Union Dining

272 Swan Street, Richmond

As the week finally came to a close I was looking forward to a quiet date night in neighbouring Richmond, a suburb I have rarely eaten in despite its close proximity and abundance of restaurants.

Union Dining is relatively new on the Melbourne dinner scene and has already received a well deserved pat on the back by reviewers and diners alike. Serving up a mix of French inspired culinary delights, Union Dining captures the class and elegance of the French culture while leaving the pretence at the door.

Walking in I was taken aback by the large space of the room, it almost felt odd as I have become so accustomed to the cozy small restaurants and bars that are a signature of our city. From our comfortable nook next to the open fire, a welcome relief from the cold wind that has accompanied us this evening, we have a vantage point overlooking the rest of the restaurant and as I warm up I begin to take in my surroundings for the evening. Teak tables and thonet chairs are spread out evenly across the terracotta tiles and along the street facing window. A beige booth separates the bar and dining areas while opposite large white pillars break up the extended room.  Although the space is large and not all the diners have arrived it does not feel awkwardly empty or cold, in fact quite the opposite. 

The service is fantastic and our waitress effortlessly explains the entrees and as we deliberate our bottle of Barone Ricasoli Chianti is poured. We decide to try the Bresaola (cured rare beef) with slow roasted eggplant relish and a Pissaladière (French onion tart). Both are delectable. The beef is fresh and soft, and together with the tang of the marinade and the sweet of the eggplant relish leaves our palates freshened for the meals ahead. The fluffy rich pastry of the tart crumbles and melts in the mouth.

I have had a long running love affair with pappardelle since my visit to Italy last year and find it impossible not to order when I find it on a menu, forever chasing that soft buttery pasta and the rich, elegant wild boar ragu. Tonight it is not wild boar but slightly unusual none the less, rabbit ragu, green olives & ricotta saltat. I have never eaten rabbit before and I am happily surprised by the light flavour of the meat, combined with the saltiness of the olive the ragu is a real treat. The pasta itself is perfectly cooked and lives up to my high expectations that have been embellished with time.

As we enjoy the last of our red and soak up the heat permeating from the fire place and soft buzz of the restaurant we decide to order a selection of cheeses to finish. We decide to go for the L’artisan triple créme with apple & walnuts, Taleggio & apricot jam and Ossau Iraty & mustard fruits served with toasted baguette and rye.  Our mix of hard, soft and blue cheeses perfectly matches their accompaniments and bring out the body of the wine, just as had been desired.

Tonight I have learnt to re-embrace the larger restaurant and not judge a place by its covers capacity. Union Dining has taken the cozy warmth of a 40 seater, combined it with the luxury of privacy and space in perfect unison and the result is Swan streets hottest new resident for some time. 

Rated: 16 O’s out of 20

Shanghai Village Dumpling House

112 Little Bourke St, Melbourne

Last Thursday evening I found myself in China Town, a vibrant, colorful and eccentric part of the Melbourne CBD. Making our way down Little Bourke St we all had one thing on our mind, cheap dumplings!  Our destination was Shanghai Village Dumpling House and armed with our best $10 wine from the bottle shop next door we made our way into the historical building that houses this well known Melbourne establishment.

With no real expectations I was slightly surprised by the ambience within the the restaurant upon entering. The room was cozy and strangely inviting with its electric pink walls decorated with yellow Chinese lanterns and red good luck charms. To my disappointment, however, we are not here for long and were soon ushered quickly up the stairs to the second level of the restaurant. As we climb I become aware of a rather unpleasant smell that wafts down from the upper level, not the most appetising of smells to be greeted with, and I start to question the hygiene of the kitchen that will be preparing our dinner this evening. 

Reaching the second level it is as if we are in a completely different world. We are standing in a large, hall like room lit with bright florescent lights with dull grey walls surrounding us. The room is filled with large round tables, complete with lazy Susan’s and jam packed with chairs ensuring no ounce of space is left unused.

The acoustics in the room are dreadful and the noise from the large crowd of diners bounces from every corner of the room. The waitress points at an empty table at the back of the room and tells us to help ourselves to any glass wear or cutlery that we need. Squashed in around us are large groups of young students, taking advantage of the $1.50 corkage and preparing for what will probably be a large Thursday night out in the city, a fond memory of my own Uni days.

Service is not the key at Shanghai Village Dumpling House so once our group has settled in I take the lead and, having read a few questionable reviews earlier in the day, decided to avoid the larger dishes and stick to what we are all here for, dumplings, and a lot of them!

After a quick wait the dumplings start to arrive. Plate after plate full of dumplings of every imaginable variety flood the table and we all eagerly dig in. Fried, steamed, chicken and pork, beef and vegetable, it doesn’t matter what kind of dumplings they were as hands went frantically reaching across the table in this game of dumpling lucky dip.

The dumplings on the whole were moist and tasty and no complaints were heard across the table. The fried dumplings were the stand out winners, with a nice crispy outer layer adding to their appeal while the steamed pork buns were my personal favorites. Plate after plate of dumplings continued to arrive one after the other and our dining group, though not for the lack of trying, could not possibly finish those last few plates of steamed dumplings left on the lazy Susan.

Now if it is a culinary experience you are looking for I would suggest you think twice before visiting Shanghai Village Dumpling House.  On the other hand if you fancy a large plate of tasty dumplings or want to organise a group dinner that will not break the bank then this is the place for you. After feasting on a steady stream of dumplings all evening the total bill came to little more than $16 a person, including a tip!

Will I be returning? Now that is a question I am not so certain of but one thing is for sure, it was a fantastic experience and one I am pleased to have ticked off my list of ‘Melbourne to dos’.

Rated 10 O’s out of 20