Shandong Mama

AFew dishes are marked veg for egg eaters, not vegan. Not all could turn vegan. As non-spicy eater I couldn't find what to eat, ordered not spicy rice & tofu but was spicy anyway.

The food here is not BAD however it is over priced. A plate of broccoli is $18 and the dumplings are $15. Definitely don't dig the dumplings either. If you get the pan fried dumplings they are fried in the same pan as all the other dumplings and therefore are not vegan (even though we were told all the food we ordered was vegan.)

Given Melbourne's glut of Shanghainese dumpling houses, Shandong Mama came as a bit of a surprise when it first opened. The food is always. great quality (and very affordable) dumplings and noodles here. The owner devises new dumplings alongside more traditional Shandong recipes.

The vegan and vegetarian options here are really good, particularly the yu shiang eggplant and the zucchini dumplings.

The first time we ate here, we found the food excellent, the second time, however, it was more of a mixed bag.

The vegan selection is quite small, but clearly marked.

The pan-fried zucchini dumplings are excellent, as is the scallion pancake (the egg-free version, which wasn't available the second time and may no longer be on the menu). The sauteed corn with pine nuts and gogi berries is better than it looks, if rather sweet. However, none of us (3 people) liked the hot and sour potato.

Updated from previous review on Monday October 19, 2015

Went here to try the vegan dumplings. This small restaurant located inside a mall is usually very busy during lunchtime. I ordered an aloe vera juice which unfortunately contained honey. Asked the waitress if i could return the unopened bottle and ordered a 'herbal tea', thinking it was in fact a hot tea. Next thing was them handing me a cold can of 'herbal tea', with the information being completely in chinese. Tasted like it was made out of 99% honey.... The dumplings tasted very good but they are really expensive cause there has been a hype around the vegan dumplings at this restaurant. Would maybe go again if really hungry and next time, I'll just order a water....

Great location, in the CBD, however in an arcade you could be forgiven for not expecting too much of this bustling cafe.

Order the zucchini dumplings - this is it! You can chose the fried or the steamed, that much is up to you. But you must have the dumplings!! They are tasty, with loads of coriander and tofu as well. Decent serve and good price.

You have trouble getting a table it is really popular, particularly on a Friday. But they do take bookings. Tea is complimentary. Service is always swift and friendly.