.

Details…

Fancier than your average dumpling place, Drumplings has large bench communal seating, a comfy lounge area and a funky courtyard at the back. It’s modish pink wall and black bench seating gives in more of a cocktail bar vibe than a dumpling restaurant and while we visited in the day, it’s definitely somewhere we’d go back to sample a cocktail or two with some dumplings in the evening!

We got to sample a range of the hand wrapped dumplings they offer. The highlight is their signature dumplings, but for those of you who like your dumplings more traditional, they do some old favourites too. We enjoyed all of the signature dumplings we tried, from the spicy chilli con carne to the creamy laksa. The cheeseburger ones were a huge highlight for us – on first bite I wasn’t convinced – tasting just meat, but then I got a mouthful with the cheese and pickle, and it was EXACTLY like eating a cheeseburger. Sheer genius!

The dumpling skins themselves were a great consistency – lovely and thin. We were a little concerned they would be too sticky after we’d taken all our pics but they held their own and didn’t split! We loved how each and every dumpling was different – from the perfect pleats, to their sensational shapes they’re really pulling out all the stops to make this a next level dumpling experience. They’re not the cheapest of dumplings, but then you’re not going here for your average dumpling experience and we thought for the quality they’re excellent value.

The traditional dumplings also hold their own against many of the others we have tried. While they don’t have the same wow factor as the signature flavours, they’ve got the same attention to detail and a good range of flavours. We didn’t love the scallop and prawn and found the pork and chive good but nothing too special. However, the clever blood orange glaze on the mushroom makes these really stand out, and the prawn and spinach were great and act as a refreshing contrast to many of the other flavours. We loved the vegan option with the paleo pearl and this was a tasty choice.

On the side we had the pickled cucumber and the pork crackling (drumplings version of chips). The pork was crispy and crunchy, while the cucumber’s light pickle just brought a freshness to break up the dumplings. We washed it down with their complementary jasmine tea.

We finished up with the nutella and apple crumble dumplings. Dessert in dumpling form was a bizarre experience, but your drumplings visit wouldn’t be complete without trying these. More delicious flavours, and the sweetness shines through even without the custard or creme fraiche. They really did work – go with the nutella for indulgence or apple crumble for a bite of freshness (or push the boat out and get both, you won’t regret it)!

Everything else…

Website: https://www.drumplings.com/

Address: 227-229 Bourke Street, Melbourne CBD

Opening Times: 

Mon         11am to 10pm
Tue          11am to 10pm
Wed        11am to 10pm
Thu         11am to 11pm
Fri          11am to 11pm
Sat          11am to 10pm
Sun        11am to 9pm

Parking: Not the easiest or the cheapest to park around Bourke Street, much easier to get PT.

Getting here on PT: It’s on the doorstep of the 86 and 96 tram stop (alight at Swanston Street) or any of the trams up Swanston (alight at Bourke Street). Parliament probably nudges it as the closest train station, but it’s an easy reach from any CBD station and is right in the middle of the free tram zone.

Disclaimer: We dined as guests of Drumplings, Melbourne. Reviews are honest and based on our own personal experiences. We cannot guarantee things at a cafe won’t change including, but not limited to, menu items and opening hours, so please confirm any details with the venue before visiting.