Ping's Dumpling Kitchen Preston — Restaurant in Melbourne

This was the first time l have attended Ping's Dumpling Kitchen, situated in high street Preston. My companion lives in this area so is well aware of what is available as far as asian food in Preston. Having lived in Japan myself l was very keen to try these dumplings as l quite often ate gyooza(pork dumplings) in Japan along with miso soup, which contains white bean curd. While visiting Ping's we jointly ordered a singapore noodle beef stir fry, with crisp vegetables, thin egg noodles & beef, with fried bean curd. Along with 10 soup & pork dumplings in a steam container & 12 pork dumplings fried. The meal exceeded my expectations on palate as well as the immense quantity between the two of us. Wine was available however being a non drinker l wasn't interested in the wine menu. Instead we engaged in sipping chinese tea from a vacuum thermist complementary with our meal. The sevice provided was very prompt & accomodating. The atmosphere was tranquil & relaxing, so overall my experience at Ping's was exceptional & l will be looking forward to returning again. One of the major bonuses was the absolute minimum price paid for a meal. Between the two of us it was only $30, for a wonderful evening. Plus we each took home a container of dumplings we were unable to consume, to have the following day....

I came by this dumpling house after it was recommended by some friends. I like that the place was quite spacious and even though it was operating at near full capacity, the staff was very polite, unflustered and friendly.

I like that I was given a big flask of tea to self serve and there was an abundance of chilli and vinegar to dip my dumplings in.

The range on the menu is extensive. Dumplings to various styles of noodles, rice and cooked dishes. The price range was reasonable too.

I ordered the pork dumplings, the wanton noodle soup, Singapore noodles. The pork dumplings skin was a tad too thick, but that was ok with me, as it meant that all the juices of the pork was well encased, one bite and the meat juices did squirt out. The wanton noodle soup with spinach, was nice, but the owner may want to note in the menu that it’s preserved spinach and not fresh spinach. That makes a whole difference to people who may be adverse to consuming preserved food. The Singapore noodles, was tasty but would have been tastier if it’s drier.

We subsequently did a takeaway the next day. I would say that the food still tastes good after a few hours. The takeaway container was well packed, as my soup didn’t spill on the way back.

I would look forward to my next trip back to Ping’s...

What the heck happened? I used to come here a decent amount, but sadly won't be coming back.

A week ago, I came here and ordered the usual: Dan Dan noodles, pumpkin cake and some dumplings.

The Dan Dan noodles used to be sooooo legit. Spicy as heck, sweet, salty, umami. I used to be able to see the dried chili pieces mixed into the mince. We used to have to order soy milk just to get through it, but it was perfect. Now it's like a completely different dish, the flavour isn't there and neither is the kick.

The pumpkin cake used to be something we would go out of our way to go to this restaurant for. The inside used to be soft and squishy like mochi, the fried outside used to be light and crispy, the flavour used to be pretty damn sweet but delicious. This time we went, they had completely different crumbing, the inside had parts that leaked like custard, and that delicious sweetness was dialled way back.

The dumplings are okay, but they're missing the umami and the care in making sure the bottom is crispy before serving.

It's definitely a restaurant that has changed...