Overview
Melburnians are pretty darn adventurous when it comes to food. They'll eat crickets on a salad, try salt-flavoured soft serve and even broccoli lattes. But, the city's new dumpling house takes things a few steps further.
Setting up shop on Bourke Street, the neon-drenched Drumplings is the brainchild of Deon St. Mor, the mind behind beauty brand MOR Cosmetics and the now-closed rooftop glamping hotel St Jerome's.
And it has more than a few surprises in store for local dumpling lovers, with a menu filled with some pretty wild, globally-inspired inventions. Here, classic Chinese creations like prawn and chive har gow, and soup-filled xiao long bao, sit alongside dumplings stuffed with fillings riffing on chilli con carne, cheeseburger, truffle mushroom and beef rendang.
A chicken laksa version features braised meat, lemongrass, tamarind and coconut; while the 'fish n chips' number lists hoki, roasted chips, beer batter and vinegar salt among its ingredients.
Team yours with a craft beer or alcoholic icypole, as you soak up the vibe of the equally bold space — think, palm fronds, hot pink floors and loads of high-energy prints.
Drumplings is open at 227-229 Bourke St, Melbourne from 11am–8pm Monday–Wednesday, 11am–10pm Thursday–Saturday and 11am–6pm on Sunday.