Mr Huang Jin

This blog has been the topic of several conversations over the past few weeks, including a not-so-subtle hint from my manager suggesting I take leave to write! I guess it's a timely reminder that I should get my act together and start doing something productive with the backlog of photos on my phone.

So let's talk food.

Mr Huang Jin is a modern take on Chinese/Taiwanese/Cantonese street food, with the occasional twist of South East Asia (for example, the laksa themed xiao long bao). Located on the ground floor of the Rialto building, the restaurant is clean, elegant and a complete contrast to the hustle and bustle of the night markets that traditionally sport a number of these dishes. 

Taiwanese fried chicken (TFC) w/ sweet chilli mayonnaise

One of the things I miss most about Taiwan is the street food, so seeing a list of 'Taiwanese tapas' on the menu is automatically a hit for me. Just like the Taiwanese fried chicken, which has a crispy, perfectly seasoned coating. The chicken itself is still juicy and tender. Paired with a tangy sweet chilli mayo, this chicken trumps popcorn chicken any day!

steamed pork xiao long bao

Up until I tried this place, Hutong was the only restaurant in Melbourne that really nailed the xiao long bao for me. These delicately wrapped Shanghainese dumplings match, if not surpass, the good old XLB of Hutong. The wrappy is thin but robust enough to hold in the soupy deliciousness that is required in any good XLB. Just one word of warning - handle with care, because you don't want it to explode and free the soup before you put it in your mouth.

prawn & pork wontons w/ chilli sauce

Now for a hit of spicy Sichuan goodness. Traditional wontons plump with chopped prawns and pork mince sit atop a numbing soy chilli oil concoction. Some crisp lettuce and sprigs of coriander scattered around the wontons provides a contrasting 'cooling' element in typical Chinese yin and yang style cooking. 

fried tofu balls

Another fried dish - this time, soft balls of silken tofu are crumbed and then deep fried. Crispy on the outside, melt in the mouth tofu on the inside. On their own, the tofu seems to lack flavour, but when eaten with the sweet and sour sauce on the side, or even just a squeeze of lemon, the dish comes together nicely. And, the balls are served with miniature skewers to prevent any potential for embarrassing chopstick mishaps. 

It's a bit of a walk from Docklands, but it's well worth the trek (so worth it, I've had two work lunches out there in the past month). 

The service is polite and not your typical Chinese dumpling joint. Have a big crowd? No worries, you can pre-order so that the dishes start coming out on your arrival, making it ideal for a quick work lunch.

Also worth a mention is the existence of gluten free versions of their dishes. Both the Taiwanese fried chicken and the tofu balls were ordered as gluten free and tasted no different to the non-gluten free versions on my second visit. It's rare to find an Asian restaurant that is so accommodating and yet still so reasonably priced. 

Overall Impression: 9/10

Orient East - Chef's Table Brekkie Smackdown

Location: 348 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
Phone: (03) 9685 2900
Link: www.orienteast.com.au
Cuisine: Malaya, breakfast

Back in Melbourne and a good return to the foodie scene. H managed to secure us a table at Orient East's Chef's table 'brekkie smackdown'. Essentially, this involved the restaurant serving us a series of breakfast dishes and the people's favourite dish would make it onto the permanent menu.

The setup is clean and modern, with bold colours and little decorations that remind you of Asia.

The theme seemed to be taking a famous or traditional dish from various Asian countries, and modernising them into breakfast dishes. And so that made up our seven course breakfast.

Jian Bing crepe, eggs, pork floss, crunchy Chinese donut, hoisin sauce

First up is the jian bing. The waitress tells us that this dish is already on their menu, but they wanted us to try it. And it was definitely a hit. A nice modern play on the traditional Chinese crepe which is usually rolled up and filled with meat floss. The flavours balanced nicely, with the dry semi salty semi sweet meat floss, sweet hoisin, smooth creamy egg and fresh coriander on top of a thin crepe. Torn up Chinese donut completed the dish with a nice crunch.

roti telur rolled with egg, lup cheong, chilli and spring onion

Course #2 was a Malaysian dish. Thin roti filled with egg, Chinese sausage, chilli and spring onion and rolled up like a crepe. A good balance of sweet and savoury, and the roti was nice and springy. The only thing it was missing was some sauce to go with it, perhaps a sweet chilli or a sambal.

banh cuon pourover - pork, shrimp, mushroom, cucumber rice roll

Probably our least favourite dish. This was a play on a Vietnamese rice noodle roll. The filling was mostly mince, which was a little bland. The general idea was good, but it just lacked seasoning. 

62 degree egg Samapan Congee, Schnapper cheeks, Chinese doughnut, ginger, spring onion, seasoned crispy flakes

This next course was a Cantonese classic - sampan congee. A dish often found in Hong Kong cafes and 'cha chan tangs'. A generous bowl of congee with slices of snapper, ginger and spring onion and topped with a 62 degree egg. Served alongside the congee was a bowl of Chinese doughnut (you tiao) and what we nicknamed 'cereal' (mostly because it tasted a little like corn flakes). We found the congee a little bland so we asked for some soy sauce. The much needed soy really lifted the dish. A perfect winter breakfast.

Mod Nasi Lemak - cocnut rice, sardine sambal, crunchy sardine frame ikan bilis, achar and fried egg

Another play on a traditional Malaysian dish that worked really well. The coconut rice was sweet and aromatic. The sardines were surprisingly crunchy that you could eat the whole thing head to tail. The achar added a nice sour tang to the dish. By this point I was starting to get a little sick of the egg, but looking at this dish in isolation, the egg added a nice creamy texture to the dish. The one thing this lacked was a sambal sauce that could be served on the side.  

super-phat chunky pandan Kaya Toast with coddled eggs

Another hit with the table, and apparently with the other diners too, as later that afternoon, Orient East announced that this was the dish that made it to the permanent menu. And why not? Two thick slices of toast were smothered in creamy sweet kaya butter and grilled, then topped with (another) egg.

$15 a head for seven courses of delicious breakfast - well worth waking up early for!

Overall Impression: 9/10

China Plate at Kingston

Location: Shop 4, 5/11 Kennedy St, Kingston ACT 2604

Phone: (02) 6260 7555

Link: www.chinaplatekingston.com.au

Cuisine: Chinese

Two posts in one night. Looks like the blog drought has ended.

With some entertainment cards in hand and a need to catch up, we headed to China Plate for dinner.

We started with two entrees, mostly because E insisted they were must-haves...

Peking duck pancake

The pancakes were nice but pretty standard. The duck was a little on the dry side, but had a good overall flavour. The pancakes were a little too delicate that mine started to fall apart (although that might be a result of the chef putting together the wraps before the pancakes had time to cool down - they were piping hot). Perhaps I just have higher expectations than most. 

Shanghai dumplings (XLBs)

The XLBs. Well, I resent them being called dumplings for a start, because technically they are buns. If E hadn't been there before, I would have just dismissed that item on the menu as regular dumplings. The wrapper was a little thicker than usual. That said, the filling was tasty, and there was actually some beautiful broth inside. The gingery vinegar sauce was a nice zingy accompaniment. 

But it was the mains that really impressed. Five people, four mains. It's your typical n - 1 rule.

cumin seeds spicy flavoured lamb

The lamb was beautifully cooked, with some crispy edges from the heat of the wok. There was a good hit of cumin, although the spice level a little milder than I'm used to for a Sichuan dish.

honey pepper beef ribs

Who could say no to beef ribs. Cooked on the bone to keep the meat tender, the bite sized pieces of beef rib were smothered in a sweet and peppery sticky sauce that just left you wanting more. 

eggplant with spicy salt

This one was a little controversial. Some enjoyed it, others found it a little insubstantial. I personally found it tasted like deep-fried air. Tasty deep-fried air, but still just air. Chunkier pieces of eggplant might have resolved that issue.

chicken green curry

The green curry was yet another great dish. The curry itself was creamy, with a nice hit of chilli. The chicken had been tenderised prior to cooking which kept it soft and tender, and the vegies were cooked to al dente.

three kinds of mushroom with seasonal vegetables

This was a simple but tasty. Shitaki, enoki and ling-gi mushrooms stir fried with bok choy and covered in a flavoursome gravy.

And lastly, we decided to order one deep fried ice-cream with chocolate topping to share between four.

deep-fried ice-cream with chocolate sauce

I've had this a couple of times in different restaurants, and actually really enjoyed this one. The batter on the outside was thin and crispy with almost a biscuit-like texture. It provided a nice textured contrast to the ice-cream. A nice sweet finish to the meal.

Overall Impression: 9/10

Roast Duck Inn

Location: Carrington Road, Box Hill, VIC
Cuisine: Cantonese

It's been a while since I've been very impressed with a Cantonese eatery. New ones crop up all the time in Box Hill, only to disappear months later due to mediocre food, bad service, or simply just bad management.

So when I say I was impressed with the recently opened Roast Duck Inn in Box Hill, I was very much impressed.

It started from the moment we were seated. Polite waitresses brought out not only complimentary tea but also a bowl of complimentary soup each. Little gestures that don't necessarily cost the restaurant much, but can impress their patrons. Too many restaurants these days charge exorbitant amounts of money for tea that costs next to nothing to provide. The soup is a classic Cantonese starter and goes down a treat as we read the menu. 

Classic Cantonese starter soup

The menu is only 2-3 pages and sports all the classic roast meats (duck, roast pork, BBQ pork etc), as well as all the usual Cantonese noodle and rice dishes. We order a beef brisket noodle soup and a char kuay teow to share. About a minute or so after we order, the manager comes over to check if we've had our orders taken. The attention to detail is overwhelming for a little cafe like this.

Food comes out pretty quickly. The beef brisket noodle soup arrives and you can immediately smell the aromas of the herbs and spices that the brisket has been stewing. The meat is fall-apart tender, the tendon is cooked to perfection - soft, slippery and full of flavour. A nest of egg noodles, some greens and aromatic broth. Simple and brilliant.

beef brisket noodle soup

The char kuay teow is also beautifully executed. The all-too-famous wok-smell is evident as it hits the table, and the dish is loaded full of rice noodles, prawns, chicken, fish cake, cuttlefish and Chinese sausage. Just enough seasoning to lift the dish, but not so much as to overpower it. 

char kuay teow

And to top it all off, the meal came to approximately $20. This is the epitome of Box Hill food. Classic dishes, thoughtful management, attentive waitresses and generous serves at decent prices. I wouldn't hesitate to go again.

Overall Impression: 9/10

[someone needs to create an Urbanspoon account for this place]

Spice Temple

Location: Crown Complex, Southbank, Melbourne
Phone: (03) 8679 1888
Link: www.spicetemplemelbourne.com
Cuisine: Asian, Sichuan

It's become a bit of a rule that each time I make it back to Melbourne for a weekend, I have to go out to some 'fancy' restaurant. Possibly because of the lack thereof in Canberra.

I have a harddrive full of photos, but with dinner time fast approaching and craving some good old Sichuan food, I thought I might start with Neil Perry's Spice Temple at Crown, from my August trip.

Located in the Crown Complex, Spice Temple is the newest addition to Neil Perry's growing collection of restaurants. The restaurant was dimly lit and spacious, with dark polished wooden furniture and hints of oriental design.

First up, a nice refreshing mocktail.

Green Apple & Jasmine House Made Soda

This was no apple juice, the freshness and sweetness of the apple was balanced with clean flavours from the jasmine tea, and topped off with some crunchy slivers of pickled cucumber.

Just as well we had the drinks, because shortly after, things started spicing up. We selected two dishes from the small plates and one from the large, along with some rice.

Fried squid with whole five spice and dark chilli paste

The first of our small dishes, the fried squid was crispy and packed full of five-spice goodness. And if that wasn't enough, the chilli paste on the side added an even hotter, but slightly acidic kick. A brilliant dish.

Fried salt and pepper silken tofu with spicy coriander salad

This was the highlight of the meal for me. The golden fried silken tofu was crispy and well seasoned on the outside, soft and smooth on the inside. They managed to keep their shape throughout the cooking process, and was served on a bed of coriander salad, which was doused in a numbing chilli sauce. A big plate of this and a large bowl of rice, and I'd be a very happy person.

Cabbage and radish pickles

As a palate cleanser, we opted for some cabbage and radish pickles, which provided a nice break from the fiery heat of the other dishes. The pickles themselves were slightly spicy too, but not quite the numbing sensation that were the other dishes.

Hot, sweet, sour and numbing pork chilli, sugar, black vinegar and Sichuan peppercorn

Our 'large dish' selection turned out not to be as large relative to the small dishes that arrived earlier. But the flavours were just as big. The pork itself was crunchy (think KFC popcorn chicken when done properly) and the chilli, sugar, vinegar and peppercorn created an explosion of spicy, sweet and sour flavours that numbed the mouth. Heaven on a plate.

Caramel chocolate and peanut parfait

And who could pass up dessert to cool the palate and finish on a sweet note? Not us. Despite looking somewhat boring, the caramel chocolate and peanut parfait was sweet, sticky, goody and crunchy on the outside. A perfect end to a perfect meal.

Service was pleasant, food arrived in a fairly timely manner, and the menu is just bursting with flavours. If you enjoy spicy food, give this place a shot. You won't regret it.

Overall Impression: 9.5/10

Din Tai Fung Dumpling Bar

Location: Level 5, Westfield, Pitt Street, Sydney 2000
Link: www.dintaifungaustralia.com.au
Cuisine: Chinese, Dumplings

After a couple of hours of shopping, H and I stopped for a light lunch at Din Tai Fung Dumpling Bar, a food court version of the famous Taiwanese dumpling chain.

shrimp and pork wonton noodles

A beautifully flavoursome but light dish. The wontons were juicy with soft wrappers and filled with nice chunks of shrimp and well-seasoned minced pork. The noodles were cooked al dente, and the broth was subtle and packed with flavour.

xiao long bao

Good old xiao long bao, the one dish to judge any good dumpling place by. These were perfect. The wrapper was thin and delicate, filled with juicy minced pork. A Shanghainese friend once told me that the trick to eating these is to take a small bite and to suck the soup out first. And soup there was a plenty. I would rate these on par with Hu Tong, which are the best I've had in Melbourne.

Din Tai Fung definitely delivers above and beyond the quality typically expected of food court dishes. If the quality here is anything to go by, I just cannot wait to try the dumplings at the head restaurant!

Overall Impression: 9.5/10

Happy's Chinese Restaurant

Location: 17 Garema Place, Canberra City ACT 2601
Phone: (02) 6249 7015
Link: www.happys.com.au
Cuisine: Chinese

As many would know, Canberra has a distinct lack of what a Melbournian or Sydneysider, would consider to be a 'proper' Chinese restaurant. There are a couple scattered throughout different town centres, but within Civic, I have only found one that comes close. Happy's makes people happy.

Puns aside, I've found that Happy's has struck the right balance between authentic Cantonese cuisine and Westernised Chinese food (for those not so keen on the authentic flavours). The menu ranges from your Westernised basics - honey chicken, sweet and sour pork and beef in black bean sauce - through to the more authentic dishes such as eggplant hot pot and Szechuan chicken.

One of the reasons my non-Asian friends like Happy's is the existence of the banquet deals. With banquets ranging from $18 to $28 per head, you can get a whole array of dishes, including soup, entrée and dessert, for a reasonably low price.

On one such occasion, we ordered the $20 menu, which gave us soup, three entrées, five dishes, fried rice and dessert.

chicken sweet corn soup

First up was the soup. It was your typical chicken sweet corn soup - it had the right consistency and the balance of flavours was right on the mark. Nothing fancy, just simple chicken sweet corn soup.

dim sims, spring rolls, prawn toast and prawn crackers

Again, this was nothing special. General deep fried goodness. All were deep fried until crispy although the dim sim was a bit on the dry side. Again, nothing special and I found that they all needed the plum sauce to balance out the dryness.

honey prawns

One thing I've noticed about Happy's is that once the food starts coming out, it rolls out continuously. Before we had even finished our entrées, the mains were brought out. First up was the honey prawns - juicy prawns coated battered then coated with a sweet sticky honey sauce to balance out the oiliness of the batter.

chicken fillets in a birdnest

I generally love bird's nest dishes, but this one disappointed. Mostly because they replaced what is traditionally a potato base with deep fried noodles that was dry, bland and tough rather than crunchy. That aside, the chicken fillets were tender and juicy, and the vegetables and the sauce were cooked to the texture.

chilli beef

The chilli beef was one of the more impressive dishes of the night. The beef had a nice 'wok hei' aroma and the chilli gave the dish a nice 'kick'. Unfortunately the beef was overcooked, leaving it a little dry and chewy.

sizzling Mongolian lamb 

Dishes that come to the table sizzling always create a little food excitement for me, so when the Mongolian lamb hit the table, my meal was pretty much complete. The lamb was tender and well-marinated and the onions had been caramelised, adding some sweetness and texture to the dish.

pork ribs in plum sauce

Having two deep fried dishes on the one banquet menu was probably not the best choice in menu design as by this stage, there had already been a series of fairly oily dishes. That aside, the ribs were cooked reasonable well - not quite falling off the bone, but they certainly not overcooked and still retained some lovely meat juices. The sauce provided a nice acidity to the dish, and was strongly flavoured but not too overpowering.

special fried rice

I can never understand why all restaurants like to call their fried rice dishes 'special'. It's fried rice. And certainly nothing that sets it apart from any other fried rice. The fried rice was a very average dish and there was probably a little too many ingredients in it for it to be an accompaniment to the fairly strongly flavoured dishes. Steamed rice probably would have worked better.

Service-wise, Happy's is your typical Cantonese restaurant. The waiters and waitresses take your order, bring your dishes out and take the dishes away once you've finished. There is minimal communication and the waiters and waitresses were reasonable polite.

$20 is not bad considering most meals out there these days cost around that, we definitely had enough leftovers for lunch the next day. However, if you're after a more authentic Cantonese dining experience, I'd suggest that you skip the banquet and just order n-1 dishes (one less dish than you have people) plus rice. the servings are generous and you'll probably save yourself some money.

Overall Impression: 7.5/10