Golden Dragon Palace

363 Manningham Rd, Templestowe Lower, VIC 3107

http://www.goldendragonpalace.com.au/
For an Australian city, Melbourne enjoys the luxury of choice when it comes to yumcha - from the city centre to the suburbs. There are many articles and blogs written about where one can get the best yumcha in town. The thing about yumcha is that it is pretty tricky to compare for a number of reasons which I will discuss in the Cultural Moment section. What I was curious about is why is this place only a 77% on Urbanspoon?

The Place
This is a stand-alone building with undercover parking under the building and more round the back. The interior is darker than your average Chinese restaurant and the dimness and full blast air conditioning makes it a rather cold place.

There is an element of Chinese charm in the decorations, with interesting pieces of sculpture situated along parts of the restaurant. The fact that it has walled off the toilet section is good and there's quite a bit of space between tables which is useful, so you don't feel crammed in with other diners. They also have high chairs which is good.

Things to do nearby: Localised shopping centre but not much else around here.

The Food
They offer the full range of yumcha dishes but the highlights for me here include; Pork Spare Ribs (quite possibly the best I have had (for me) in Melbourne, with a great balance of flavours), Beancurd Pork Rolls, and Sui Kow (Prawn and Pork Dumpling). The Squid Tentacles here are also pretty good but order it and eat immediately - don't let it cool down too much. These four highlights really made my dining experience here more than any of the other dishes.

Pork Spare Ribs - half eaten before I remembered to take the photo

From the top - clockwise - Beancurd Pork Rolls (2 lots because they were YUM),  Har Kow (Prawn Dumplings), Ham Sui Kok (Glutinous Pork Dumpling), Yee Chee Kow (Sharkfin Dumpling which is so called because it is shaped like shark fin - doesn't actually contain shark fin). It is also worth mentioning that this is possibly the only place in Melbourne that serves the Salted Egg Custard Bun, which has a sweet bun encasing salted egg custard - a very nice way to finish the meal.

Salted Egg Custard Bun

Mushroom and Seafood

They also have the biggest bowls of congee at Yumcha that I have had in Melbourne. Most places have smaller serving sizes. So, having one by yourself can be a bit much. One of the challenges here in this establishment is how cold the air conditioning gets. It is great when you first stepped in from the heat outside in summer. However, the downside is that, the food cools down to room temperature really quickly as well. This was one of the first things I noticed. So, if you are part of a crowd that likes to order many dishes and then slowly pick away at the dumplings - it is likely that you are going to be eating some cold dumplings.

Sui Kow and Chicken Siu Mai

The Service
Firstly, they need a much much much better queue system. It can be the source of angst and a bad first impression. There are many who do not queue who speak Cantonese and others who are regular visitors. Somehow, this is a place of who is pushiest and loudest wins. They really need to fix this. Perhaps this is one of the reasons for the 77% on Urbanspoon - not that they would care if their pushy customers keep coming back and battle it out in Cantonese while other diners get put off and just complain on Urbanspoon.

The assumption of the place is that you know what you are ordering. The wait staff are not great at explaining the dishes. For those of us who know the dishes, it is a lot smoother and easier to navigate. This place is clearly set up for the familiar yumcha officionados and not for beginners (for whom this would be somewhat overwhelming). Other than that, service is actually not too bad and better that some of the places in town. A few of the waitstaff are also very attentive once you say, "Thank You!" and give them that very rare smile.

Overall
I would go again but I would book in advance and avoid queueing angst. Even then, people jump ahead to say they have booking loudly ahead of you anyway. It's a place that I'd go to once in a while for particular dishes. Not going to be a regular here for me, but the occasional visit for something different.

Cultural Moment
What does best yumcha mean? To me, that's very difficult to judge because so many elements have to come to bear and most places are great at some elements but seldom all of them at once. In addition, every individuals or group of diners have different preferences about how these elements should be presented. What are these elements?

Steam or Fried: Some people prefer the steamed offerings while others go for the deep fried dishes. When you have too much of one and not enough of the other, you lose the balance. In addition, some places do great steam dishes but have overly greasy fried dishes. Others do great lightly fried dishes but their steamed dishes are not great. It's all a bit subjective.

Vessel and Content: The art of dim sum is very much a balance of the vessel (skin) and the meat/veg (content). The skin is such an important part for old school traditional yum cha lovers, where it needs to be delicate and still be able to hold the content. It should also have great texture that helps highlight the contents but not overpower it. For many other diners, the skin is just a vessel and they might judge the dishes on the tastiness of the protein inside alone.

Everyone knows what dimsims are: But no one can agree on what it should taste like. It's like Spaghetti Bolognese - how many versions are there and how many "Best SpagBol in the World" are there? This romanticised idea of the best siu mai, har kow or even pork spare ribs (see above), is just that - an idea that is dear to the person who proclaims it, and sometimes, makes little sense to anyone else.

Meat for Vegetarians: Yumcha can be a real nightmare for vegetarians. Some places do great vegetarian dim sums but many places struggle because withouth specialising in vegetarian cuisine, there's only so much you can do with beancurd, beancurd skins, mushrooms and Chinese broccoli. If you are gluten free, this will be even more difficult.

Yumcha Service: Yumcha service in Hong Kong is pretty gruff, not something many non-Hong Kong diners would appreciate. There is no time for you to sit there and consult the whole table about whether you should order a particular dish and go through every single dish in the cart and check with everyone. Yet - there needs to be a better way of explaining what the dishes are - not like one particular place in town where every dish is explained as "SEAFOOD DUMPLING". At least make some effort. Some people think this is part of the charm, others take serious offence to this.

Seating: Where are you seated and are you getting enough attention and where along the journey of the carts (from the kitchen) are you placed? Some places have their cart operators move all in one direction, so if you are at the end of that journey - you constantly get room temperature dishes and 'leftovers'. Then you have to order dishes. Others are better at managing the circuit... this is why if I am hungry at Cocktail parties with Finger Food, I usually stand at the point where waiters enter with the food - but I digress. Even placement, can have an impact on your experience in one restaurant.

Wine and Tea: Most understated in the whole experience but really important to me is the variety and quality of the teas served. After all, Yumcha translates to "Drinking Tea". The teas offset and balances out the meal and represent a crucial part of the experience for me. It is integral to the whole ritual and if all you have is cafe grade jasmine tea - that's a fail for me even if you have the 'best siu mai'. In Australia, people have wine at Yumcha - WHY? Because they can and so, for some people, the matching of wine of the dim sims becomes important but because this is not traditional practice, the ability of restaurants to match the wines on offer to Yumcha styke dishes can be rather questionable.

So, from my point of view, finding the best Yumcha for you can be a rather personal experience, which is ironic given that Yumcha is inherently a group experience. That's why the idea of proclaiming the BEST YUMCHA is a somewhat difficult thing to do. So, what do you do? TRY MANY and TRY A LOT. Enjoy Yumcha.

Hong Kong BBQ Restaurant Footscray

 118 Hopkins St., Footscray, VIC 3011

I want to start by apologising for not posting the last few weeks. I have been busy. However, this weekend, I took time out from being busy and went to an old favourite in Footscray, with my parents. I have not been here since I started this blog. So, I was looking forward to seeing if this joint stood the test of time. Being one of only 2 places in Footscray that serves this style of cuisine, it runs the risk of being complacent in terms of food quality and standard but this is not the case here.

The Place
It is not a huge space and so, like many Chinese places, it does cramp diners together a little bit during busier times. It has been around a long time and so the place feels very used and the once really nice paintings on the walls are now plastered with pieces of paper highlighting various items on the menu (in Chinese) - WHY? I love those paintings but you have to agree the colourful pieces of paper adds absolutely no charm to them!

When it starts to get busy, there's a natural hum and buzz and they keep people flowing in and out really quickly (more about this later). Despite the limitations, it maintains the place relatively cleanly and even has high chairs for toddlers and somehow manage to accommodate the supersized prams that some punters pushed into the space (when I was there).

Things to do nearby: This is in the heart of Footscray and across the road from Footscray Market

The Food
The food has indeed stood the test of time and continues to be very authentic and pleasing. I really think it has one of the best Siu Yok (Crispy Roasted Pork) and Char Siew (BBQ Pork) in Melbourne. The Siu Yok is really crispy and they even cut it up in relatively small pieces, as they do in most of Asia (unlike most similar places in Melbourne where they give you huge chunks of meat). The Char Siew is sweeter and salty and nicely caramalised.

Half eaten by the time I remembered to take a photo

We also ordered Seafood Combination Crispy Noodles, which was quite fishy but the noodles were excellent and the sauce was really tasty (thanks to some MSG). I have had many dishes here over the years and this place knows it's South Chinese (Cantonese) cuisine. They do it well and they seem to be consistent over the years.

The Service

Sorry - bad photo!!

Are you a Cantonese speaker? If you are, you will probably find the service very very passable. If not, you are more likely to receive somewhat brusque and 'rustic' service. I am trying to be positive mostly because I honestly believe that the service here is better than many many similar such places in Melbourne, where they don't even make an effort. Here, they even do the very correct thing of bringing out bowls of their free soup to ask if you would like one. Of course, the service level declines once they have a big crowd and English ability becomes more strained under pressure and if you speak too slowly, softly or uncertainly, you might be met with an impatient response (because they have to get to the next diner). I know that sounds awful, but I know they have the potential to actually engage when they are less stress. I have been to other places where you might be the only diner and still get ignored!

Overall
This visit reminded me that I should make an effort to come back more often (but only during less busy periods). I am already planning this because I dream of Siu Yok!

Cultural Moment
Footscray is a multicultural mixing pot with so many varied cultures coming together and interweaving in public spaces. For some, such diversity can be confronting but for most people here, there is at worst, tolerance and at best, celebration through cross-cultural interactions and a distinct lack of political correctness.

What do I mean by this? Well, from my interactions in this space and watching others go about their business, it seems that people don't feel they have to be anything other than themselves in Footscray and expect others to be the same and no less. The interactions seem genuinely authentic and raw; The brusque Cantonese waitperson is brusque to everyone, even Cantonese speakers (just that their conversation is longer and louder); The rough (really rough) guy looking to score, is generally truculent to everyone of every race and makes no differentiation and all avoid him; The proud Sudanese woman with her amazing extensions is pushing her pram while talking loudly to everyone in the same tone, whether it's her friend or the grocer; The old Vietnamese lady selling vegetables from her garden in the street corner, speaks animatedly in Vietnamese, about her produce to a punter. They all cross each other's path and I don't detect anyone making significant adjustments to their behaviour. Yet, it all works because I believe there is a general acceptance that you are what you are and your culture is part of you, and as much as I want to keep my culture intact, you have the right to do so too. This doesn't mean there's no judgement though, but I think they keep that quiet. Yet, it all works somehow because people don't seem to feel a need to tell others how they should all be the same... perhaps, that's why it works on a Saturday morning in Footscray.

Shophouse Kitchen

Shop 29 210 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, VIC 3000

This is a new set up as of June 2013 and is a place you have to queue to get in for dinner. Surprisingly, with the crowd, it has a relatively low score on Urbanspoon and there are some really harsh comments from diners with one review. It proudly says that this is a concept by David Loh (of Food Republik fame in Box Hill, and Dessert Story), a quite renowned chef of Malaysian origin, who is also inspired by Taiwanese and Hong Kong cuisine. This is one of the few times I have to disagree with Urbanspooners - I had a good experience here at Shophouse Kitchen and look forward to coming back again when it is less crowded. I think a lot of the bad reviews were from the initial teething problems to do with service and food preparation timing. They seem to have improved since June.

The Place
This is a tastefully decorated, that befits the kinds of eateries in the area. There are lots of things to look at inside, including the upside down fortune sign (in neon lights). There is a definite buzz here and the crowd dines amenably in a rather tight space. As things settle down, I hope this place will become a more leisurely dining space rather than the current somewhat hurried feel.

It is however, a very well ventilated and insulated place. There is no smokiness and the sound level is just a buzz. You can actually hear each other without needing to shout at your friends. This is very well set up.

It's not exactly kid friendly because of the tight squeeze (but that shouldn't be over stated - there are worst places). Parking is probably easiest under QV itself.

Things to do Nearby: This is set within the QV Compound.

The Food
I believe they do use a bit of MSG and I hope I am proven wrong and they stop using this very quickly. I think it was just in the minced meat sauce in my noodles. Beyond that, there were some really good dishes. Firstly the noodles quality was excellent. We tried the Minced Meat and BBQ Pork Noodles, Braised Pork Belly Noodles, and the Crispy Wonton and Crispy Pork Noodles (all pictured in succession below). Suffice to say they were all very tasty. What I think is important to highlight is that they didn't feel too salty unlike some places that serve similar dishes (the exception was the minced meat sauce which was salty). The other meats didn't have a high level of salt which makes for a very pleasant change.

Minced meat and BBQ Pork Noodles

Yummy braised pork belly (without being too salty)

Crispy wontons and Crispy Pork

We also had some of the Panfried Chicken and Shitake Mushroom Dumpling which was really succulent and tasty, with a thinner than average dumpling skin. Then, there was the Wontons in Chilli Oil and Black Vinegar, which I felt was less stellar. Although, it had 2 little chilli symbols on the menu, the wontons were not very hot. As regular readers of my blog might know, I when I am promised vinegar and sour things, I like it to be really sour - the wontons had a more peanut sauce taste than vinegar. In hindsight, I should have added the readily available black vinegar. (Pictured right, wontons on top and dumplings below.)

Finally, when I say that Hot and Sour Soup  (pictured below) was on the menu, I had to try it. I try this item whenever it is available at a restaurant. I have to say that it was not bad. Firstly, it wasn't sweet which was really good, it had no hint of tomatoes, which is even better. There was some szechuan pepper corn in it, some chilli oil and definitely black vinegar. You can add vinegar to taste too if it's not sour enough. It had shredded chicken too. The tofu they use was not of the silken variety but just your basic tofu (which was not ideal for me). Like I said before, it was ok but not necessarily the best.

Shredded Pork and Shitake Mushroom in Abalone Sauce with Crispy Noodles

The crispy noodles was pretty yummy but you have to eat it quickly because once it gets to room temperature, it's not great and maybe there's just too much of it. You have to like shitake mushroom and abalone sauce for this dish.

Curry Seafood (tricky dish to get ride - pre-cooked seafood added to curry sauce)

The Service 
To begin with, queue management is everything when you have a new place like this. It kicks off people's impression and sets the tone for their attitude. Depending on the waitstaff looking after the queues, there are some hits and misses here. I didn't experience too many problems here and it was relatively well managed despite the cold. However, it is important that all staff who are managing the queue are able to interact with queuing customers, keep them informed or even have a discussion with them about items on the menu while they are waiting.

Once you get in, they seem to be well staffed so that you are served pretty quickly, and if you are not, just raise your hand and smile for a bit of attention. The food comes when it comes depending on what you order. So, start eating instead of waiting, it's that kind of place. Mostly, they are friendly and efficient if not very personable.

Overall
I will be coming to this place again, and again - there are too many dishes I want to try.

Cultural Moment
It's really a pleasure to see that all Shophouse Kitchen's menus that are in English have accurate descriptions and no spelling error. This is going to be a bit of a rant and is going to sound very politically incorrect but I am going to say it anyway... what is it with places that can't get their menus right - with wrong spelling, wrong descriptions and wrong contextualisations. I have seen so many Asian restaurants like this. Even the signages are embarrassingly wrong in many places.

I can completely understand this in a country where English is not the first language - completely understandable and acceptable. I don't even expect people to have perfect English here in Australia - I certainly don't - you just have to read my blog to know that. Even Aussies don't have perfect English. However, when producing a menu or a signage, SURELY a restauranteur would check with someone that they have the terms right - and that there are no embarrassing mistakes? SURELY, it's easy enough to get the people who produce the big signages to do a quick check? SURELY they have at least one random English speaker who might be able to suggest that glaring mistakes be avoided. However, this is clearly not the case.

I am going to offer my humble services - if you are an Asian restaurant owner and need someone to check your menus and signages - holler at me, and if I am available, I'd be more than happy to help out. How about that? So anyway, that's my rant done... don't throw shoes at me!

Good Luck Tea House

310 Chapel St, Prahran, VIC 3181

Yumcha in Prahran in quite a prominent location should do well but there would likely be high expectations here. The challenge is that such a restaurant would have to balance perceived sophistication and quality with affordability. For a place on Chapel Street that has been opened since 2010, it has an unusually low number of raters on Urbanspoon. Strategically, I think that while things are going ok in terms of the venue, location, food and service - these things are not necessarily coming together. I mean, I am not an expert in running restaurants but I am a diner. I think that the "All You Can Eat" big poster approach is a strategic error for this restaurant because it just makes people question the quality of the food here on Chapel Street. If they marketed it as a Yumcha banquet with a better looking menu, the perception might be a bit different and they might even attract more of a lunch crowd for meetings - to complement the dinner crowd. With HuTong in Commercial Road having a lower rating than the Market Lane branch - this is an opportunity for Good Luck Tea House which they don't seem to be taking advantage of.

The Place
This is a good generous space which doesn't squeeze diners together. It is also a clean restaurant, tastefully decorated and they have a relatively nice layout overall. It is is permanently on mood lighting, and is quite different from Chinese places with fluorescent lights.

It is relatively child friendly and parking should be ok across the road behind Coles.

Things to do Nearby: This is near the junction of Chapel and Commercial Roads and so, you have all the shops nearby.

The Food
The food is actually not bad at all. The yumcha offerings are pretty decent for an "All You Can Eat" place. I have only had the yumcha here and my verdict is that it's not bad. $19.90 for yumcha is really cheap these days and if you are there with a small bunch of friends, you can try nearly all the 35 dimsums on offer.

The highlight for me was the Chicken Feet (Fung Chao - pictured below), lightly spiced, and braised in black bean. It was really tasty... and I had all four to myself - so HAPPY.



 

Other highlights for me included:
Beancurd Roll (also pictured above, next to the teapot) which was braised and was really yummy when eaten hot and steamy.

Salted and Spicy Squid Tentacles (pictured below) which has a light batter, not overpowered by garlic, salt and pepper and very fresh... others in Urbanspoon have criticised this before, but I found mine most succulent, fresh and tasty.

The Service
They have what I call unobtrusive polite service. Not overly friendly and chatty but it gets the job done with basic efficient delivery of food.

Overall
It's not bad overall and presents a nice alternative to dining choices on Chapel Street. I just think that it's the "All You Can Eat" sign that's putting people off. But the quality is actually there.

Cultural Moment
Warning: Self Plagiarism Ahead.
Since this post is about the various dimsums ... I thought I'd re-introduce an extensive piece I wrote previously on the different dumplings on offer. If you are an avid yumcha enthusiast, it's worth knowing what you are having. So, here it is again;

Dimsum is a Cantonese word that indicates the variety of small dishes served at Yumcha (drinking tea) session. Therefore, the greatest Yumcha experiences are of Cantonese origins.Here's a limited range of dimsums you will commonly find in Melbourne (each will contain the Cantonese name / Mandarin Name / English Description);

Siu Mai / Shao Mai / Pork Dumpling - is the most common dim sum, which has evolved in Australia into your dimsim (dimmy) in your fish and chip shops. This is a common brekkie dimsum throughout southeast China, Singapore and Hong Kong. Both Robbie and I love this LOTS.

Har Gao / Shia Jiao / Prawn Dumpling - is just that, prawns wrapped in pleated translucent flour based skin, that should not stick to each other when you try to pick one up.

Yee Chee Gao / Yu Chi Jiao / Shark Fin Dumpling - is not Shark's Fin Dumpling. It does not contain shark's fin and is so named because it is shaped like a shark fin. That's all - and it is basically and pork and seafood dumpling.

Char Siew Bao / Cha Shao Bao / Steamed Pork Bun - Bao (refers to the particular style of bun) and is a staple in most places. Filled with steaming barbequed pork (Char Siew), the bun should be light and fluffy (watch out for the piece of paper at the bottom). My friend, Deb loves this.

Fung Chao / Feng Jiao / Phoenic Claws (Chicken Feet) - is what it is. Different places might serve it a bit differently from black bean based to spicy sauce. You either like it or you don't. I like it and I believe my friend Jeremy likes it too!

Chee Cheong Fun / Zhu Chang Fen / Rice Noodles - needs a bit of explanation. A literal translation of Chee Cheong Fun is Pig Intestine Noodles. Don't be alarmed, it's not made from any part of a pig. It just looks like a pig's small instestines, hence, the name. With these rice noodles, a coffee shop might sell it with just the noodles, some chives, sesame seeds and a sweet soy sauce. However, most yumcha places will serve a variety, with Char Siew (called Char Siew Cheong), Prawns (Har Cheong), Fried Dough (Cha Leong which translates to fried double, with the fried dough and the noodles making the double). Ev and Nathan do like these :)

Pei Tan (Shao Yuk) Chok / Pi Daan (Shao Rou) Zhou / Century Egg (Roast Pork) Congee - most yum cha places, one would just ask for congee and this would be the variety served (some places with, and others without the roast pork in the congee). What is century egg? It's preseved egg (that's black in colour and a yellowish gray yolk). I have to have this at every yum cha and the other person I know who loves this is Caroline.

Tan Taht / Dan Ta / Egg Custard Tart - When I was young, I used to think that Tan/Dan means Egg and Taht/Ta was just Tart. I recently found the chinese character for Taht/Ta and it actually means 'Flog' - presuming referring to the flogging to the egg into a custard. I have never been a fan though it is one of the most popular dishes. Deb LOVES this.

Chillipadi Mamak Kopitiam

295 Racecourse Rd, Kensington, VIC 3031

In a highly competitive area because there are four Malaysian restaurants of relatively good quality (including the icon that is Laksa King), this restaurant is usually the least full of the four, possibly because it is a larger restaurant. This doesn't mean that it is not a good restaurant... just that competition is pretty stiff in the area.

The Place
This is a pleasant enough space and large enough so that you don't have to share tables and be forced to listen to the conversations of strangers with their backs against yours. It's certainly the most spacious of the Malaysian restaurants within the 400m radius. There is some attempt to create an ambiance with various objects that might remind one of Malaysia. It's definitely a child friendly place, including having clean high chairs should you need them. When it gets busy, there's usually a buzz here without overwhelming noisiness.

Things to do Nearby: The shops of Racecourse Road in Kensington during the day but that's about it.

The Food
The food is not bad but nor is it a stand out. Admittedly, I have not tried its main differentiator from the other Malaysian offerings in the area - the Crab dishes. Partly, this is because I can't be bothered and I just haven't got round to it. I might be wrong but one of the things that clearly stands out here is their portion sizes. I think it's the biggest compared to the other Malaysian places in the area. I could barely finish my lunch. The Nasi Lemak (pictured right) itself was pretty good and I loved that they had generous portions of achar (pickled vegetables), and peanuts with fried anchovies. The let-down for me, was the Chicken Curry which was basically overpowered by the star anise they used too liberally in a very Chinese curry.

The Wat Dan Hor (below) on the other hand was really tasty though they definitely have a more Kuala Lumpur style with darker soya sauce in this dish, rather than the lighter style of Ipoh and even Penang. For some, this is not authentic - for me - I was very full and happy at the end.

The Service
They do have very friendly service and highly obliging. Probably the second best service amongst the 4 Malaysian places in the area. It is pretty good though the only thing that sets them back slightly is probably their food knowledge of Malaysian dishes is slightly below par, unlike the confidence of the wait staff at Grand Tofu.

Overall
I think I would go there occasionally when the other places are really full. The thing about the 4 Malaysian places here is this - you really just need to know your own taste and preferences. All 4 have some very similar dishes but cook them somewhat differently. For example, they all do Hainanese Chicken Rice... but who has the best one? The jury is still out on that one but I like Chef Lagenda because they have the Roast Chicken option. That's just one of the dishes - we could have a debate around it till the chickens are cooked... One day I might compare the various dishes across each of the 4 Malaysian restaurants.

Cultural Moment
Some people ask "How can one place sustain so many Malaysian restaurants?" Ummmm... "How can a tiny suburb sustain 3 pubs?". They might be alluding to the idea that such an exotic cuisine might not attract enough customers to sustain 4 'similar' restaurants but a pub? Everybody here drinks!

However, that's just the point, I think that Malaysian cuisine is no longer considered "exotic" especially when you are looking at a city like Melbourne. Dare I say, most people must have tried some Malaysian food in the past and might be able to name at least a couple of Malaysian dishes. Perhaps, Malaysian food hasn't quite reached the status of Italian food or Vietnamese food yet, here in Melbourne (where you can have a whole street of Italian or Vietnamese restaurants and have them all do quite well). However, I think it must be getting close in places like Flemington, Springvale, Glen Waverly and Clayton.

This is the joy of Melbourne - that you can have enough choice amongst the various cuisines, even the 'exotic ones', and have them all do well so they can all challenge each other to do better. How lucky are Melbournians!

Shark Fin Inn

52 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC 3000

http://www.sharkfin.com.au/

In most Western cities of the world, the best yumcha would often be found around the Chinatown area. In Melbourne, it's a bit different because the city is peppered with good yumcha offerings from west to east, and north to south. We are so very lucky. Yet, this is not to say that there aren't good yumcha places in Melbourne's Chinatown, just that they have healthy competition from the suburbs. Shark Fin Inn is one of those places in Chinatown that have been around for a while. It's sister branch, Shark Fin House is just a block away (and is the one that usually has queues waiting to get in weekend mornings). From its name, you know that this place was not founded recently, when the consumption of sharkfin has been frowned upon... it's been around since 1980. This is the original restaurant of the Shark Fin group. This restaurant was also awarded best yumcha by a radio program recently - but I'll be the judge of that!

The Place

In my opinion, this is a nicer space than Shark Fin House down the road because it simple has more space, and you are not sitting too closely next to strangers. Across both levels, you get a feeling of space. However, being the original restaurant with little refurbishment since 1980, the decorations are a bit dated, though not completely unacceptable. For example, on the ground floor, most of the deco are the framed up restaurant awards they have received since in the 1980s. I just think that for a restaurant of its calibre, it could do with a bit of sprucing up to give it a more contemporary feel.

It is a relatively child-friendly space though not good if they run around. It has 'private room dining space' that's a bit separate from the main dining space but still open, and a generally congenial atmosphere. Parking is always a pain in the city of course.

Things to do Nearby: This is up the top of Little Bourke Street, closer to the theatre precinct and Parliament House and Treasury Gardens. It's really the start of Chinatown up the top of Little Bourke Street.

The Food
The food is traditional yumcha and the offerings are pretty standard. Most of it is tasty and fresh, though not always at the perfect hot temperature. This is largely because they don't use the steam bath carts that most yum cha places have. They tend to use conventional trays, so the food does cool down quite quickly. The good news too is that I didn't feel thirsty even after the very satisfying meal, which means, they probably don't use too much MSG, if at all.

Chicken Feet, Stewed Eggplant, Beancurd Roll, Glutinuous Rice

The highlights for me were the Chicken Feet (Phoenix Claws) - they were truly tender and yummy. I really enjoyed them. The Glutinuous Fried Rice was not bad, as it was still moist unlike some other places. If you like dried shrimp, they serve it with lashing of it, the way the SEAsians love it.

Pork Dumplings (Siu Mai) and BBQ Pork Pastry (Char Siew Sou)



Seafood Tofu and Prawn Rolls



The Pork Dumplings and BBQ Pork Pastry were not bad, though I had more to my taste elsewhere. The Pork Dumplings were not very juicy and it contained a prawn that was not all that fresh.

The BBQ Pork Pastries were good though the BBQ pork inside was very sweet - some would really like that - I prefer it a bit more savoury.

The Prawn Rolls were fabulous... so yummy and juicy. However, they used the harder styled tofu in the Seafood Tofu, which doesn't work as well in my opinion.

The Service

The service is one of the nicest and best in Chinatown. They are well trained and take time to attend to your needs. They are also not too pushy but very helpful in suggesting dishes you might like, and actually one of the only places that pays attention to what you have already had, instead of offering you the same thing over and over and over again. It is a real pleasant experience, even when it got really hectic. I am really impressed with how well they pay attention to the needs of customers.

Overall
I like taking guests here as it is not too hectic and crazy, while the food is still pretty good. Although I don't think it's the best yumcha in Melbourne, it's certainly above average. So, amongst all the places in Chinatown, it's one of the better ones in my opinion.

Cultural Moment
Queueing - it's not a strong point in many parts of Asia (Japan is the definite exception). So, even in Australia - it seems many who originate from Asia also bring that trait along with them. I know I have become comepletely Australianised because I get upset at people not queueing. This was certainly the case here while waiting to get into Shark Fin Inn.

In so many parts of Asia, Asians just jump in, even when there's obviously a queue, every body seems to think they have a good reason for jumping ahead and pushing in. I guess when you have so many people in a limited space, he/she who is loudest wins. There just isn't a queueing culture in many parts of Asia, unless if you are in a place where you have to take a number.

So, today at Shark Finn Inn, there were a lot of people just barging in, ahead of others who had arrived first and were waiting for the restaurant to open. There wasn't a moment where they looked around and wonder why everyone was standing around - they just pushed in ahead to try to get in anyway. You can see the attitude is different - so how do you deal with a situation like this? You pushed ahead too, politely but nevertheless, you push ahead to get service. We certainly did that the moment the restaurant opened or risk waiting for everyone to jump in ahead who had arrived later (even though we had booked ahead). It's all good - no need to get frustrated, just as long as you understand the context.

Minh Tan 2 (Chinese and Vietnamese Restaurant)

192 Victoria St, Richmond, VIC 3121

How does one differentiate itself from some 30 other Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants in the same stretch of street? One way is to offer something the others don't have - Yum Cha. However, if a restaurant does offer something different, that something needs to be good or it might tar the rest of the offerings from that very restaurant. Minh Tan 2 has survived on Victoria Street for a very long time, so, it must be doing something right.

The Place

This has the set up of a typical Cantonese Vietnamese Restaurant with the ducks and chickens hanging in the window, special item menu handwritten on pieces of colourful paper and pasted on the wall, overcoming any original decoration or wall paper or even mirror, take away section up the front. It has been around for a long time and is fully carpeted to help with sound insulation. However, I think it's time for fresh carpets. This is not a huge place and when it gets crowded, you will be sitting with your back against other diners (which can be annoying). It's not exactly child friendly but I have seen many parents negotiate their prams and high chairs in this place successfully with kids who have patiently sat there the entire meal - so maybe, I should say that it's not a great place for kids who want to run around and parents who like to let them do so. You'd do so at your own risk. Like all places on Victoria Street, you are looking for parking either onstreet or on the side streets, or undercover park at The Hive.

Things to do Nearby: It's Victoria Street, great to explore the shops here for Asian Groceries and Food. Alternatively IKEA and Victoria Gardens is a short 5 minute drive away.

The Food

Yummy Lotus Leaf Glutinuous Rice

The food from the ala carte menus is actually not bad and the BBQ meats are pretty good and reliable. There are a number of Cantonese dishes here that are comparable to any out there in Richmond. However, what I want to focus on are the yumcha offerings, which is not the norm on Victoria Street. It is also one of the cheaper yumcha places in Melbourne - most affordable.

First off, the Loh Mai Kai (Lotus Leaf Glutinuous Rice) is simply one of the tastiest in Melbourne. It is a generous portion, and comes with a chicken, chinese sausage, and roast pork. It has just the right level of salt. It is the traditional way to serve it without being overly greasy.

They also do a good Fried Prawn Roll which is golden and crispy. The prawns taste really fresh and I really enjoyed them, though I would have preferred this with mayo rather than plum sauce.

The other dim sums are ok but nothing to really rave about. However, I am pretty sure they do use quite a bit of MSG here because I was really thirsty afterwards. Nevertheless the main issue here wasn't about the quality of food but that with yumcha, they have a really limited range of offerings. They do have the staples and that's about it. Therefore, if you are expecting the full range of dim sum dishes, you might be disappointed. This is certainly not set up to be a full yumcha experience that many might have become accustomed to. It's reminds me more of a coffee shop yumcha like the ones in Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur, where they are famous for a few key dishes and that's it. In addition, they are not great at explaining what the key dishes are and so, you can expect some communication barriers in terms of ordering the dishes you want.

It certainly won't be my go to place for yumcha, though I reiterate, their Cantonese BBQ dishes do just fine.

The Service

The service is less than desirable. They really don't make much of an effort to explain how they work or to engage. It's what I would call indifferent service. They are not necessarily rude or anything - just uninterested. This is particularly annoying when they don't even explain their ordering system for yumcha. I wanted them to at least try - which they didn't. Most unfortunate.

Overall
While it's not the top of the list for yumcha, it's great for takeaway especially if you are looking for BBQ meat. They also have a range of pastries that you can takeaway - for me, that's the best way to partake in the food here without putting up with the service. For others, they are most likely to go to any of the other restaurants nearby that may make more of an effort.

Cultural Moment
What is it about bad service from places like these? Do they really genuinely not care about communicating with their customers or do they sincerely think that this is acceptable? There are so many places that do this in Melbourne, especially places that serve Cantonese food. It's almost a stereotype.

Firstly, having been to Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia where there are similar restaurants, I have to say that it's not a cultural thing! There are all levels of service in SEAsia as one might expect. So, what is it about the places in Melbourne that are well known for this sort of service?

I think there are two main reasons; 1) There are some restaurants that are targeted at students, and they are low cost and have a clientale that's doesn't really care. They are there to just eat and run, and would themselves ignore the wait staff; 2) There are places where unless you speak their language, would make minimal contact and effort at trying to communicate in any way. This applies to the managers as well as their untrained wait staff. So, because most of their customers are people who speak their language, they are fine with serving them. However, the moment you have non-Cantonese speakers, the service level is reduced as a proxy for reduced communication. You have entered their World without knowing their rules. Live with it and if you don't like it... write a blog entry!

City BBQ (Hong Kong Restaurant)

178-190 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, VIC

In Sydney, Hong Kong Restaurants like this would be a dime a dozen. Unusually, in Melbourne, there are only 4 such places in the Chinatown Block, most of them relatively small. This is one of them and not necessarily the best one nor the worst. They offer Siu Laap cuisine, with a range Cantonese dishes from the kitchen.

The Place



Back to back chairs



This is a small space with a lot of tables and chairs cramped together. If it is full, it is likely that your chair will be pushed up against someone elses - not necessarily a pleasant condition. It's not the cleanest restaurant, having been around a long time and the ventilation is not great either. This is really a place for a quick meal, not to lurk around and have a chat. It is also unsuitable for little children because of the very limited space. Parking is really on Russell Street, Lonsdale Street, or undercover parking around the area.

Thing to do Nearby: In the heart of Chinatown, and a short walk to QV, there're plenty of shops to explore.

The Food

The usual Cantonese fare is on offer. However, having served generations of Melbournian - the food here has become somewhat watered down over the years. The roast meats are passable though a bit dry ocassionally. Mostly the best of the BBQ meats is the Soy Sauce Chicken. The Crispy Roast Pork (pictured to the right) is not always crispy and usually quite fatty. 

The dishes from the kitchen are not bad but don't usually pack a punch. For example, the Salted Fish and BBQ Pork Fried Rice (pictured below) was no different to any Special Fried Rice offered elsewhere - there really wasn't much salted fish (more of a hint really) and the bits of salted fish I managed to find were not very authentic or 'pungent'.

The one highlight here for me is the Lo Mei Tong Min which is really the Stewed Pork Intestines and Stomach Noodle Soup. Yes - I went there and I love it. Not many places serve this in town - this is one of those places and only early during the day (before they run out).

The Service
The service is variable here depending who's serving. Sometimes, you might get chatty wait staff and other days, it's not very friendly. In other words, it's variable service here at best.

Overall
This is average fare that I would go to only once in a while because there are a lot of other options. This doesn't make it a bad restaurant, just an average one in the light of better competition close by. They need to somehow differentiate themself better in the future.

Cultural Moment
Ok - this entry is not for everyone - but if you are really curious about the food culture around the insides of animals - keep reading. There is a Chinese saying "Anything to walks, crawls, swims or flies with its back to Heaven can be eaten" - and not just the meat but also the offals (the insides) - some places call them chitterlings.

Firstly, I am not a proponent of eating everything that moves - far from it. However, I do believe that anything on the inside of a few select creatures (chicken, beef, pork, seafood, goat) can be eaten. For the Chinese - pork, beef and chicken are key to the art of eating offals.

Beef - key components that are popular here include the instestines, tripe, tendon, lung, pizzle, all usually in stews.
Pork - is used the most in the art of eating offals - including ears, tongue, kidneys, liver, stomach, intestines, tripe, lung, blood, and even fallopian tubes! These can be prepared in stews, soups, stir fries or deep-fried in a whole range of sauces.
Chicken - liver, gizzard, heart are often used in stirfries.

There you have it, the art of eating offals - don't be squemish - I have just given it a name. The reality is, if any of you have eaten a sausage, a meat pie, or pâté, you are likely to have had the above in some combination or other.

Minh Xuong (Chinese Cafe)

209-211, Russell Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000

So, I finally have the story. Once upon a time, there was a popular cafe in Richmond called Ming Xuong that was a staple of good Cantonese fare. Then, after many years of success in Richmond, they expanded their operations to a branch on Russell Street. Then, after that brief expansion, they sold both branches to two new separate owners. Therefore, now, the two Minh Xuongs are not related to each other and serve food and dishes of varying quality. I actually think that neither are as good as the original, but the Russell Street Minh Xuong is the better of the two.

The Place

This is a basic Cantonese eatery with just a basic nod to decoration, slightly grimy, and with dodgy ventilation and sound insulation. It's not a big place though there are two levels and perfect for a quick meal. You can ocassionally come out smelling like the food you are eating. Parking is difficult at the best of times in this section of Russell Street unless if you go for paid undercover parking - Mantra Hotel has some of the best parking rates in town.

Things to do Nearby: QV and Chinatown are all around the corner.



Crispy Noodles with Roast Pork (a bit salty, not a lot of greens)



The Food

With the demise of A1 and King of Kings, and the bad service of Pacific Seafood BBQ House, there're not that many good Cantonese eateries left in the area. Therefore, it is good that Minh Xuong is in the mix because they do good Siu Laap Cuisine (discussed in another blog entry and repeated in this one in the Cultural Moment section). They do all the traditional Roast Pork, Roast Duck, BBQ Pork and Soy Chicken dishes quite well and this means it's a plus for me. Look at all that meat in the window. They look good, don't they?

They also do a range of noodles, fried (crispy) noodles, and dishes on rice, with the usual Cantonese flare. Their dishes are not bad at all, though, I think they do stint on the vegetables in some of the dishes. They also do the usual Westernised dishes like Lemon Chicken (with a mean yellow sauce), and luminous Sweet and Sour Pork.

The Service

They have relatively good service here and also take time to answer questions. They are also a jolly bunch that seem to continue their banter in Cantonese quite loudly, giving the restaurant a buzz and friendly atmosphere. They pay attention to the customers and are quick to bring a pot of tea as soon as diners sit down.

OverallI would go here for Siu Laap dishes given the relatively friendly service and the tasty dishes. It's quick, it's convenient and it's affordable. Not much to complain about and good for a bit of Siew Yok on the way home from work. Yummy.

Cultural Moment

Siu Mei Heaven @ Minh Xuong

I wrote a substantial piece a while back on Hong Kong BBQ Houses which is worth highlighting again. So, this is a repeat of that here for those interested in this cuisine. It also helps you navigate the meats hanging in the window.

Siu Laap cuisine consists of 2 different sub-cuisines - siu mei consisting of the roast dishes and lou mei, the braised and stewed dishes. The most common offerings of a good BBQ house include (Cantonese names are used here);

Char Siew - popularly known in Australia as either BBQ Pork or Honey Glazed Pork. This is the red coated barbequed pork. It's not barbequed as Ausatlians know it - it's actually roasted over an open fire oven. Good Char Siew should still be moist on the inside rather than dried out. Some people like their Char Siew with any trace of fat (using pork loin) - which can make it drier. Others prefer a slightly fatty cut of meat (pork leg). However, at the end of the day, it's also dependent on the marinade. Again some people prefer a sweeter Char Siew while others prefer less sweet but a more subtle savoury taste. Char Siew is eaten on it's own but also used in all sorts of dishes such as fried rice, wonton noodles, bao, and even stir fries and fried noodles.

Siew Yok - Crispy Pork needs little extplanation. This is really roasted pork belly with really crispy skin, with 5-spice flavouring and actually my favourite amongst these dishes. Again, eaten on its own or as part of various dishes such as stir fried with bean curd, or in soups, they add a whole new dimension to these dishes.

Yao Gai - Soya Sauce Poached Chicken which is slightly sweet and mostly savoury. The chicken should still be very moist on the inside even after being hung out to dry literally in the windows of these BBQ Houses. Steeping the Chicken in the soy sauce rather than boiling it to death is the trick to good poached chicken. Also great in noodle soups.

Baaht Chit Gai - White cut chicken, cooked and steeped in stock. Kylie Chan has a great recipe for this and some places calls this Hainan Chicken. It's a basic dish and served with ginger and shallot sauce and/or chilli sauce.

Siew Ngap - Roast Duck (NOT Peking Duck) is a tricky dish because ducks are a tricky business. Unlike chickens which are usually succulent and full of meat, ducks refuse to be as consistent and can be quite lean. So, sometimes, roast ducks can be very boney and other than the breast meat, there's not a lot of meat. However, as I understand it, enjoying roast duck is also about sucking on the flavour ridden greasy bones and licking your fingers.

Mak Jyoo - is that orange looking cuttle fish / squid that some places have. Served sliced up and with black soy sauce. It's a bit tasteless to me but some people like it.
There are a few other dishes worth mentioning here. One that not many Europeans are likely to order amongst these offerings is the laap cheong - Homemade Chinese Sausage. Less common in Hong Kong but you might see it in Melboure are bbq pork ribs as well. On some special festival days, some places might also have roast suckling pig which is very expensive. A dish you would not usually see outside of Hong Kong is siew ngoh which is roast goose.