Tao Tao House

Good quality yumcha, although customer service could really do with some work. We were seated on the corner of the dim sum cart route and they kept running the cart into the back of our seats. I mean, if you want the entire table moved over, you could ask?
It’s also a bit on the expensive side, but the dumplings and buns are fresh and tasty, so it’s worth checking out for sure. Their famous scallop dumplings are worth the hype, and their egg tarts had a great texture.
The space is open and can get a bit loud as well. Also, parking is a bit annoying around Glenferrie rd, so maybe try the side streets and walk over.

So today I popped my yum cha cherry. I went to Tao Tao House with a couple of blogger friends, one of whom had suggested the venue. They do two seatings (11am & 1pm) & we chose the earlier hopeful that it would be less busy. It was full so we were grateful that Ashley had booked.
It’s hard to know how Tao Tao compares to other places yum cha wise but on the whole I enjoyed it. The food offerings came round with a decent amount of time between courses & though it was prawn heavy, there was a good variety. Service was good too.
Would I recommend it? Hard to say til I’ve tried another yum cha place. Would I return? No. But can I pick fault? Not really, no. It was fine. A good introduction into a Sunday yum cha session.

I came here for dinner even though a friend recommended it as the best place for dim sum. Sure it was a bit westernised, as the previous commentator noted, but the food, service, and atmosphere were great! Highly recommend this place :)

Growing up with yum cha, I learned that there are several tricks to finding a good restaurant that serves it.
Yum cha is typically a «lunch only» thing. It is basically a Southern Chinese lunch ritual. In my family «Let’s go out for some lunch» translates directly into «Let’s go for yum cha». Therefore, trust the restaurants that are absolutely brimming with people.
~ You WANT it to be crowded.
~ You WANT to hear loud Cantonese conversations.
~ You WANT to see Chinese adults fighting over the bill even though neither of them really actually wants to pay it.
My friends and I came here several times despite my protests. «It’s just NOT that good!» — I exclaim. But nope, they never listen…
Come here if you’re interested in:
~ Low quality Cha Siu Bao. As someone who knows how to make Cha Siu Bao, these are not fresh. They have been reheated because the buns have lost all of their fluffiness and the sauce has bled through.
~ Bland Ngou Cherng. They skimp on the soy sauce and any other flavourings. This is one of my favourite yum cha dishes and if I take one piece and don’t want any more, there is something wrong.
~ Mediocre Xiao Long Bao. Umm… hey excuse me! Isn’t the whole point of Xiao Long Bao to have delicious soup inside? It is a Shanghai soup dumpling, after all. I am actually offended by the shriveled nature of my poor dumplings.
I’m trying to think of other dishes that I’ve tried from this place, but for some reason my memory fails me. But maybe that’s just because I have «staple dishes» that I order from every yum cha place. Tao Tao House is more of a «would you like some chicken pie?» than «would you like some chicken feet?» if you know what I mean. It’s more catered to Westerners — although the place is run by Chinese, it just isn’t authentic.
Plus, they only bring out one trolley at a time and MAYBE 2 if you’re lucky. After you’re finished with one dish, expect a 10 – 15 minute stomach gurgling wait for the next trolley.
—
Please step up your game.