Shark Fin Inn, Keysborough

Location: 328 Cheltenham Road, Keysborough
Link: www.sharkfin.com.au
Cuisine: Chinese

Chinese wedding reception = 12 course banquet. Here we go...

Course #1: cold platter of roast pork, BBQ pork, roast beef, pork trotter meat and jellyfish

The serving was HUGE! Jellyfish was nice and crunchy, the roast pork had a nice crackling and soft meat, the other meats were all quite nice too. There was a random piece of smoked ham in there too.

Course #2: crab meat claws

Again, HUGE - so much bigger than normal. But very crisp on the outside, soft on the inside and there was a small piece of actual crab meat in the claws. Tasted really good with the plum sauce.

Course #3: Prawns with cashews and snow peas

Just like your average restaurant dish. Prawns could have done with a lot more flavour though, and more garlic was required for the sauce.

Course #4: shark fin and crab meat soup

This was good. Nice consistency, smooth and creamy like it should be. There were actually pieces of crab meat and shark fin in the soup.

Course #5: lobster with noodles

The lobster was a bit of a disappointment as it was divided into too many pieces and there was shell in the noodles. The noodles themselves were strange - wider and thicker than the traditional egg noodles used as the base for lobster and crab dishes.

Course #6: abalone, sea cucumber, Chinese mushroom and vegies

The sauce in this dish lacked flavour, other than that, the actual pieces were quite fresh and nicely done.

Course #7: fried quail

Very crispy on the outside, a little dry on the inside - however it seems that other people found theirs to be moist and soft on the inside.

Course #8: fried rice

Most of the bowls had more in it, but I was getting full and picked up a small serving instead. Tasted just like standard fried rice.

Course #9: steamed fish with spring onions

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Course #1: cold platter of roast pork, BBQ pork, roast beef, pork trotter meat and jellyfish

Tasted just like normal steamed fish at a normal restaurant.

Course #10: sesame cookies and coconut biscuits

Both were sweet and crumbly. I liked the coconut one better.

Course #11: fresh fruit (or at least what was left of it...)

Course #12: red bean soup

The first couple of dishes were really good, as we neared the end, we started to get quite full and the food lost its appeal.

Overall Impression: 8.5/10