How one Docklands architect redesigned the dumpling

After working as an architect for 10 years, something was still missing for Suby Liu, so she decided to take a leap of faith and open a restaurant to reconnect with family culinary traditions and her passion for health.

In many ways opening Heartling was inevitable for Suby. Her father owned restaurants and cooking was always a big part of her life.

But Suby told Docklands News, “I told myself I don’t want to do anything with food because I see how hard the restaurant business is.”

After working as an architect, she felt herself becoming continually drawn to a career path that combined her passion for food and health and opening a restaurant suddenly wasn’t off the cards.

She began taking courses in nutrition, yoga and meditation on top of her nine-to-five job but still felt she hadn’t found her calling.

Then the pandemic hit. Suby spent her extra time throughout lockdowns creating the dumpling recipes that have changed the way people view the meal – a process that took two years before Heartling officially opened its doors in 2022.

Tucked away just off Victora Harbour Promenade in Docklands, at 32 Tom Thumb Lane, Heartling offers one of Melbourne’s most unique dining experiences in a restaurant that was designed by its chef.

With a range of meticulously crafted plant-based and seafood dumplings, waffle hearts, Kongfu tea and saké on offer, the innovative restaurant is a truly unique dining experience in the heart of Docklands.

Running the restaurant is not only a way for Suby to reconnect with her parents and cultural heritage through the use of traditional Chinese pastry techniques, but also a way for her to use her design abilities to experiment with new methods.

“I’m using the traditional method, but in my own way because that’s what I did when I was an architect. I enjoy the creative process,” she said.

Traditionally dumplings have not been associated with fine dining, but Suby has a different view.

They are an opportunity for her to express her creativity and experiment with a range of flavours such abalone and jackfruit, with no less than 10 ingredients in every filling.

Say goodbye to the humble dumpling’s stereotype as cheap grub best accompanied by a bottle of bottom-shelf wine, because Suby has changed the game.

She is a zealous advocate for slow dining, which is a meditative dining experience that awakens the senses and palette.

There is only one table in the entire restaurant, allowing guests to truly slow down, connect, and enjoy each perfect creation in an intimate setting. 

“It’s all about serving the moment, being present and connecting with people,” Suby said. •