Touchscreens at China Red

My friend M is the anti-cool.  Years ago he buttoned all his shirts up to the neck until that became hip, when he defiantly unbuttoned them back down.  The mention of perhaps a little product in his hair prompts snorts of derision.  He refuses to drink lattes, insisting on more proletarian flat whites.  Looking for dumplings in the city one night, Hu Tong booked out, I suggested with some trepidation we try China Red.  "It's trendy though," I said warily.  "It's got touchscreens."

China Red certainly still has a buzz about it.  It's in the new centre in Little Bourke that also houses the fabulous Shanghai Dynasty, the mediocre Dragon Boat and Malaysian Jalan Alor that Bryan recently gave a gold star.

It seems a bit the poor man's Hu Tong with an open kitchen where you can watch dumplings being made plus a select range of said dumplings including xiao long bao, the soup-filled, floppy-bottomed little parcels Hu Tong has made Melbourne fall in love with.

It's deceptively large with a second, windowless lower level.  You are packed in tight but I quite like the aesthetic - simple, clean lines and bold colours.  Ordering is done via the touchscreens that hover above the tables.  There's a full spread of dumplings plus various mainland-Chinese dishes like fried Szechuan dishes covered in whole dried red chillies and various sesame oil-dressed salad-type dishes.

In the end, we didn't get to use the famous touchscreens at all!  We were in the middle of the restaurant and received regular menus.  The ironic thing is that this most modern of Chinese restaurants has gone back to the "number system" of suburban Chinese eateries.  Where once families called up on a Friday night to order "a 19, two 24s and a 63", at China Red the happy waitresses need the numbers not the names (I think because they must input via the same system as the touchscreens).

Stir-fried prawn with salted egg yolk, $22.80

I have always wanted to try a "salted egg yolk" dish.  I am sorry to say but yuck, yuck, YUCK.  The prawns were really good, juicy, fresh and butterflied, but I hated the sauce - kind of crumbly, sandy egg yolk bound somehow with light sauce.  I hate hardboiled eggs so I don't really know what I was thinking.  Not China Red's fault at all as I think this must have been well executed - I just hated it.  The steep price made it ache all the more.

Shanghai "shao-long-bao", $11.80

We watched the chef making these as we entered.  They do seem well made but they aren't as good as Hu Tong's, though.  The mince seemed really fatty and the broth that came out did too, while Hu Tong's is much clearer and cleaner in taste.

Pan-fried dumpling, $10.80

I liked these a lot, though.  The mince inside was tasty, not grainy or dry, and the skins were pleasantly thick but not doughy.  They had gorgeous fried bubbly bottoms.  With the provided dipping sauce of soy and vinegar - very good.  They are so much more expensive than the usual 15 dumplings for an insane $7 or $8, though.

We were in and out in 20 minutes, I kid you not, but this simple meal with two beers and rice cost us over $65.  OUCH!!  I think if you choose wisely, you could have a good meal here.  I am not that clued into mainland Chinese food to really pick well, though.  I must add that the service was great.

So where else in the city apart from Hu Tong is great for dumplings?  Hipness optional. 

China Red

Shop 6, 206 Bourke Street, Melbourne (map)

Phone:  9662 3688      
Hours:  Mon-Thu 11:30am-10:30pm, Fri-Sat 11:30am-11pm