Petaling Street (Clayton)

367 Clayton Road, Clayton, VIC 3168

There is something to be said about crowdsourcing for opinions and times like this, one would go - "OK - Urbanspooners were being fair". One of the lowest scoring Petaling Street Outlets in Melbourne here, and I didn't believe it. In addition, I know I especially liked the dishes from the CBD branch. After all, this is in Clayton where the competition can be fierce, and Springvale is not too far away. How can this be?

The Place 
A simple set up with the kitchen in the back and rows of seats for diners and movable configurations. The decorations are relatively simple with pictures of the dishes on offer and a large mural towards the back of the restaurant. This is a well ventilated space with easy access. However, the first warning sign for me should have been the sticky wooden tables.

This is set within the busy Clayton Road shopping strip and parking is round the back where it can be a challenge on busy days.

Things to do Nearby: Clayton Road Shopping

The Food
The food ranges from ok to questionable. We had a number of dishes, none of which were spectacular and one was a total fail. I'll start with the ok dishes - the Wonton Noodle Soup (pictured right) was actually not bad with nice generous wontons thought the char siew (BBQ pork) that went with it wasn't anything to rave about. Nevertheless it is what you would expect from a basic wonton noodle soup.

The Salted Fish Vermicelli was alright as well but not as smokey as some of the best in town. The problem here is the addition of capsicum slices... WHY?

The other dish that was not too bad was the Prawn Hokkien Noodle Soup which had a really rich prawn broth. It was somewhat greasy which detracted a bit from the tastiness of the dish but the ingredients were generally fresh.

Salted Fish Vermicelli

Prawn Noodles

FAUX Lobak

Some other dishes were truly disappointing. The Lobak was a joke! They serve fishcake filled beancurd skin to pass if off as lobak. They acknowledged they had changed it but still insisted on calling it Lobak - 'bak' in Hokkien refers to meat, not fish. It was like eating inferior deep fried fish cake. Then there was the Roasted Chicken Rice. Now, I have had the authentic version in the CBD branch but the one here was served with a lightly fried chicken (pictured below) - nothing like the Nanyang style roast chicken that I had been hoping for. The best thing about the dish was the chicken broth that came with it!

The Service
The basic service was not all that attentive and nothing to rave about. One has to call out for attention here and don't be shy about doing so, expecially if you are sitting towards the front of the restaurant, or you might be forgotten.

Overall
I was disappointed but the worst thing was, I had my parents with me - I was trying to show off what good food we have in the area and I took a risk and it didn't pay off. Ah Well! I have taken them to some pretty good places before this. Ok, so it's not the worst restaurant

Cultural Moment
Why did I assume that because of the location of this restaurant, that it was going to be excellent and authentic? One word - stereotyping! Why would I think that just because it's in an area where there are a lot of "Asian" diners, that it would be authentic - that's like saying all Chinese restaurants in Chinatown must be good. Even in Malaysia, not all Malaysian restaurants serve good Malaysian fare. Haha! Ah Well!

It also showed me again that not all branches of the same franchise/restaurant are equal - especially amongst Asian franchises. This has shown to be the case for Killiney Kopitiam, Es Teler, PappaRich, YimYam, and now, Petaling Street. In the end, I suspect that it comes down to the more complex dishes on offer in Asian franchises compared to your run of the mill chicken or burger outlets where menu items are really standardised. Asian dishes depend very much of the chefs working in particular branches - which makes it harder to standardise. A lesson that I am reminded of again today.

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.

Veggie Kitchen

159, St George's Rd, Northcote, VIC 3071

www.veggiekitchen.com.au
Blink and you'll miss it. This restaurant is not a part of a shopping or dining strip. It is located in a tiny row of shops on St George's Road. It is across the road from Batman Park. This tiny Taiwanese vegetarian restaurant is a lovely option for diners in the north.There is not a lot of space but diners here seem quite happy with the configuration. While it is tiny, it's not cramped.

It is quite a dim restaurant as even during the early evening as there is not a lot of natural sunlight. However, it has a simple warm feel to it. You almost feel you might be visiting a friend's home (in Taiwan) for an intimate meal.

Regular readers of this blog will know that I am no vegetarian by any stretch of the imagination but I like this place enough to look forward to going for a visit regularly.

Things to do nearby: Nothing much around here other than Batman Park and it's a 10 minute walk to High Street, Northcote. The No.112 tram stops near the front.

The Food
I am going to write about the quality and tastiness of the dishes. However, in the later section, I am going to talk about Chinese Vegetarian food more generally because it is quite a different style of vegetarian cuisine to Western vegetarian in that it uses substantial gluten products.

Chai Po Omelette

My favourite dish here is the Chai Po Omelette (Omelette with preserved turnip bits), which is light and fluffy and flavoursome. Yes, there is a bit of grease on this but what good omelette doesn't. It is a great way to start the meal or even with rice. Dare I say it is even better than my Mum's? No! More that it is a different version, fluffier and very light compared to my Mum's which is packed with turnip and most solid.

The Lettuce Delight (Vegetarian Sang Choi Bao) is built on layers of texture and flavours, with crispy soy and tofu bits wrapped in fresh lettuce. I am not a huge fan of Sang Choi Bao to begin with but this is not a bad dish. I prefer their Tofu Rolls which are really flavoursome and just simply yummy (and not only because it's deep fried).  For me, the Tofu Rolls are preferable preferable to the Beancurd Rolls on offer - simply because it has different textures compared to the Beancurd Rolls.

Tofu Roll and Vegie Delight

Beancurd Rolls and Curry Puffs (homemade)

There are also the various dumplings on offer here and I think the surprise package for me are the Pearl Rice Balls - balls of glutinous rice goodness with mushroom, celery and tofu. Delicate little balls dipped in bean sauce which are really yummy, though I normally don't like celery. They also do vegetarian ShioMai (Shao Mei) which don't look great but are actually quite light and flavoursome. You can tell from the pics below that they are not factory made (given the varying sizes) and are clearly made on premises and the freshness shows.

Pearl Rice Balls

ShioMai

There are also larger dishes and mains on the menu (though I did prefer the smaller ones already described). The two larger dishes that I did like were the Panfried Oyster Mushrooms and the Stir-Fried Vermicelli (both pictured below). The Mushrooms were smokey and really flavoursome and I could have had a double serve. However, I would have like some sort of sauce to bring the brocolli and the mushrooms together (though that might have detracted from the flavour of the mushrooms). 

What was undoubtedly delicious was the vermicelli which had the right balance of flavours, texture and freshness. I loved it and it is just as good as the ones offered by many vegetarian places in SEAsia (if not better than most).

Panfried Oyster Mushrooms

Stir-Fried Vermicelli

We also tried the Sweet and Sour Tofu and the Hong Shao Tofu. To me, these dishes were more average, compared to all the ones I have already mentioned. For example, the Sweet and Sour dish needed perhaps a bit more vinegar and onions while the HongShao dish could do with a bit more smokiness. Don't get me wrong, these were not bad dishes at all but in comparison to the excellent small dishes, they just weren't as great.

Sweet and Sour Tofu and Fried Rice

Hong Shao Tofu

The Service
The understated friendly service is just charming here. They know their food and they take pride in it which is great to see. The dishes came in a very timely manner (even second orders) and the politeness and quiet pride makes this place a lovely down to earth place to dine in. What a comfortable dining space.

Overall
It is lovely to know that Chinese Vegetarian Cuisine is well represented here in Melbourne. Sure, they have made some nods to Australian sensibilities but in a positive manner. For example, there is a lot less grease in the dishes here compared to similar dishes in Asia. That is surely a good thing. The layers of flavours are still there and for a non-vegetarian, I still enjoy going there.

Cultural Moment
There are two main ways to indicate vegetarian dishes in Chinese cuisine; There's sùshí (素食) ("vegetarian cuisine") and  zhāicài (斋菜) ("Buddhist cuisine"). Instead of me writing about it extensively, there's a pretty good wikipedia entry on this topic - Buddhist cuisine.

While western vegetarian dishes rely primarily on fresh vegetables, Chinese vegetarian cuisine extensively employs the use of bean curd (tofu) of various types and wheat gluten (used in many of the 'mock' meats), in addition to fresh vegetables.

It is also crucial to remember that Chinese cuisine is not just about freshness and balance of flavours, textures are just as important. The inter-play between crunchiness, softness and chewiness in the one dish is sometimes seens as really crucial. For example, the Lettuce Delight served at Veggie Kitchen does this well in that it has the fresh crisp lettuce, the crunchiness of the soy and tofu flakes, and chewiness of little bits of beancurd. Another example is soy crisp, and Chinese doughnut, and boiled peanuts in congee.This is one of the things that many who have not grown up with Chinese cuisine struggle with. Enjoying differing textures is important in many dishes. The use of wheat gluten is a bit of an art in Chinese vegetarian cuisine because you get completely different textures ranging from really soft to really crunchy varieties. So, the long and short of it is - this is an acquired taste for those who are not familiar but it is all very Chinese.

Brunswick Mess Hall (Lucky Panda Kitchen)

400, Sydney Rd, Brunswick, VIC 3056

http://www.thebrunswickmesshall.com.au
This is a great find on Sydney Road and a great addition to the area. There is also a bar for a few drinks, a great buzz, all in a mess hall environment. This is a good revamp for the Brunswick Mess Hall and I am looking forward to more visits.

The Place
The Mess Hall is beautifully set up and appeals very much to my aesthetics - high ceiling, wooden beams and flooring, plants every where and a general feel of a chilled space. The big windows let a lot of light in. There is also quirky video projections on the back wall (that's not a giant puffin in the picture below). It does get noisy in here but I like to call it a nice buzz.

There is also a full bar here and what really excited my good friend Caroline was that they gave away free soda water!

Possibly the only thing that I didn't like about the place was the high tables and chairs. I like eating with my feet on the ground.

The Food
There is a variety of Asian dishes served up from the Lucky Panda Kitchen. There is a mix of Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese and Thai dishes here. We tried a range but the real highlights were the following;

Vietnamese Coleslaw was really fresh with the right balance of acidity, fish sauce, sweetness and lashings of freshness. This was one of the best dishes of the dining experience.

Roast Pork Belly on Asian Greens was really well done and I just wished there was a whole lot more of it. It was definitely crispy crunchy on top and tender where it needed to be. They managed to achieve the crispiness without being overly salty.

The Steam Fish Fillet in Soy and Ginger Broth here was excellent with fresh fish and steamed just right. The delicate flavours was how it should be for this dish. This is also done with preserved plum and the fresh lime and herbs really helped the dish.

The flavours here are traditional and true to their roots. For example, even their Pad Thai which I didn't rave about used fresh uncooked bean shoots, which is the way it should be. They have stuck to their guns with the flavours and this means I am likely to be back soon.

Compared to similar trendy places, the dishes here would be considered smaller. This means some might consider it not value for money. For example, places like Tom Phat and Palookaville have much bigger servings. This is why it is not a cheap place to eat. Nevertheless, I will definitely be back .

The Service
You write your order down on pieces of paper and order at the bar and they bring out the food. What is great about this place is that they are very attentive about the dietary requirements of their diners. So, this was a real positive.The food also came relatively quickly and the wait staff clearly know the food. The bar staff are also very friendly.

Overall
This is a nice trendy place that serves pretty good food. It's not a family restaurant although it is family friendly. This place works well because of the space, ambience, service and food. That sounds like it's something everyone would like but that is not necessarily the case. Not everyone would like the trendy bar setting with minimal service and too cool for school feel. I did though and so, I will be back for more but will probably order more dishes this time.

I am impressed with a kitchen that can served authentic dishes from four different cuisines. Therefore, in theory, this place should work. However, I am not entirely sure that a pub going drinking crowd is quite necessarily ready for this type of food because other than the gyoza and spring rolls, the other dishes are not really pub food. In addition, it's pricier than normal pub food, even for those who are looking for a cheap eat at a pub. Therefore, it might take a bit of getting used to. 

Cultural Moment
Pub Meals in Asia are not very common (other than in Japan). Some would call it 'drinking food' which is food you eat while you are drinking (alcohol). While there has been a longer tradition of this practice in Japan which is what Izakayas are. Therefore, common pub meals in Japan might include yakitori (skewered marinated chicken), karaage (fried chicken), gyoza (dumplings), edamame (soybean pods) and even sushi.

The rest of Asia however, is just starting to build this trend because for a long time, pubs in SEAsia tended to serve no more than peanuts, fried achovies and maybe some other 'small dishes'. Drinking establishments were never really known for their culinary experiences until recently when modern trendy clubs are starting to offer innovative small dishes and tapas to attract more clients. Certainly, in most parts of Asia, people don't think of a pub / night club as their dining option and most would eat in the street stalls before proceeding to drink and party into the night.

Zhen Hong Restaurant

191 Russell St., Melbourne, VIC 3000

What a brutal start on Urbanspoon with reviewers panning everything from raw pork, to bland dishes to poor service? So, what is going on in this prime location? They have totally revamped the space from the previous A1 that was here. So, I decided to give it a few tries to see what the deal is.

The Place
This is actually a pleasant set up and good space where they don't squeeze 100 people into a space meant for 60. That's a great change for a restaurant in the area. This new and clean restaurant has tables in different configurations for small and largish groups. It is easy to find and could be relatively child friendly because of the generous space. It also doesn't get too noisy even on a packed night.

Let me just say that the piped music was terrible - it was almost a mix of outdated bad Richard Clayderman substitute with an overuse of tubular bells in one of those creepy Cirque Du Soleil tones. Parking in the area is also difficult unless if you pay for it at Mantra across the road.

Things to do Nearby: You are on the corner of Russell Street and Little Bourke - heaps of shops.

The Food
There is a mix of both northern and southern Chinese dishes. I actually think that they have managed to differentiate themselves from the many other similar restaurants within a stroll. While they are supposed to be Hong Kong styled, they are tinged with northern Chinese flavours.

I am not sure that they have achieved this. The Hot and Sour Soup (pictured below) needed more of everything in it because currently, though it's not a bad soup, it's really basic, mostly eggs, peas and szechuan peppercorn.

The other dishes follow similar formula of a medley of onion, carrots, capsicum, and celery. To me, this is just not right. You can't just put the same vegetables into different dishes that are supposed to taste different. Capsicum and celery are pretty overpowering vegetables. The noodle soups came with canned baby corn. So, in the end nothing really stood out for me despite a number of visits because it all tasted a bit 'same same'.

Beef Brisket on Rice

Braised Beef Noodles

Pork Ribs Noodles (with hidden capsicum and celery)

The Service
They are pretty friendly here and take time to explain dishes. This is probably where they are doing much better than many other Chinese restaurants. They are actually smiling and talking to the diners and with each other. This is not the usual harrassed surly wait staff that you might see at some other places. However, like many similar places, they struggle to get all the dishes out at the same time - it's possible for one diner to have his/her meal some 5 minutes before the others. Don't wait - just start eating.

Overall
I am not sure that this would be my go to place in the area. I like the setting and the service but I have yet to find dishes that really stand out for me, and the thought of having to deal with all that capsicum means it will probably be a while before I go back. It's not a disaster - it's just not a stand out. Maybe, that explains the lukewarm response on Urbanspoon too.

Cultural Moment 
So, I did actually ask them what style of food this was. They unequivocally claim to be Hong Kong style. This confused me quite a bit because the dishes had a definite non-Hong Kong feel to them. I also could not place it at definitely northern Chinese - which confused me even more.

It is true that the braised beef brisket on rice, has a Hong Kong feel to it - but the flavours were not authentic. However, the noodles were very different from what one might get in Hong Kong. Even the Hot and Sour Soup is actually more northern Chinese - because Hong Kong style Hot and Sour Soup tends to be way sweeter. So, this leaves me wondering if I am perhaps overconfident about my knowledge of Hong Kong cuisine, or maybe they are just really northern Chinese cooking Hong Kong dishes and have brought their own flavours to the table. I am not sure. If you every try this out - I'd love to hear from you (especially if you know Hong Kong food).

No.1 Delicious

83 Franklin St, Melbourne, VIC 3000

 
This is a place recommended by my Chinese friends from Northeast China. So, when Catherine suggested we go there for lunch, I was in. Then, I went again the following week just to try out a different dish. First thing to note was - don't bring a vegetarian. There's not a lot of options for them here. In addition, and rather strangely, they don't have a lot of options for Chinese Tea other than basic Jasmine Tea.

The Place
This is quite a nice set up and even though it is located near student central that is RMIT University, it still has a clean contemporary rather nice feel to it. This is not to say that students can't eat at nice places, just that this place has set it up nicely, instead of going for the cheap basic cafeteria feel. They recently renovated the place to make it somewhat more upmarket, creating a more relax atmosphere, where it used to be more frantic (at least from the outside looking in).

Things to do Nearby: This is about a block away from Queen Vic Market, Melbourne Central, and the State Library. It's very close to the Baths and RMIT University, as well as Vertical Indoor Rock Climbing.

The Food

Braised Pork - no green because I asked for it without capsicum

The food is authentic northern Chinese offerings, if a bit less spicy and chilli ridden than most places. Almost every dish I have tried here has had a hint of Szechuan peppercorn, without it overriding the flavours in its usual tongue numbing quality. This is a good thing for those of us who like a bit of spice without it killing our tastebuds.

The other really good thing about the food here is that, it presents authentic northern Chinese flavours but without the too common accompanying grease, and layer of chilli oil.

The highlights for me here include their Braised Pork (Hong Shao Rou) on Rice. It's really yummy, without being overly salty, or laden with MSG. It might look rather plain, but their generosity with the shitake mushroom made me very happy.
I also ordered something here that most of my friends would not touch with a barge pole - all the more for me - which is Stir Fried Pork Liver (pictured below). This dish was a delightful balance of salt, vinegar, and spice, and without being too sweet. It's not for everyone and it's not common in Melbourne, but this is a great find for me.

Catherine had the Seafood Fried Noodles which really didn't interest me - but I took a photo. It looked a bit like basic stir fried noodles with some seafood thrown in. Catherine didn't look that impressed either.

The Service
The service here is what I would call unobtrusive and polite. They are good at greeting diners and showing them to their tables but then leave you alone most of the time. If you want something, you actually have to call out for it. It's not that bad but don't expect attentive, chatty service and you'll be fine. The dishes were not served at the same time - so, start eating before it gets cold.

Cultural Moment
Offals - it's not just an Asian thing - there are plenty of European cultures that eat offals too. I know I have written about this topic before when I was focused on Cantonese cuisine (City BBQ). However, in this piece, I am going to share a bit about my childhood.

My childhood memories are filled with the wonderful tastes and smells of home cooked stir fried pork liver with ginger, spring onion and oyster sauce, or Chinese sausage with pork liver, or even just BBQ roasted Pork Liver (from Kuching, Sarawak). It was always a highlight of special meals for me. Come to think of it, it is features unusually frequently for me. When I left Malaysia, to go to Singapore, I started learning Mandarin, and I remember, one of the first phrases I learned in Mandarin in the text book was "Wo xi huan chi chao zhu gan" - "I like to eat fried pork liver!" I kid you not - it was in the text and I remember thinking - "Wow - this text book knows me!" It was also one of the first dishes I learned to cook as a pre-teenager. So, me and pork liver - we go way back. It makes me happy and thanks to No. 1 Delicious, I have rediscovered it in Melbourne.