Sumthin Dumplin Botany — Restaurant in Howick

I was shopping in Botany about a year ago and got a bit hungry. Just stumbled upon this place by accident and so thankful that I did. Honestly, hands down the best dumplings I've ever tried in my life! It's my go to food when I eat out now which is monthly and raved about it to all my mates and family (you're welcome sumthin dumplin lol). So I've visited this place more than twelve times within a year lol, I've compiled all the pros and cons from my dining experiences. Pros: The dumplings taste the same, consistently delicious every time. Ingredients are fresh. Dumplings are full of flavour. You learn the difference between frozen dumplings that got made six months ago in a factory and realise you can't go back after tasting these, like for real. The sauces compliment the dumplings really well, never knew about sesame dressing and love love love it! Sriracha mayo is my other fave too! Got these in my fridge at home now. Dumpling pastry is different to traditional dumplings I'm used to buying, which is great. Pastry/wrap is a bit thicker but when cooked, there is texture- you get a bit of crunch and softness, and they're served hot so you can travel home and they'd still be warm if you live about 20min away. Cons: Size of dumplings- I've been here three times out of twenty and the dumplings were on the small side. I usually get two bites out of one dumpling but I was able to chew up a dumpling with one bite, so I was left feeling a bit hungry afterwards. I buy the OG (pork and cabbage) and 3 spice prawn (prawn, pork, cabbage, chives?) and I love them dearly but I notice the OG dumplings aren't as juicy as before? There's no juice when you bite into them. If you guys changed the recipe, put it back please, they were way nicer. Not suitable for old people- took my aunty there (I convinced her into buying us a pack lol) and she's got no teeth, just gums, so she found it hard to chew the pastry/wrap. Once she got to the filling though, she really enjoyed it. Maybe just buy some falsies for her??? Not sure if it would make a difference...if anyone has falsies, let me know by leaving a comment/review.

Prices are a bit up there but I'm happy to pay for quality. They haven't raised their prices since going there, which is a bonus. Customer service is great: friendly staff and easy going. Relaxed and youthful atmosphere- big basketball/ hiphop fans- you can tell from the decor. Ample parking too, next to Kmart.

All in all a solid place, focused on making one food the best it can be, and adding their swag to the...

My partner and I visited here for the first time. It wasn't busy and I found the service and the atmosphere pleasant.

I was keen to purchase some "drink da milgy" milkshakes but they only had the one size in chocolate. It was nice just like any ordinary milkshake.

I was going to order some king prawn dumplings but they contained pork (so disappointed that there wasn't the option to have some without pork) so I went with the "beef and cheese dumplings instead and a side of chips.

The decor on the walls was interesting, if not a bit outdated. And I wasn't too impressed with the 'shoes & basket balls' overhead. It just didn't appear appropriate especially as we were planning to eat there. And we waited for ages for our order.

The table and chairs were uncomfortable. I didn't like the surface of the table and I was worried that my bottle of drink would tip over due to the fact that you couldn't place the bottle casually flat like you could with a normal table, without worrying that it might tip.

It is a small store with only two benches available either side of the walk through area so it won't offer much of a pleasurable dine-in experience.

The dumplings were very salty and overdone at when I cut through the dumplings the meat fell out leaving a big empty pocket. The chips were over cooked and the sauce they gave us with the chips was runny.

And then we saw the guy server pour oil which had over flowed onto the grill bench back into the vat to be reused.

Is that standard practise?

I have to give a generous 1...

I recently had the displeasure of dealing with this company's customer service, and I must say it was a terrible experience. From the very beginning, it was evident that the person on the phone at the Botany branch lacked any understanding of basic customer service principles.

Not only did they fail to resolve my issue, but they also seemed disinterested and unhelpful throughout the entire interaction and hung up on me mid conversation.

I expected professionalism and a willingness to assist, but what I received was frustration and disappointment. This experience has left me with a negative impression of the company's commitment to customer satisfaction over the phone.

I would strongly advise anyone considering this company's services to think twice, as their customer service is far from...