An in situ post
Shandong Mama Mini
I am back on the Melbourne shuttle. After about 9 years of it with a former employer, I’ve started a new gig and so I am again aboard (in pre-COVID19 times) the fourth most popular airline route in the world.
Copped a few raised eyebrows from friends and family when I posted an Insta story announcing my Melbourne presence. To be fair it was the day that 75 cases were announced. But the CBD is a ghost town. I don’t plan on hanging out with family groups in Keilor or Broadmeadow, and there’s no shortage of hand sanitiser.
Beers (and cider and ginger beer)
Bars and restaurants are very slowly opening, but the restrictions remain very tight which deters many business from opening. I am staying around the corner from the enormously popular DeGraves Lane and not much is open. Luckily for me, just nearby DeGraves Lane is a hole in the wall that combines a very genuine Chinese feed with a good selection of craft beer.
Shandong Mama in Bourke St has featured in a number of articles for its unique open ended mackerel dumplings and pork belly buns. The “Mini” version which I visited features the greatest hits of the main branch in an intimate venue with friendly staff – and cold Hawkers and Mornington Beer.
Simple and delicious
I tried the beef dumplings. Great. And the smashed cucumber salad (a personal favourite) is as good as I’ve eaten anywhere in the world. Washed down with a Hawker XPA.
Might have found my new go-to.
Shandong Mama Mini: 5 Central Place, Melbourne Victoria
back of the ferry 