Oriental Teahouse - Melbourne

Veggie fried rice no egg $18 small portion, rice was undercooked and chew and extra oily Chinese broccoli no oyster sauce $17 very small portion of hot water in a pot for tea $5.50, tea extra $6

We arrived without a reservation on a crowded Saturday night, but were able to secure seats at the bar. The staff was incredibly friendly and accommodating. The drinks and food were delicious, though a bit pricier than your average dumpling spot. The mushroom dumplings were my favorite - they were crystal dumplings made with a translucent, sticky dough. We also opted for an additional service, and it was well worth it.

After watching a movie in the city, I was looking for a new place to have dinner and found this restaurant on HC. We ordered a variety of dishes and asked our server if we had ordered enough. It turned out that we had missed out on the mushroom dumplings ($13.50), which were sticky and lacking in flavor, although the dipping sauce was excellent. To make up for it, they gave us an extra four dumplings at a discounted price. The Chinese broccoli was okay, but the portion was small and priced at $14. The standout dish was the vegan salt and pepper tofu ($15), which was both reasonably sized and delicious. However, the whole fried eggplant dish ($19) was lacking in flavor and disappointing, and it also came with noodles that were not to my liking. Despite being a new establishment, we provided feedback on our experience, which left us feeling cold and not eager to return.

I really went to this place for lunch after all the positive reviews. I got up late, so I'm not sure if my companion chose the option yum cha or if that's what is served during lunch, but I was incredibly disappointed, I couldn't order from the menu. Anyway, I explained that I was vegan and they said that the cook would make vegan options. The first offer were two different mushroom dumplings and some rolls. Then it was Broccoli. The dumplings were okay, but I wasn't blown away from the flavors. I will ring next time and see if I can get a regular menu at lunch, but if not, I will not return for the yum cha. The staff really nice, but I think there were 3-4 vegan options in time my friend was offered about 8-10 non vegan options. Updated by previous review on 2019-08-04

They offer a menu that includes plant-based options along with meat dishes, making it a perfect choice for dining out with friends who are not vegan yet.