Plume at Highpoint

200 Rosamond Road
Maribyrnong
9318 6833

Yum Cha in Melbourne has definitely been on the slide in terms of quaility. Chinatown is no longer the place to go on a Sunday afternoon with the whole family for dumplings, suburbs like Box Hill, Doncaster and Springvale now call themselves home to the better yum cha restaurants, but one must not forget the West, and this is where Plume comes in. Located right next door to Highpoint, Plume at Highpoint is the sister restaurant to the popular Plume Doncaster.

The place is busy like any good yum cha restaurant but service is still present, there are trolleys being pushed full of baskets of hot food.

We start off with everyone's favourite, prawn dumplings, there are 4 in total, the skin could have been more translucent but the fillings are fresh and the prawns were big. Great with a touch of chilli sauce.

We then moved onto one of the delicacies of yum cha, chicken feet, I know there are many out there who would never try this, but its one of the must haves when having yum cha, it's hard to find on the menu else where. These were steamed with black bean and chilli.

Another popular dumpling is the 'shark fin' dumpling. Don't let the name fool you, there is no shark fin in this dumpling, it's basically a mix of prawns and pork, a bit of a disappointment and for the cost I rather stick with the old fave prawn dumplings.

There are spring rolls and there is the below, minced prawns wrapped in tofu sheets which are lightly fried parcels of fingersized yummyness. Another great option is prawn wrapped in rice paper, these are once again lightly fried.

The salt and pepper white bait were crispy and meaty, but lacked some seasoning.

The taro dumplings are filled with minced pork wrapped in a thick layer of taro that has been boiled and mashed. These are then deep fried with the outer layer becoming crispy.

Egg tarts were fresh out of the oven, the puff pastry was soft and crispy but the egg seemed a tad over cooked, but we have definitely have had some of the best egg tarts here in the past.

Plume at Highpoint differs from your usually yum cha restaurant, here the service is friendly, you are asked which type of tea you want when you sit down, you can ask for chilli paste, chilli oil and even fresh chilli, service comes with a smile, the ladies pushing the food trolleys are wonderful. They all seem to have been working there a long time and they are a great help in suggesting what to eat.

It is slightly pricier than some other Chinese yum cha places, but for the improved service and comfort in dining, we find it more than worthwhile. Top notch yum cha without the exorbitant prices (such as Oriental Tea House). Don't bother for dinner though, have been there before for dinner which is worlds apart from their yum cha!