Friday, December 6, 2013

A Quick Meal at Barilla Dumpling

The first time I had heard of Barilla Dumpling was when it was voted top 10 in Metro's cheap eats. The second was when it was listed as one of dirtiest eating establishments in Auckland. The latter is probably not a good reason to visit a restaurant, but the fact that a bad hygiene score didn't deter their customers peaked my interest. This, and the fact that my colleague highly recommended this place.
Pork and Chive Dumplings - $12 for 20 (+$1 for fried)
We arrived at the bright green restaurant on a Sunday and it was already packed with people having lunch. We were lucky enough to get the last table. The service was very quick and, while we were waiting for our food, I noticed that the "D" grade had been changed to an "A".
Pork and Eggplant Dumplings - $12 for 20 (+$1 for fried)
With what seemed like a million different dumpling flavours (sorry, I didn't actually count), we had a very hard time choosing what type we wanted. In the end, we went with one familiar, pork and chive, and one new, pork with eggplant. 

Boiled dumplings were priced at $12 each with the option of having them steamed or pan friend for an extra dollar. The pork and chive dumplings were very flavoursome and we loved the crispy bottoms. The pork and eggplant, in my opinion, were a little bland but it was nothing that soy sauce, vinegar and chili couldn't fix!
Sauteed Chinese Broccoli (Gai Lan) with Chopped Garlic - $14
As an accompaniment, we also ordered a very generously portioned plate of sauteed Gai Lan in garlic. I thought this dish was done better than many other restaurants I had been to as the veggies were tender and the sauce wasn't too overpowering.
I forgot to take a photo of the lime green walls, so here's a menu..
Barilla Dumpling is definitely somewhere I would love to revisit just to try some of the more different flavours such as pork and fennel or cashew nuts. I think the fact that it was still popular despite receiving negative press shows just how great the food is. Besides, we've eaten food on the side of the road in rural China before - I think we can handle it!

Barilla Dumpling can be found at 571 Dominion Rd, Balmoral, Auckland.



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6 comments:

  1. AlessandraDecember 8, 2013 at 5:42 PM

    Sounds good, do they have vegetarian dumplings too?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lucy @ LucyeatsDecember 9, 2013 at 11:12 AM

      Mostly with egg filling but they have heaps of other vegetarian stir frys which look like they're worth a try!

      Delete
  2. Lorraine @ Not Quite NigellaDecember 10, 2013 at 3:28 PM

    Cashew nut is an interesting dumpling ingredient! And we have a place that makes dumplings that consistently features in notorious hygiene lists. We haven't had the guts to go there though!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nami | Just One CookbookDecember 10, 2013 at 8:09 PM

    Sounds like a great place to eat! I don't think I've tried dumplings that has eggplant in it - my favorite veggie! I'll definitely order that one if I see something similar in the US! :D

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  5. UnknownDecember 16, 2013 at 12:45 PM

    Those pork and chive dumplings do look so very good!

    ReplyDelete

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