Seven Heaven Take Away

We got the honey chicken and the Mongolian lamb with a steamed rice. I usually avoid Chinese food as I find it too westernized and greasy but we thought we would give this place a try. Both dishes were fantastic!!! The honey chicken was not overly sweet, but at the bottom of the dish there were honey soaked fried wonton pieces. These tasted great and allowed us to increase the sweetness at our discretion while also adding a contrasting texture to the softer chicken pieces. The Mongolian lamb was close to the best I’ve had. Lots of tender lamb and crisp vegetables, including chunks of tomato, baby corn, snow peas, celery and zucchini in a really tasty and slightly spicy sauce. The service was quick and very friendly and the food was fresh and not at all greasy. I highly recommend the place. Great, cheap Chinese food.

Lani P’s review of Seven Heaven really intrigued me and since then I’ve had this massive urge to check Seven Heaven out. It’s further away from the main hustle and bustle of Ashgrove, tucked away behind trees en route to The Gap.
It’s a very humble eatery, and the dining area reminds me of a small Chinese dim sum house back in 1980s Singapore. Most locals were here for takeaway and from observation, they’re a popular choice.
The menu states they’ve been there for 25 years! I was excited as it has the basics of a Chinese restaurant with the dumplings choices. We ordered the fried shallot cake, prawn dumplings, hot and sour soup, bbq pork buns and prawn toasts. Our idea was to sample a few yum cha style dishes as we weren’t extremely hungry.
The hot and sour soup was comforting, full of flavour and I sighed with every mouthful. The prawn toasts were a little on the crispy side with little shrimps and the sauce was pleasant and not overly sweet. The prawn dumplings were absolutely to my liking! I could taste the ginger and sesame oil which I took extreme joy in devouring. The fried shallot cakes were seasoned well and light! I love how it was so light in the pastry yet flavoursome. Could do with a tad more shallots but hey I’m not complaining.
Now, dining in here might not be for everyone as it’s supercasual so don’t expect fancies. Just simple, honest, good food.

Don’t let this «hidden in suburbia» take away shop deter you with it’s location in the depths of Ashgrove as you drive towards The Gap. And while you’re at it, don’t let the basic and no-​frills décor deter you, either. If you’re a nerd like me, you’ll probably enjoy watching the team in the kitchen making the dumplings. It’s almost meditative as they find their rhythm folding them together so delicately.
As Just A mentioned, it’s a «Mum and Pop» type business, and they’re slinging dumplings and westernised chinese dishes to the ‘burbs for prices that’ll have you transported back to 1980s when you wore parachute pants and bubble socks.
Having craved dumplings for a few days, I was delighted to be in the area and finally at a time these guys would be open (they open from 5pm only). Averaging $ 3-​$ 4 per dumpling option (about 3 dumplings per serving) on the menu you can easily get away with a solo dumpling feast for $ 15. Dining in a group? Order a few dishes between everyone and still walk away with change from $ 20.
The food is prepared on-​site and available dine-​in (limited seating) or take-​away. It is a fairly Westernised menu, as mentioned above, so if that Sichuan spice is what you’re looking for you may not find it here. But what you will find is affordable, consistent and satisfying dumplings and chinese take-​away that’s a step up from the standard ‘Aussie’ chinese takeaway of battered sweet and sour pork.

Did somebody say «dumplings»?
This is a little ‘mom & pop’ business in the pretty suburb of Ashgrove where, of an evening, you can peer through the large window and watch mum, dad, or (I assume) their adult son deftly prepare the dumpling delights they sell. And delightful they are indeed. We ordered three rounds of different dumplings and they were all fantastic (my favourites being the ones containing the prawn, chicken and water chestnut).
We also ordered two other dishes; garlic pork and san choy bau. Must admit to being disappointed with those two. Unless it’s a special district in China from where the recipes hail, the dishes appeared to be extremely ‘anglicised’. Whilst bursting with colour from the variety of vegies within, the pork dish had great gobs of bottled minced garlic, not freshly chopped. The pork, although sliced thinly (the way I like it) was a little tough. The san choy bau was unrecognisable with the array of capsicum and broccoli (??) and not one, but three onion products (white, shallot and dried onion) meaning it was off limits for me and my onion intolerance entirely. There didn’t appear to be celery or water chestnut at all, no bean sprouts, cooked in vegetable oil, not sesame oil. It was quite a different affair from what I have eaten in the past (and made myself).
I would go back to support it because it’s a small family-​run business and because the dumplings were terrific.
Parking available adjacent in the small cul-​de-​sac and you can eat in, although the dining area is a little shabby. I think it’s more catered for the take away option.