Dumpling Noodle Plus, Ashfield
Mate : ” Hey mate, wanna catch up for dinner at this really good Northern Chinese place in Ashfield ? I’ve been going to them for years in the Dixon St food court but they recently opened up a shop in Ashfield”
Me : ” Damn another dumplings place in Ashfield ?? Yeah sounds awesome we can do Friday if that’s cool ?
Mate : ” Yep, I’m free … call a few of the boys over too so we can try most the menu “
Me : ” No worries I’ll let them know, we’ll bring over a few drinks too. Just a warning we may be a bit rowdy from Friday night drinks before hand “
It’s quite funny when a quiet Friday night with dumplings turns into a twenty five person birthday party. My mates and I were planning on turning up in our comfortable bogan attire on this cold Friday night, only to receive an email saying that my mate has organised an impromptu birthday party for his girlfriend with their friends. Somehow, our three bottles of cider wrapped in paper bags wasn’t quite going to cut it as a gift. Either way, we rocked up to what turned out to be a pretty good night at a restaurant which exceeded our expectations. You can never have too many dumplings, right ?
For anyone who has been to Ashfield, in particular just outside the train station on Liverpool road, you would know that there is a high concentration of Chinese restaurants (not the sweet and sour pork variety). The restaurants in particular specialise in food from Beijing and Shanghai, with the odd Northern Chinese variety popping up too. Dumplings Noodle Plus (very creative name right there) is one of these Northern Chinese restaurants where the food is more hearty and wheat based. Historically this has been the case, due to the harshly cold weather experienced in Northern China. Hearty stews, hand made noodles and buns are not uncommon in these areas and this restaurant is no exception.
It was the perfect weather for this type of food too, it was the week where Sydney had freezing temperatures in the morning and evenings. Fortunately, we had our good mate Richard who is from Northern China to order for us.
Spicy chicken served w/ handmade noodles
We kick off proceedings with two massive braised meat dishes. As soon as we were comfortably seated, the waitress started bringing out our pre-ordered food. First up was the braised spicy chicken. At first thought, the dish did look a little underwhelming, pieces of boney chicken in a thickish sauce with pieces of potato. I was a little reluctant to dig in, however after seeing a couple of the boys happily mopping it up, I followed suite. The pieces of chicken was actually not as boney as it appeared, it was surrounded by soft melt in mouth meat. When served with their deliciously slightly chewy home made noodle, it really made this dish one of the stand out of the night.
Lamb stew
Next up was the lamb stew, this was quite similar to the chicken however the sauce in which the meat was braised in was predominantly cummin based. Once again, the lamb was superbly tender. The steamed bun was a great accompaniment to the dish, they were not just there for show, they acted like sponges for the delicious gravy like sauce.
Pork & chive dumplings, mixing the hand made noodles, chili prawns, twice cooked beans w/ chicken mince
Of course it wouldn’t be a Northern chinese restaurant without an order of dumplings. I am a huge fan of dumplings, there’s something about the sweet chives that does it for me. We were given pan fried dumplings which had a very thin shell layer, encasing a generous pork and chive mix.
To satisfy the seafood lovers we also ordered a serving of chilli prawns which consists of king prawns stir fried with red and green capsicum topped with a handful of dried chilli. Unfortunately, this was the low light of the night. It was quite plain in flavour, nothing wrong with the dish in itself, however it was just not spectacular.
To give us the illusion that we are also eating healthy, we requested the twice cooked beans. Personally I am not a fan of twice cooked vegetables as it renders the vegetable quite soft, leaving no crunch. Despite this set back, I did enjoy the slightly salty flavours of the mince chicken which is offset by the naturally sweet beans.
Beef & trip w/ chili and sesame
As most of our dishes were braised or stir fried, we decided to finish off the night with some cold dishes. The beef and tripe salad like many of our other dishes contained quite abit of dried chilli, but what set this dish was the addition of the sesame paste in the sauce. Strange enough, after this dish, I’m now a big fan of sesame, chilli and cold meats combination.
Cucumber sticks tossed w/ sichuan chili sauce
In hope of alleviating our now numb tongue we ordered a plate of cuccumber tossed in their special sichuan sauce. As the plate arrived to our table, my immediate thought were ” oh no, not more chilli.” However this sischuan sauce was not spicy at all. I found myself munching on the refreshingly cold cucumber sticks, dipping them in the vinegar and chilli oil sauce. It was very addictive.
Cold bean thread noodles in spicy chili, garlic & hot bean sauce
I saw this dish on the menu and was quite intrigued to see what it was or how it would taste. The bean noodle tasted like vermicelli noodles, only thick jelly like. Paired with the garlicky bean sauce. With the thick sauce coating each piece, this was another stand out dish of the night. It’s quite simple in flavour, but it just hits the right spot.
Lamb w/cumin sticks
Just when I thought I couldn’t eat any more, the waittress presented us with the lamb with cumin. Usually they are served on a longer kebab stick and cooked on an open flame, however because the shop is quite new, they haven’t had the opportunity to install the appropriate equipment.
left to right : Dì Sān Xīan (eggplant and mixed veg), our cider of choice (byo), happy diners, birthday girl
A trip to Ashfield can often be intimidating due to the sheer number of Chinese restaurants on Liverpool Road. I’d love to one day try every single one of them to find out what my favourite is. I find the food at Dumpling Noodle Plus a bit more ‘home cooked’, which is right up my alley. I remember seeing on the menu a ” no msg is used” disclaimer, I’d back them on that statement.
If you are after a bit of variety on your next quest for dumplings, give this place a shout. It’s a bit off the beaten path, more towards the City end of Ashfield but well worth the effort.
Dumpling Noodle Plus
215 Liverpool Road Ashfield
Menu : http://www.eatshowandtell.com/wp-content/uploads/2209_001.pdf
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By Howard
We started eatshowandtell in 2008, it was meant to be just a journal of where we ate. The first thing I usually do when I'm looking for a restaurant is check out eatability and the restaurant website. But what is usually missing is pictures of the food, how do I know I'm getting what I expect? This blog hopefully plugs that gap.
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This article was written on 14 Jul 2010, and is filed under Chinese, Dinner, Sydney, Inner West.
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Howard, sydneyfoodtweets. sydneyfoodtweets said: http://bit.ly/len9p Dumpling Noodle Plus, Ashfield – eatshowandtell: It was the perfect weather for this type of f… http://bit.ly/b69ACH [...]
I haven’t been to this place in Ashfield before – from your photos it actually looks more upmarket than the usual dumpling houses there. Loving the look of the food – especially the cold bean thread salad. Definitely on the go to list now.
It does look a little cleaner, maybe because it is now. However, it is quite relaxed and the prices reflect it too! Here is the menu with the prices : http://www.eatshowandtell.com/wp-content/uploads/…
I agree with Forager, does look more up market. One of my all time fav is the simple cucumber dish in sichuan sauce, but they’re usually squarish.. this one looks like they’re longer sticks.
I think their signature lamb hand-made stir fried noodles needs a mention as the quality and flavour of the dish is superb. Trumps all other hand-made noodle dishes I’ve tried from other northern chinese restaurants – and I’ve been to quite a few. The prawns were not that bad given that is is not a specialty in Northern Chinese cuisine. I think the prawns had tough competition given the flavours of the other dishes.
It’s also not as up-market as you think. Clean and simple. Prices were amazing. I think it worked out to under $20pp having ordered almost everything on the menu.
An awesome family owned restaurant – no MSG! There’s also a bottleshop across the road to pick up a bottle of wine for pre-dinner – or Apple Cider if you’re into that.
Pear cider—fantastic. Where did you get it from?
Mate Dan Muyphys has everything, check it out. There is an organic one from Tasmania, cant remember the name but you have to try it!
My eyes popped when I saw the cucumber with sichuan chili sauce. I am somehow drawn to it. I think I would also be the strange one munching on this constantly. mmm, i bet it would be excellent with a nice cold beer
Under $20 per head sounds like damn good value for some nice looking food!
john@heneedsfood´s last [type] ..Croatian potato soup – krompir juha
We ordered more than usual too, defo under $15/head on a normal occasion.
I’m a sucker for dumplings.
Have to try this one out.
Oh it's good that you had someone 'local' to do the ordering, I would be so overwhelmed and have no idea what to order! Love the sound of the cold cucumbers, and the spicy chicken stew… oh and the dumplings… mm I'll have to check this place out next time I'm in Ashfield!
so of all the dumpling joints in ashfield? which is your favourite for dumplings?
charis@hoses&chewlips´s last [type] ..Her Name was Lola- She was a Showgirl
Hard to say really. I'm actually not the biggest fan of dumplings, I prefer these braised dishes with dumplings on the side. But I've been to Shanghai dumpling in Ashfield which is pretty good.
Wow, looks like a lot of stuff I had in Beijing when I went – must drag the family here to relive those food memories
One day… on day I’ll make it to Ashfield. It’s funny how everyday I keep discovering eating places close to home but always seem to want to travel away from home to eat.
It's funny you mention that, it happens to all of us. We tend to neglect the places which are so close to home!
Alright! Another dumplings place to try out
[...] Spicy chicken with handmade noodles, Dumpling Noodle Plus in Ashfield Dish is the photo on top [...]
The restaurant has since changed ownership. It was hands down the best in Ashfield, good authentic Northern Chinese cuisine, great value, no corkage. My friends and I went there a few times before the owner sold the restaurant to someone else after only opening for 3 months or so. A shame really.
The owner had to close up shop due to a family emergency back home in China. She recently gave me a phone call to say that they’ve arrived back in Oz and are looking for a new location .. will keep everyone posted as to where she decides to open up her new restaurant. Can’t wait! Feels like I’ve been deprived of good Northern Chinese Cuisine for almost a year