From humble beginnings as a tiny hole-in-the-wall in Sydney’s Burwood Chinatown precinct during Covid lockdowns, Smiling Dumplings & Noodles has grown into a popular dumpling go-to for southern folk. Now, it’s Queensland’s turn, with founders, brother-and-sister duo Louie and Elaine Zhang, rolling out their first location outside of Sydney at The Kitchens at Robina Town Centre, dishing up a fast, fresh and fun menu of mouth-watering Chinese eats, using age-old recipes steeped in tradition.
When creating the menu, the duo hand-picked the best parts of Chinese cuisine to deliver a truly authentic and approachable eating experience, where everything is made fresh (and fast) before your eyes. You won’t find sweet-and-sour pork on the menu and there’s not a bain-marie in sight. Instead, you can devour steaming-hot baskets of handmade chicken-and-prawn siu mai, pillow-soft char-siu pork buns, prawn har gow, and xiao long bao (traditional soup dumplings), all made from scratch on site.
Noodle lovers can slurp their way through Shanghai-style stir-fried noodles with chicken, beef or seafood, or opt for a big soul-warming bowl of braised-chicken noodle soup, or the spicy beef-brisket noodle soup. The menu sidesteps from dumplings and noodles with the punchy XO Fried Rice (there’s also a mouth-tingling sambal-spiked version), alongside grilled-to-order skewers. Save room to finish strong with cream-filled mango pancakes or a pot of traditional mango sago.
Smiling Dumplings & Noodles is now open! Head to the Stumble Guide for its opening hours and contact details.
Images: supplied
