Kokoro Ramen

157, Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000

http://kokororamen.com/

It's a bit unfortunate, reading some of the reviews on Urbanspoon that this place doesn't seem to rate very highly. Given the set up, the effort that has gone into introducing Melbourne to a ramen experience beyond the existing chains, and Chinese run Japanese offerings, and the website that's really interesting, I was still hoping for the best. Nevertheless, the food was a bit disappointing.

The Place

This is a well set up cafe with nice lighting. It has a simple food hall feel to it with enough distance between groups of diners. The chairs through, are not good and uncomfortable (for me). It's located in the city, where there's limited on street parking (Lonsdale Street) though cheap covered parking is easily available.

Things to do nearby: 3 minutes walk to QV and close to Melbourne Central and Bourke Street.

The Food

The food was average to bland. The website's menu is actually different to the menu we were presented with on the night. While it is true that there are different types of ramen, and while the noodles them selves are of quality, it's the flavours in the soups and salads that were disappointing.

The balance is just not right somehow. I ordered a Tonkatsu Shoyu Ramen with Pork Belly... for my friends who know me and those of you who follow my blog - I seldom criticise pork belly. For the first time last night, I regreted ordering the pork belly because it was bland and tasted a bit like a chunk of boiled pork without much flavouring. Other dishes ordered were also relatively bland.

It is not as if they have watered down the soup, it's still thick soup and hearty, but just not tasty. Beyond the soup, the meat, the salad and the vegies were also very average.

The gyoza was light and tiny (which is fine) but the dipping sauce lacked punch.

The Service

The services is courteous and polite, friendly enough though you have to go up to the counter to order the meals, pay for it and then it's brought out to you. It's basic service, nothing to rave about. At least they smile and are polite when taking your orders as well as when serving and saying 'good bye'.

Overall

So, would I go again? It won't be in a hurry. For the price paid, I was really hoping for better and more consistent taste. I can understand now what others on Urbanspoon said about the flavouring. It's not bad but it's certainly not good. I hope it improves and that in a few month's time, I might have update this entry with a more positive outcome.

Cultural Moment

Japanese pride and heritage is a well known concept but in 2007, this took on a whole new direction as the Japanese government turned its attention to three issues that juxtaposed to create an interesting study of Japanese identity. The global popularity of sushi rolls and Japanese restaurants, the humble California roll, and the need to increase Japanese agricultural exports. As recently as 2011, Sakamoto and Allen (2011) discussed the issue in their article, "There's something fishy about that sushi: how Japan interprets the global sushi boom" in Japan Forum.

An audacious plan proposing a Japanese Restaurant Recommnedation Program from the Agricultural Ministry was driven by both economic and cultural motivations. It was quickly abandoned after being ridiculed by the media world wide (and particularly in the USA) with jokes about Sushi Police. Yet, at the same time, how often do diners moan about authenticity of food from particular cultures and wishing there was a way to do this.

Perhaps the solution is a recommender system with tools like Urbanspoon (but then, who decides if the food is authentic?)... it's all a bit difficult. In any case, I have said it elsewhere and I'll say it here again, authenticity doesn't mean it's tasty and delicious. Authenticity also may mean that the cusine stagnates and no innovation comes of it.

Chai - Eat Like Malaysian

127, Pelham St, Carlton,VIC 3053

http://www.facebook.com/Chai.Carlton

It's a big boast for authenticity to have a restaurant name that includes "Eat like Malaysian", a challenge if you will, and it bears out in the attitude of the wait staff who are clearly proud of their authenticity. Firstly - here's a minor gripe - I might say this should be "Eat like West Malaysian" because there are no East Malaysian dishes but this is an in-country issue that Malaysians should deal with and I don't need to bore you with it. So, having said that, is their food authentic. I would say 'Yes' but then there's all sorts of places in Malaysia that serves authentic Malaysian dishes - it doesn't mean I want to eat there if it's not up to standard. There's a difference between authenticity and tastiness and quality. Chai is also more expensive than even some of the Malaysian places in the CBD.

The Place
Small place that can probably seat up to 40 with surprisingly good sound insulation. Air conditioning here always works which is a plus on hot days. There's not a lot of atmosphere and it feels more like a basic cafe. Parking is generally not a problem in this space despite it being close to Swanston Street and Lygon Street.

Things to do nearby: Lygon Street is not too far away.

The Food

The food here is generally authentic but of middling tastiness. All the hallmarks of West Malaysian cuisine are here, Char Kway Teow, Curry Laksa, Assam Laksa, Hor Fun, Hainanese Chicken Rice, Nasi Lemak. They are pretty good overall but nothing to really rave about, except the Laksa - the Laksa is pretty good and rich (pictured to the right). I find that the dishes here are 'safe' in that they don't go out of the way to pack a punch.

For me, the best dish here is their Nasi Lemak which comes with a range of condiments, and good spicy chilli. It's not too greasy and wet, it's light and fluffy and tasty.

At the same time, the Char Kway Teow (CKT), which  although nice, is below par because from the one I have had here, I believe that it was put together rather than freshly cooked. Let me explain. CKT involves the use of the really hot wok to invoke a smokey flavour. It involves freshly cracked eggs and garlic fried together at the start, and prawns/fish cakes/Chinese sausages that are thrown in to cook with the rice noodles. The CKT here uses pre-cooked eggs and prawns. So, while I have no doubt that they fry it all up together at the end - it's just not the same as having it all freshly cooked.

So, as a result, the dishes are relatively authentic but some of the short cuts means that it is not as tasty as it could be.

Curry Chicken Noodles - doesn't pack much of a punch and needs side vegetables

The Service
I have never had any problems here and most of the wait staff are knowledgeable and are clearly proud of their dishes which is really nice to see. Pleasant service , with friendsly smiles, and non-invasive. All good for me.

Overall
Chai remains one of the few places in Carlton that serves relatively good Malaysian fare in comfortable surroundings. I will continue to go there though recently - Killiney Kopitiam (which is Singaporean) and serves some similar dishes has opened up up far away on Lygon St.

Cultural Moment
Hawker food in Cafes can lead to disappointments. As I have said elsewhere, in most of SEAsia, hawker stalls tend to serve one or two specialties. In Melbourne and Australia in general, many restaurants and cafes serve a range of dishes without specialisation. This can lead to short cuts being taken resulting in below par food (no matter how authentic).

Each of the stalls have its own specialties in a SEAsian Food Hall. This one is actually Food Republic in Singapore

Some of the hawker stalls in SEAsia live on the reputation of the one specialty they offer and do extremely well. Realistically, we are never going to have that here in Australia - though I remember in 90s, Ong's Food Court at the bottom of Myers on Little Bourke did try that concept but it eventually lost out to competition as it failed to upgrade and the food became more and more generic.

Lâm Lâm (Vietnamese Chinese)

209, High St, Northcote, VIC 3070

This is the perfect example of  how a good or bad Urbanspoon score may not necessarily help the diner. It really depends on who's rating it. There are clear limitations of such a rating system - because it seldom tells you who's rating and worse - what's their taste. Hence, a blog is perhaps better because you start to understand the raters - what their tastes are and the context of their review. So, what's my issue here? Some 500 raters and nearly 90% of them liking it... who are they? I know people who like it and I am not one of them, primarily because the only authentic things about this restaurant are their name (clearly Vietnamese), their polite and friendly service, and their springrolls.

The Place
Like one of many bright Vietnamese cafes with little ambience. This is more a quick meal place than a restaurant to dine in at leisure. Nothing wrong with that because there are plenty of functional places like this all over the world. It works just fine for a quick meal.

Things to do nearby: Northcote Townhall when there are events. Also shops of High Street, Northcote.

The Food
Let's begin with the positive. Their crispy fried springrolls are typical of many Chinese restaurants and ther ones here are crispy on the outside, tasty on the inside, served with fresh lettuce. Yummy start to any meal.

I have been here four times and ordered different dishes. There's nothing very Vietnamese about the dishes. Many of their dishes are similar to many basic westernise generic Chinese dishes, and pho to serve the Western tastebud (a lot less beefy, herbal and sweeter). There are times when I look for this particular style of cuisine. There's nothing wrong with that of course, and the line of customers evening after evening is testament to this.

Beyond pho, the most common Vietnamese dish is probably Broken Rice. At Lâm Lâm, the menu states that they have a Special Vietnamese Combination (Grilled Pork, Shredded Pork, Fried Egg on Rice) - it looks like what you would expect of Broken Rice Combination - but it's actually just normal steamed rice and there's no egg paste with it (pictured right). The sauce was good though with a slight kick to it.

It can be nice - it's just not authentic Vietnamese. I will spend some time a bit later (in the Cultural Moment section) discussing westernised SEAsian Chinese cuisine.

The Service
Quick service for a fast food place and generally very friendly even under the pump. Timing of dishes can be an issue if you are ordering individual dishes but if you are sharing - you might not have to worry about someone's dish coming first and the others having to wait a while.

Overall
There's always a saying amongst diners everywhere, "When going to a busy restaurant, it's important to see who's dining there. The clientale reflects the style of food." This is a fail safe observation on the surface most of the time. It applies here too. The clientale on any given night is 99% European diners, so it's not surprising that the dishes here tend to suit Western tastebuds more. At least once a month, even this Asian diner likes a bit of faux-Asian.

Cultural Moment
Faux-Asian - what is it? This particular style of food is characterised by;
Sizzling plate of anything - Originally, the sizzling plate is used for dishes of where the meat is well marinated, and simple vegetables. The idea is that the sizzling plate is so hot that the thin slices of meat will cook quickly on the really hot plate, and you put in the sauce and the thin sliced vegetables and even eggs in some dishes and it cooks in front of you. (Yes, it's like teppanyaki - in fact teppan comes from the Chinese words 'tie pan' - steel plate) Nowadays - many sizzling plate dishes are essentially your stir fry served on a sizzling plate to keep it hot and dramatic - to me, it's more for show than taste.

Stir fries - A good stir fry ala Australia comes with all sorts of ingredients, particularly a variety of vegetables, and a meat of some sort. Most of the concoctions here are not found anywhere in Asia. We also love using capsicums and celeries in stir fries, which takes over the whole dish, and for restaurants - these are essentially cheap extenders of the dish. The most famous faux-Asian of stir fries are anything that has a satay sauce, a mongolian sauce, a curry sauce.

Battered anything - Very few dishes from SEAsian are actually battered and even when they are battered - it's only ever lightly battered, certainly not the thick layer of flour we find in Australia. There's a place for batter especially when it soaks up delicious sauces. In SEAsia - most battered dishes are served on a stick on street sides, which you dip in a sauce or have in a soup. Quite a different idea to the battered dishes in Australian faux-Asian cuisine.

A lot of more Westernised dishes will be characterised by less use of fish/calamari dishes, less use of fermented bean paste, sweeter tamarind rather than really sour tamarind, less chillies, and definitely the absence of fermented shrimp paste of any kind.  From Penang Hei Ko, to Indonesian and Malaysian Belachan, to Burmese Balachaung, to Vietnamese mắm ruốc. Most faux-Asian dishes are pretty much no shrimp paste zones.

Plume Chinese Restaurant

200, Rosamond Rd, Maribyrnong, VIC 3032

http://www.plume.com.au/

A relative low scorer on Urbanspoon, this restaurant is perhaps the more understated of the chains of mid range Chinese Restaurants in Melbourne. While dinner is reasonably priced compared to the other chains, their yumcha is rather expensive, for what it is. There is a good mix of Chinese and Western clientale at the restaurant, reflected in the balance of traditional and westernised Cantonese dishes on the menu.

The Place

This is a huge space and parking is unlikely to be a problem, given that it's next to the Highpoint Shopping Centre parking. This is a child friendly environment with all its space and you won't feel cramped. The contemporary space is tastefully decorated and pleasant, with great noise insulation for a restaurant its size. The great big glass panels lets in ample light during the day.

Things to do nearby: Highpoint Shopping Centre if you are looking for a bit of shopping.

The Food

The food here is not bad. The ala carte menu has a good range of dishes you'd expect from a Cantonese restaurant. It does cater to a more westernised tastebud though and the dishes can be a bit sweeter rather than savoury and 'garlicy'. The dinners I have had here have been satisfactory but not really something to rave about. It's not better or worse than most place.

Now, for the yumcha. How does it compare, given how pricey it is? Well, when I pay above average price, I expect above average food and I don't really think this is the case here - it's average, and therefore, the value for money factor is questionable. Don't get me wrong, it's not bad food here by any stretch of the imagination but the greatness of this place is characterised by it's above average service, not its above average food.

Firstly, the trolley of fried/dry dishes, while plentyful is usually cold by the time it gets to the table. I am sure you would agree that room temperature or cooler fried food is never good. This was the disappointment with today with the Squid Tentacles and BBQ Pork Pastry Puff. So, while there were tasty - it was still a letdown.

The steamed dumplings were generally acceptable and not overly salty or greasy like some other places. The taste is all there and honestly, yumcha dishes can be quite hard to review because different people like different things about their dimsums. I'd say that usual suspects are all passable for most people and the temparature is right, unlike their fried dishes. Their Century Egg and Roast Pork Congee comes with very generous servings of both ingredients.

The Service
The service, I'd say is good. They are never understaffed which means, it's easy to get attention. Even for yumcha when things can get a bit disoragnised, they always have people around to attend to your table. The carts and trolleys come around very quickly and there's usually a lot of food. They are also happy to explain the dishes to you - you just have to be patient.

I was particularly impressed with the waitperson who was responsible for the one dessert cart. She was attentive, knew when to approach tables to ask if they wanted dessert (not like many other places). Then she instinctively figures out if you are having one each or intending to share or swap and work out who wants what, and provides extra spoons without being asked. That's service.

Overall
Like I said earlier - this is an expensive place to have yumcha. So, unless if I am in the area to have yumcha desperately and am going with a big group and haven't booked, there are other options not too far from here. For dinner, I prefer more authentic offerings personally.

Cultural Moment

In light of previous two postings on various types of dimsums, I thought I'd do a final range of different types of dimsums here - focusing on desserts. Besides, the lovely lady pushing the dessert cart very willingly let me take a picture of her cart.

Beginning with one that was introduced in an earlier entry;
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.

Mango Pudding - don't need much explanation there but you have to decide whether to have it with condensed (really sweet milk) or not.

Sago Pudding - a rich concoction to tempt custard, coconut and sago lovers. This is usually warm and the best ones are slightly caramalised.

Almond Jelly - which is an acquired taste that is quite refreshing, usually served with canned fruits as if it's not sweet enough. Really smooth consistency.


Green Tea Jelly (with Red Bean) - inspired by the Japanese obviously and the bits of red beans in them are yummy.

Coconut Jelly - If you like fresh coconut, you'd probably like this but please remember to share - probably too much for one person.

Mixed Fruit Jelly - The last in the quadrilogy of jellies - this is the one the kids love because it's full of food colouring and comes in different flavours all jumbled up.

Do Fu Fa / Dou Hua / Sweet Beancurd - Definitely an acquired taste this one, and the silky smooth delicate beancurd is not for everyone, served sometimes with a sweetend ginger soup or jasmine scented sugar mixture.

Ling Yong Puff Pastry / Lotus Paste Puff Pastry - Lotus paste can be an acquired taste for those who have nver had it before but encased in yummy puff pastry, this is really quite nice (assuming you haven't just eaten 5 boxes of Mooncakes during the harvest festival in the middle of the year). There's also Ling Yong Bao (which is in a bun instead of puff pastry)

Crepes - Many yumcha places have started to innovate with crepes. These can be filled with anything from custards, to ice cream, to mangoes, to durian.

Snow Pastry - On rare ocassions, they might serve up a range of snow pastry (glutinuous rice cakes) that might be filled with read bean or even with ice cream. This is similar to mochi.

For a really interesting read and some historical information on dessert yumcha, I recommend another blog here; momoandcoco desert correspondents. Fabulous blog for dessert lovers.

Yim Yam Thai Laos (Yarraville)

40, Ballarat Street, Yarraville, VIC 3013

http://yimyam.com.au/

Scoring 84% on Urbanspoon, this is one of the stronger performing branches of Yim Yam. I have been here a number of times from the takeaway beginnings to the recent changes in the expansion of hte space. There I think there are teething problems with the latest changes and the food has become somewhat sweeter over the years and less spicy.




Nice Communcal Dining Space

The Place

The pokey little place with shared communal tables of yesteryears is gone. With the latest expansion, while the big long tables are still there, you also have smaller tables for 2 - 4. I believe they are still trying to figure out how to make it all work. It needs better sound insulation - at its peak - the noise level is incredible and bounces around like a high school mess hall. This needs to be fixed urgently or it's going to drive some customers nuts eventually.

I also have a comment about the smaller tables. They are too small and cannot fit the dishes ordered especially if there are more than 2 dining at the same time. With 4 dining, we had to put glasses on the side bench and eventually a main dish on the side bench just to be able to all sit around the little table.

Things to do nearby: Set in the Yarraville Village - quaint shops, cinema and friendly atmosphere.




Small table for 4 - barely enough space for 2 small entrees and eating plates

With the mains, there wasn't enough space, so we started using the side bench

The Food

The food is still very good and of great quality. There's a good range of dishes both traditional and innovative. The best chefs and cooks of this region pride themselves on the balance of saltiness, sweetness, tanginess, spiciness and freshness. Has Yim Yam got it right? In the past, I used to think so but more recently, I am beginning to think that there's a greater use of sweetness than anything other flavour in the dishes here. Some highlights for me here include:



Spicy Sausages (shown on the right) - great flavours and should be eaten with the side serve of lettuce. Because it uses low-fat lean meat, it is a bit drier than what you might expect and so, you might want to ask for a side sauce. Nevertheless, I like them.

Crispy Calamari - please do not expect Chinese salt and pepper calamari - this is not a Chinese restaurant. Instead, be prepared to be surprised by the tenderness and crispiness of this dish. Really good and recommended to all who don't mind a bit of batter.

Goy Guy - similar to the more common larb gai (warm chicken salad) served at most Thai restaurants but with small chunks of chicken (rather than mince). Don't worry about asking for less chilli here because when you do, they really give you almost no chilli. Needs better balance...

Generally, the curries here have been good (if a bit sweet for me), the salads are unfailingly fresh (but I prefer more tanginess), and the food here is never overly greasy which is a good thing. One thing I did find is that the food here is not very spicy, on the menu - they represent spiciness with 1,2, 3 chillies. I find that unlike their Collingwood branch, even 2 chillies here is barely a kick. Interesting as it didn't used to be like that during the takeaway early days. Have they really adjusted to the tastebuds of Yarraville over the years perhaps? Certainly, they seem to have a more Western clientale these days - which makes the adjustments understandable (if disappointing for me).



Goy Guy and Calamari

The Service

They were struggling with the new configuration of the restaurant. Though still unfailingly courteous, their ability to be effective and efficient is stretched because of the more than doubling in size and with that, more people and greater expectations.

I put this down to teething problems which I hope they will serve in the near future and with experience. However, even with teething problems, at least they are still friendly and welcoming.

Overall

I find the taste not as authentic and rich as the Collingwood branch. It's still good food, but I prefer the richness of the other branch. The noise levels were quite unbearable and the size of the tables frustrating. So, I'd stick to takeaway from here for now, till sound insulation improves (I must be getting old!).

Cultural Moment

Communal dining is a very Southeast Asian thing. Most of the main dishes here are suitable for sharing and the set up at Yim Yam encourages this. The food here works best when your you agree on a number of dishes to share and everyone has some rice, and then tries a little bit of this and a little bit of that. The main reason and logic for this seems so clear and natural to me. Yet, I see people ordering curry and have the whole bowl of curry in front of them with a little bit of rice on the side! I don't get it.

Think about having warm steam rice, and a bit of curry on the side, together with some nice tangy fresh salad to counter the richness of the curry, and a bit of stir fry with strong garlic to set off the taste buds. That's true Southeast Asian dining. Not a whole bowl of curry by yourself, people. Learn to share - it makes for a better dining experience - trust me - do it, and you'll thank me.

Gold Leaf (Preston) Restaurant

419, High Street, First Floor, Preston, VIC 3072

http://www.goldleafrestaurant.com.au/

While Gold Leaf Docklands has a pristine setting, the branch in Preston is defined by its spinning chandeliers and bustling service. It is typical of a Hong Kong Restaurant and what it does well is yumcha. This place is usually busy and if you are going for the 1pm session over the weekend, it's best to book in advance especially if you have a large group.

In the evening, it's like any Cantonese Restaurant that serves up the usual reliable mix of authentic and westernised Cantonese offerings.

The Place

Bright space with spinning chandeliers - yes. It's a traditionally 'decorated' Chinese restaurant with all the usual gaudy contraptions and wall hangings. There is the possibility of a private dining room in the mezzanine if you have a special function. Getting in and out of the restaurant is frankly a bit of a fire hazard when you consider the queues that this place has sometimes.

Thing to do nearby: Preston shops and Preston market on Saturdays!

The Food



Century Egg and Roast Pork Congee, and cup of Chrysanthemum Tea



This place serves the usual yumcha fare. I have said this before and will not hesitate to say it again and again - I believe it is fair to say that full vegetarians will struggle at this place (and most yumcha places) while vegequarians who don't mind seafood will do just fine. Much of the dimsum served here have some sort of meat. I can almost count the purely vegetarian offerings with my fingers (Mushrooms, Chinese Brocolli, Cha Leong (a doubly rice noodle with fried dough wrapped in rice noodle), Custard Bun, Seaweed Salad, Beancurd dessert, Green Tea Jelly, Balled Melons for dessert - ok that's it - I'm done)

Other than that, the full range of dimsums are on offer here, though one can order from the ala carte menu too. One word of warning - beware the Suckling pig - that small dish they offer you is going to cost you no less than $23 for a few pieces of meat.

The Service
Depending on what time you get there - this place can be frantic or the waitstaff could be standing there waiting for you to call out to them, as they wait for you to finish what you have in front of you. Fear not, the service here is better than many of the yumcha places in the city. They actually try to explain to you what's in each of the dumplings, so that even if you are a novice - you will at least know what's in the dumplings you are about to have. This is not hard as they speak Mandarin, Cantonese and English all relatively fluently.
Overall
This is a place I go to at least once a month because it's convenient, it's reliable and it's consistent. Their queue management is a problem from time to time simply because the crowd can outgrow the limited waiting space. So, it's always best to book.

Cultural Moment
Continuing from the previous Gold Leaf article where I introduced a range of dim sums - here are some more common dim sum you might enjoy (each will contain the Cantonese name / Mandarin Name / English Description);

Bean Curd Roll - I don't actually know how to call this in Cantonese or Mandarin - but it's really really good whatever you call it. Mostly sheets of beancure rolled together with some seafood and pork in the middle.

Hor Yip Fun / Her Yeh Faan / Lotus Leaf Glutinuous Rice - This herbal tasting steamed glutinuous rice with chicken, preserved shitake, salted egg, chinese sausage and minced meat, wrapped in lotus leaf. A meal on its own - perfect for sharing.

Lor Pak Gao / Luo Bo Gao / Radish Cake - ok Vegetarians (if you are still reading), don't get excited, this is NOT vegetarian as it contains bits of Chinese ham in it.

Wu Kok / Wu Jiao / Yam Dumplings - Minced meat wrapped in a savoury yam paste and quick deep fried. Really yummy if you like yam, has a light crusty outer layer, soft yam paste, and yummy chicken/pork mince in the middle.

Ham Sui Kok / Shiyan Shui Jiao/ Fried Salty Dumplings - Fried doughy sticky glutinuous dumplings with minced meat inside.

Pphai Kuat / Phai Gu / Pork Spare Ribs - Cooked in various different styles - some places might even have a few different offerings depending on whether you like the basic black bean variety, or a spicier version. Yummy but can be a bit greasy.

Ling Yong Bao / Lian Rong Bao / Custard Bun - this is more a dessert and the correct name should be lotus paste bun. However, some places actually do use custard instead of lotus paste. So, if you prefer one of the other - clarify before you order.

Char Siew Sou / Char Shao Su / BBQ Pork Puff - This is one of the things in the world that makes me happy (if it's done well). Here's a picture - simple isn't it? Tasty BBQ Pork, light buttery puff sweet pastry, sesame seeds and baked - it's not healthy but I don't care.

Kitchen Inn

469, Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000

So, I am originally from Sarawak and bemoan the fact that very few places anywhere else in the world serves Sarawakian dishes. In addition, many Malaysian restaurants that purports to offer Sarawakian dishes usually get it completely wrong. So, how does the latest Sarawakian in Melbourne stack up? The low score on Urbanspoon suggests one thing to me - unfamiliarity with the cuisine plus modifications made here leading to the dishes being less than what they should be in terms of taste.

The Place
This is a small dining place that seats about 30 in and outdoors. When it first opened, there were queues up at lunch constantly. It's a relatively clean place and functional.

Things to do nearby: It's a 4 minute walk to the Queen Vic Market.

The Food
So, I am going to focus on the Sarawakian dishes. If you have never been to Sarawak before, you may be unlikely to have had the food there, so it may be hard to compare. However, I have had this food most of my life and no one's going to fool me.

This is the 3rd time I have done this. I started eating before remembering to take the photo! Sorry!

Kolo Mee (pictured above)- this noodle dish is even more widely sold in Sarawak and more dominant in Kuching (the largest Sarawakian city). They use the same noodles for their ko lo mee, as they do their kam pua mee. This is not quite right for the diehards though still exceptable - most places in Kuching have noodles that are springier and thinner than the ones served here. However, the basic taste is there. One suggestion I have for punters to make it more authentic - ask for more vinegar to go with it. In addition, you need the meat sauce to make it worth the while and authentic. That's where the taste is - with the shallots is.

Sarawak Laksa - is not authentic - to the point where some reviewers on Urbanspoon say it's similar to the Curry Laksa offered by Killiney Kopitiam. Ok, admittedly, it has a nod to the herbal shrimp belachan taste that's prominent in Sarawak Laksa - but it requires more belachan and less curry. The travesty is the use of BBQ Pork (Char Siew - sweetening the soup), bean curd puff, and fish cakes! Dear Kitchen Inn owners - you know this is not how this dish is meant to be served - if you need help with this, please go to my exposition on the different types of Laksas in this other posting.

Kam Pua Mee - the quintessential Sibu (3rd largest Sarawakian city) Fuzhou/Foochow dominant town hawker dish. This is pretty close and it is served with BBQ pork slices and mince pork sauce. The trick is in the sauce and the quality of the noodles. The noodles here are good and you will note it is different from your average noodle used in wonton noodles, egg noodle dishes or hokkien noodles. Where it is different to the dishes as served in Sarawak is in the fundamental difference between BBQ pork in Australia and BBQ pork in Sarawak. BBQ Pork is Sarawak is actually very subtle and has a light salty taste and sliced thinly. In Melbourne, BBQ pork is rich, thick, salty and sweet because it's prepared mostly by the Cantonese who are best at making them. As a result, it colours all the dishes it is served with. No exception here as it enriches the taste of the Kam Pua Mee here.

Special Side Soup - served here is a basic clear soup with pork liver - normally I would love this but here, it's usually incredibly salty! Soups like these are served in Kuching as almost to cleanse the palate as it is a clear subtle soup. This is not the case here.

So, I have been here about 4 times to try these dishes a few times to get the sense of it before writing this review - but obviously, there are other dishes on offer here. Once I have had them, I will add to this article. I do hope they get better because I do want my fix of kolo mee with extra vinegar here.

The Service
The service is what I call shy reserved Sarawakian - anything but effervescent. It's not that they are not friendly - they are, but it's tinged with a bit of shyness that might come across as aloofness or lack of confidence. I see this all the time in Kuching.
Overall
I go there for the kolo mee and hope that it improves over time because it's so difficult to find.

Cultural Moment
Sarawakian food is quite different to most Malaysian dishes one would get in Melbourne. This is because there's a whole range of ingredients that are not easily available in West Malaysia, the influence of local Dayak and Iban cuisines, and the dominance of Hokkiens and Foochows dialect groups amongst the Chinese (rather than Cantonese). In this section, I am going to focus on the ingredients and some special dishes from the region.

Kachangma - which is made from dried Chinese motherwort, and combined with ginger (lots of it) and chinese intense cooking wine, with chicken. Not for the fainthearted. You need to be able to cope with the ginger, herb and the alcohol.

Tomato Noodle/Kway Teow - this is really Sarawakian. It's your crispy noodle or flat rice noodle (kway teow) fried with a tomato based sauce (with bbq pork, slices of fish and squid/prawns and Chinese vegetables). Really yummy and can be replicated even in non- Sarawakian kitchens with quite common ingredients.

Sarawak Laksa (this is from a previous posting on laksas) is the laksa I grew up with and therefore - the best. Ha ha! This is completely different to the other two laksas. It has no curry base and it not tamarind sour. It has a more sambal belachan, galangal and herbal base, with light coconut milk. The ingredients are completely different to the other two as well. It uses vermicelli only, shredded chicken, shreded plain omellete (which absorbs the laksa soup), been shoots, shelled prawns and a generous serve of cilantro. Lime and fried sambal belachan on the side to taste. For true Sarawak Laksa - one really has to go to Sarawak.
Yellow Eggplant (Terung Kuning) - is indigenous to Sarawak and has a sour taste - and fantastic in fish soups.

Midin (only available in Sarawak) and Paku are two different varieties of wild jungle fern and locals really love, cooked with belachan and sambal. Midin in particular is a distinctive Sarawakian dish.

Cangkok Manis / Mani Chai / Sweet Leaf is a local leafy vegetable loved by the locals, whether indigenous, Chinese, Malays  - not me! I hate it!

Tebaloi - a traditionalfragrant hard Sarawakian cookie made from Sago - the best ones are made by the Melanaos but there're everywhere these days in Sarawak. They look like thin flat sheets.

Lemang - is simply divine. It is glutinuous rice, cooked with coconut milk and salt, in hallow bamboo sticks, lined with banana plant leaves. Beautiful with local curries. So yummy

There's many other fantastic dishes from Sarawak but I could go on and on. If I have peaked your interest - you should google Sarawakian cuisine and you will find many Sarawakians like me living overseas who reminisce about the dishes from home because, they are really difficult to get elsewhere in the world.