吉香阁阁 Tiger Noodle & Dumpling Bar — Restaurant in Sydney

I remember our first time at Tiger Noodle and Dumpling Bar being unexceptional in its infancy. A few years past and we decided to give it another shot which turned out to be a game winner. Out of sight from Hurstville commuters with its existence only marked by scarlet red signs, the restaurant inside Golden Tiger Hotel can be located by the stairs leading up to the audible chatter of diners above. I was surprised to find the restaurant at near capacity and invigorated with the clinking of cutlery, a stark contrast to when we first had dinner there. Business was booming for Tiger Noodle and Dumpling Bar and my taste buds soon found out why. Service was swift with settling us down with the menu and tea but we had to independently get up and order at the counter.

Our lamb stomach soup plus a shaobing came first and was a bargain for $9.80! A gigantic bowl of rich, milky broth loaded with lamb innards and vermicelli, each spoonful was bursting with umami and the sweetness of shallots. The lamb stomach and intestines are plentiful in quantity and size, beautifully cooked with no gaminess at all. Like a slice of bread, the shaobing serves as the palette cleanser from the powerful umami flavour of the soup. The shaobing is masterfully crafted with multiple soft layers within and a crust toasted with a light smokiness and topped with earthy sesame seeds. It was the ultimate vessel to sop up the soup and defeat any winter chills or emptiness within.

Next was our pork and celery dumplings that had a good amount of filling with a pure, organic taste. While the dumpling skin was thicker than I preferred, the dough was gentle and felt pleasant in the mouth. Due to the high demand from the kitchen to the dining room, it was difficult to catch the attention of the waitresses as we wondered about whether our noodles were coming. After keeping ourselves busy with the giant lamb soup, the stir-fried hand pulled noodles with lamb finally arrived and I can confirm, it was well worth the wait. The noodles possesses the tell-tale chew of being handmade with a viscosity that absorbs the residue of the lamb juices and delectable XO sauce. The velveted lamb melted in my mouth and disintegrated into pockets of meaty deliciousness. Personally, I would have liked more noodles but the overall dish was well portioned with lots of meat. I was incredibly content with the lovely meal and was grateful to have checked out Tiger Noodle and Dumpling Bar again. My gratitude to the chefs, it's rare to find people who carry a comprehensive expertise with dough in many forms. Best believe I will be riding the handmade noodle train because everything here...

Seating/Environment: The place is located above the Golden Tiger Hotel. The space was very open and the seats were comfortable. When we went, there was no lift access. I am not sure how long that would go on for so in the meantime, it is not very pram or wheelchair friendly.

Payment: They accept card but there is a surcharge. It is recommended to bring cash.

Staff: The staff there were average. There was very little interaction with them as you order on a piece of paper by ticking the meals you want and then handing it over to the waiter. It would have been nice if they were a bit more attentive with providing water refills. Especially on a night where it was not very busy.

Food: We ordered three dishes and it took a pretty long time to come out. This was also considering that the restaurant was not very busy on the night I went.

There is a large variety offered in the menu and the prices were all very decent. I would have liked to see more dumpling options, given the word ‘dumpling’ is in the name of the restaurant.

I ordered the Beef Noodle Soup ($12.8); Lamb & Onion Dumplings ($10.8); and Prawn, Pork & Chive Dumplings ($10.8).

The Beef Noodle Soup was not particularly special or anything, but it had a really nice beefy flavor. The beef was nice and tender. The noodles were very interesting, they were very bouncy and were very al dente, but they did not capture a lot of the soup flavor. The portion size was also very generous.

The two dumplings that we ordered were definitely the highlights. They were of a decent size and the dumpling wrapping is not too thick or too thin. When eating the dumplings, you would get a burst of the inside juices from the meat and ingredients burst into your mouth. This was very delightful. You could also make your own dipping sauce out of vinegar, soy sauce and chili.

Overall opinion: I would not mind coming back to this place again for their dumplings. I would also like to try some of their other dishes on their menu too. I would recommend giving this place a try if you are looking for somewhere that is decent and worth it for the price you pay. The downside of this restaurant would definitely be in its service which was...

Terrible customer service, waiting times and mediocre food.

Arrived at 7pm with the less than a half full resturant. We ordered 2 dumpling dishes, a noodle and spring onion pancakes. The waiting time was overly long for the food to arrive. The pancakes barely had any spring onions in them. By 7:50 our pan fried dumplings had not arrived yet. Upon asking the waitress about it, she said she would check (all the other food had come and we were finished with the noodles). Once returning she said that the kitchen was busy and that it'll take 10 minutes. We asked if we could cancel the dish, she said no, she was rolling her eyes while speaking to us saying that the dumplings are already in the pan and it takes time to cook. We asked for the dumplings to go as it was an extremely fustrating experience. The waitress was unapologetic about the waiting times and rude. Would not reccommend, as the food was mediocre with rude staffing. Not...