North East China Family @ Flinders Lane, Melbourne

One Friday afternoon, Funnyman and I decided to go out for lunch...


It was before the weather turned ice cold on us, but we were craving for quick Chinese... dumplings were the best option we could think of, so off we went... in search of the back streets of Flinders Lane...


We had both noticed (on separate occasions) that North East China Family was always busy and crowded during lunch hour, so based on that, we assumed that this was a good sign...


ASS-of-U-an-ME was what became of this visit...we were seated (with a group of 5 strangers), and were told that if we wanted pan fried dumplings, there would be a 30 minute wait... so with that ominous warning, we went with two steamed dumplings...


We decided to order the Chicken and Prawn Dumplings (15 pieces) $ 11 and the Pork and Crab Dumplings (15 pieces) $12... or as Funnyman called it, our Farmyard meets seafood dishes...

We were getting really excited (both very hungry as it was) and the fact that this place was so busy and full must have meant that the food was fantastic! (There was a line forming at the entrance, it was a Friday after all)...


Unfortunately, the excitement stops there... after waiting for 45 minutes and hailing the waitresses (who couldn't seem to communicate very well) and asking them three times (on separate occasions) how much longer it'd take, and with our lunch hour long past gone, we were forced to do the inevitable...

We walked out... on empty stomachs and the feeling of being cheated and unsatisfied...


Unhappy with that result, the following Tuesday (12pm sharp), Funnyman and I made our return...

And boy what a difference the service was on a normal weekday...


We were seated upstairs, and placed our order (we placed our order immediately upon being seated as we didn't want to waste any time)...


Our food arrived in 5 minutes!!!


Now if I had done this food review visit on a normal weekday, I would have given this an entirely different rating...

However, having had a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde experience with this place... I've been given an honest insight to the running of this establishment...

Service aside, the dumplings were nothing to shout about. Sure, they were good dumplings. But were they great dumplings? Dumplings that would make the Emperor of the Qing or Ming dynasty come back for more?

Definitely not. No where near the quality of dumplings from Hutong Dumpling Bar in the city, nor even the dumplings from Auntie's Dumplings in Carnegie... (Which reminds me, that I have to do a review there soon, I keep putting it off, because it doesn't need a review!)

Edible...But that's about it.

Would I come back for more? Maybe.. but definitely not during lunchtime on a Friday... I'm not too sure why the others keep coming back...

*Disclaimer: All food ratings are purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the service, food and quality

Food/ Cuisine: Northern Chinese (Specialty: Dumplings)
Dining Style: Restaurant/ Canteen/ Asian Coffee Shop (Share Tables)
Overall Food Rating (Based on the Dining style): 5/10
Restaurant ambiance: 4/10 (I think I'm being too nice)
Service/ Attitude: 4/10
Value for money: 5/10

Address:
302 Flinders Lane
Melbourne VIC 3000

Tel:(03) 9629 9968

North East China Family
is open
Mon-Fri from 12.00pm-3.00pm & 5.00-9.00pm
Saturday 5.00-9.00pm

How to get there:

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