The last couple of weeks have been dominated with Tropical Cyclone Alfred. The amount of hot air spent warning us matched the winds itself. No wonder it took a while arriving, it was probably overwhelmed with all the unwanted attention?
Forced upon everybody was the critical importance to prepare for the cyclone with the help of a methodological to-do list. The usual suspects: locking up dogs, charging the phone, checking the torch and unnecessarily stripping supermarket shelves so that you have enough canned food to last until Halle’s Comet next blurry reappearance. For me I had to make sure the next door neighbour had their trampoline secure and that the elderly gent on the other side had a plan to keep his hairpiece firmly secured – any gust of wind under his rug would see if take flight, resembling that white creature in The Never Ending Story.
Local chef Clayton Costigan decided, the hell with the cyclone checklist. Not because he is lazy or carefree, he had been working towards opening a restaurant, the newest addition to the Toowoomba dining scene. It may be his first cyclone but not his first rodeo, having his other restaurant, Bergen across the way in the Walton Stores. The two are that close you could start a food fight by pegging a pork dumpling at the Bergen patrons (not that anybody should take that as a challenge). This new baby, Dumphling as its misspelt name would suggest is a dumpling inspired eatery which leans into share plates of tasty Asian fare.
We turned up to check it out this newborn on its first weekend after combing through the weather forecasts. Many others had the same idea as us, all of the seating that was sheltered from the elements were taken by a curious crowd wanting their fix. The double sided menu had a series of smaller options – dumplings, spring rolls and bao in addition to the larger main dishes. And because one can’t live on dumplings alone, there is an array of beers and ciders to heal the driest of throats. Though there was no chance that we may be blown away by Alfred, I treated this as possibly my last meal. Who knows I may get impaled by airborne roof sheeting? As we joined the line to order, Clayton who knew of our mythical exploits at the Pawpaw Cafe reminded us that this isn’t all you can eat.
We ordered one each of the dumplings other than the vegetarian option – if I wanted a vegetarian dumpling I’d buy a Chiko roll. Chicken, prawn, pork and a steamed pork bun would be a confidence building way to dip our toe in the water. After careful analysis of each, the prawn and chive were my favourite whilst my friend couldn’t get the pork soup dumplings quick enough into his gob.
The soft shell crab bao was the highlight of day, eclipsing their city rivals from Pawpaw. The pork buns were that good they triggered memories. This set me off on a long and boring story recounting my time in Malaysia that if it were a minute longer would have sent my friend asleep, face down in his soup dumpling and at risk of drowning (what a way to go). It was fluffy, porky, tasty and any other positive adjective ending in “y”.
What could have been the best dish of the day, the flash fried Sichuan Pepper Lamb fell victim to the combination of the throng of people and opening week hiccups. Much like an A-lister party guest it arrived fashionably late and was a tad on the cold side. Excusable given the mass of dockets in the kitchen. I am keen to reacquaint myself with the lamb next time as it would have been perfect it wasn’t at room temperature.
The condensed milk caramel ice cream caught my friend’s attention. I wasn’t going to have any dessert but was told I need to try some for “research purposes”. I succumb to the peer pressure and had ordered the coconut ice cream, the beach body will have to be put on hold for another week. These were handed over to us at the counter when you order – the size of a large snowball and served in a paper cup. These must have been prepared near the East Antarctic Plateau as they were frozen solid. The accompanying wooden spoon held its own against this frozen shotput, I was certain that the spoon would splinter into a million pieces. The key is cupping the balls of ice cream to warm them up slightly, let that be a life lesson for all. My coconut number was a great finish to an enjoyable meal.
Everything we tried was worth fighting the crowds and I will be back. I’ll give it a few weeks to allow the staff to get into a rhythm and hopefully there are no pending natural disasters. Prices were reasonable and I could see myself camped down there during spring working my way through the menu and drink taps. My prediction is it will provide some stiff competition to the others in that precinct? Let’s hope like a family reunion they can all coexist without coming to blows? Whether you are one to showcase those chopstick skills or you prefer to eat like a Neanderthal local with you hands, you would be doing yourself a disservice if you didn’t pay a visit. If you are looking for another person to fill that empty seat at your group table, get in touch. I will meet you under the big screen, ready to greet you with a bottle of black vinegar and some soy sauce.
Unfortunately the winds from the cyclone weren’t strong enough to blow the “H” out of the signage but who am I to pick apart spelling? Certainly not mee.
Dumphling Toowoomba – Walton Stores, Annand Street, Toowoomba City
Bergen – Walton Stores, Annand Street, Toowoomba City
Uva Wine Bar – Walton Stores, Annand Street, Toowoomba City
