Shifu Dumpling Express

We love dumplings and where just passing through St Kilda when the KF Panda mascot caught my eye, our kids love dumplings and are hungry every 45 min so we constantly need to feed them.
The place is neat and tidy, on the day they where not busy and a nice dumpling smell softly punctuated the air inviting you in.
Staff where friendly and polite, we ordered a takeaway serve of pork fried dumplings that came 10 in a pack, chilli, soy & utensils where included.
It was a short 10 min wait for the order to be completed and handed over with a smile :)
When we finally arrived home the smell of dumplings had already filled the car and we where ready to demolish the contents.
Flavours where traditional and sat well, serving size for the price was reasonable working out to roughly $ 1.10/ piece .
Would eat there again if in the area.

This is my favourite place to get dirty, quick Chinese food. It’s nothing phenomenal or new — if you’re looking for something fancy, go up the road to Mahjong. At Shifu you’ll find average food for an average price, and you’ll get it pretty fast.
One thing, though — Whoever sits on the left side of the restaurant is pretty much screwed, because you’ll spend your whole meal staring at a) a giant mirror and b) a TV screen playing music videos. Maybe other people are stronger than I am and can resist these things, but I get incredibly distracted. Because of this, I probably wouldn’t reccomend it for a date.
If you’re dining in, it’s pretty obvious by the foot traffic that Shifu is a hot spot for takeaway food. Service isn’t bad at all, and if you order takeaway it never takes longer than their anticipated time and is always hot.
There’s nothing really wrong with this place, but it doesn’t make my heart skip a beat, either. I will probably continue ordering here until I move out of St Kilda, simply because it’s reliable.

We really liked this place. The dumplings were really nice and flavorful. We also got a plate of rice beef noodles to share (#82 I think it was) we really liked that as well. The happy hour beers were pretty good – $ 4. Tsing Toa all day happy hour price.
The service was great, quick and pleasant.
I would recommend this place, and I’d like to go back for some more yummy dumplings!

Verdict: Like so many other regional cuisines, Australia dishes up some proper Chinese, and while a bit pricy, Shifu will more than satisfy a proper dumpling craving.
Star 1: How was the service and atmosphere?
While Shifu was virtually empty when I showed up around 21:00 on a Tuesday, prompt service combined with a clean and comfortable atmosphere. With televisions and a great location for people watching, Shifu is great for either smaller parties of two or full-​scale large groups. Star Granted.
Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost?
Having seen places like Los Angeles butcher what is typically an affordable meal in China in terms of price; I was expecting the worst in Australia, where a perpetually strengthening currency has made virtually everything expensive for foreigners. However, at the end of the day, I was pleasantly surprised with the prices I paid:
Shanghai Pork Dumplings (11 count): $ 11.80
BBQ Pork Buns (2 count): $ 5.80
Steamed Rice: $ 3.00
At the end of the day, while $ 20.60 isn’t by any means cheap, it really isn’t bad when you’re comparing it to $ 12-​$ 15 for burgers and fish n chips. Additionally, I could have easily split my meal between two and been satisfied. Star Granted.
Stars 3 and 4: How was the food?
Evident that the dumplings at Shifu are made fresh to order, I was impressed by the quality of the food. The Shanghai Pork Dumplings were excellent, and the dumpling properly sealed in the pork juices that make the dish. Additionally, while a little bit in the «falling apart» stage, my Pork Buns were very good. This wasn’t the best dim sum I’ve ever had, and I imagine I could have ventured into Melbourne’s bustling China town for a real treat, but it no doubt satisfied my craving. Single Star Granted.
Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could?
I’m not sure I could eat Chinese dumplings on a daily basis, but even if I could, the plethora of other slightly more affordable dining options in St. Kilda would make me think twice about returning to Shifu in the near future. No Star Granted.

I heard some pretty bad things about this eatery in hip Acland Street but I always believe in giving places a fair go, so one sunny weekeday, we chose to lunch here.
Perhaps the best way to describe our experience without being too mean would be to say the food was bland and boring. But then, that would be unrealistic and inaccurate.
Everything we ordered was horrible. The dumplings were overcooked, dry and lacked any sort of flavour.
The service was bad and the waiters spoke very little English so it was hard to communicate or express our disappointment. Would I return? No way! There are so many other great Chinese dumpling bars in town and this one really doesn’t cut it.

Living North-​Side i’m use to going to China Town for dumplings, I tried Shifu Dumpling Express last week as i was in St Kilda taking care of a sick friend.
I strolled past Shifu on Acland Street and thought ‘Why not, ill give it a go”. I do enjoy a good dumpling and the dumplings at Shifu are pretty darn good, However… the service was (to be frank) quite average.
I walked in and ordered some Vegetarian Dumplings, the wait staff seemed to be in another world and didn’t really engage with me. Dumplings arrived and tasted good but i have definitely sampled better on the city China-​Town Strip.

I love that I dont have to go all the way to China town now for good, cheap dumplings! Parking is waaaayyyy easier on Acland st than it is in the CBD.
Shifu is pretty new, and I stopped in here earlier in the week for bite and I have to say, I was pretty impressed. The restaurant is modern, fresh, super clean and comfortable, and the service was great. The waiter was happy to talk me through the menu, and made personal recommendations too!
We tried the home made panfried pork and vegetable dumplings, the peking duck entrée, the sesame prawns, and the pan fried chicken and prawns dumplings. All were really tasty — I think next time I’d swap the peking duck for some more dumplings though, because they were my favourite!
We finished our lunch in 40 minutes, which is great for a quick bite, and didnt feel rushed to leave at all. I’ll definitely come back here!