The Chicken Rice Ex-press, Singapore

A fast food chicken joint in an old shop house ... you'd be forgiven for thinking that the name of this place sounds more like another regular fast food chicken outlet in similar vain to KFC.

It's clean, airy, and doesn't have that fried chicken odour wafting around the place for a start.  And there's 'alfresco' pavement seating under their big awning.

Chicken Rice Ex-press is self-service, and serves up hainanese and soya chicken with an assortment of other asian dishes.  For $6, you can get their special set which includes chicken, vegetables, soup and a lime juice or barley drink. 

A whole chicken will set you back $25.  Not bad if you can't be bothered to cook at home.  There's char siew or roast pork as well as meat and vegetables with rice on offer. 

The cooked chickens are hung in a glass cabinet with the chef ready to chop the chicken on order.  For those who aren't in-the-know, the pale skinned chicken is hainanese and the dark skinned chicken is soya (soy sauce).

I decided to get a soya chicken breast special set.  It was placed onto a tray fairly quickly and I sat down to eat at the ready.

The chicken was lovely and tender on top of sliced fresh cucumber, the soup was fairly bland though, and the bok choy topped with oyster sauce (which tasted like it had been a little watered down) and fried garlic was a nice addition, if just ever so slightly on the soft side. 

The rice cooked in chicken broth had a subtle flavour and a nice slice of ginger.   

All in all, it wasn't bad considering the price.  I would certainly go back for the chicken, give or take the soup and bok choy.

For $6, it's value for money and I can see why it's popular with the lunch time crowd.

The Chicken Rice Ex-press

107 Killiney Road, Singapore

Tel: +65 6736 1928

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House Of Rice Roll & Porridge, Singapore

It's not every day that I feel like eating rice porridge, otherwise known as congee or 'juk' as I grew up calling it.

It's traditionally eaten as breakfast in the north of Thailand, a regular staple on any dim sum menu, and a sort of chinese comfort food.  A truly versatile dish: there are many different regional variations, it can be eaten at any time of the day or night, or as substitute for plain rice.

To put it simply, rice porridge or congee is rice that has been boiled down in water until the grains have broken down and have significantly softened.  Depending on the region, the consistency ranges from watery to almost gloopy. 

Personally I prefer mine leaning towards gloopy, but my late grandfather (who came from the Teochow region of China) used to like his watery.

House of Rice Roll & Porridge was on my path home today, so I decided to make a quick pit stop for a mid-morning/early lunch.

The place was clean and tidy which always makes for a good first impression.  Auntie greeted me with a smile and handed me a laminated menu as I walked in.

Written in both chinese and english, the menu is clear and easy to read.  There's an array of different items: sweet as well as savoury cheong fun; an assortment of congee including some interesting additional items such as intestine and pig liver; glutinous rice balls; specials; fried rice; snacks and desserts.

I ordered my favourite cheong fun of all time, char siew cheong fun (bbq pork), a fish congee, and a homemade lime juice to wash it all down with.

I didn't have long to wait, the char siew cheong fun arrived first, closely followed by the generous portion of fish congee.  Good job I have a big appetite.

I love the way they cut the cheong fun into bite size morsels.  In Hong Kong, they come in a stack of three long rolls.  This rice roll was soft.  With a melt-in-your mouth texture, the barbeque pork had been trimmed of any fat, and the sauce was neither too salty nor too sweet.  Although different from the Cantonese style that I am used to, it was delicious all the same.

The fish rice porridge had a sprinkling of green onions and crisp doughy cracker type things on top (sorry don't know the proper term for these?!). 

The fish was soft which was good, the consistency of the congee was thick and just how I like it.  I love my congee plain because then I can simply add condiments to make it spicy and salty.  Seeing how I am an chilli fiend, I spooned in lashings of chilli.  Oh, this was so good and so very filling.  Washed down with refreshing cold lime juice.  Yummy!! 

As I made my way out, I thought I'd take a snap of the framed press clipping from The Sunday Times regarding their durian cheong fun.  I'm not the biggest fan of durian.  Not just because of the smell, but also because of the texture, which for me is a little too slimey. 

However, Lazy Foodies did try it and now recommend it.  Perhaps I need to give this pungent smelling fruit another chance ... thus, it gives me an urgent excuse to come back to sample their prawn cheong fun.

A great little place serving good, simple, honest, value-for-money and to some, 'different' food.

House of Rice Roll & Porridge
89 Killiney Road, Singapore 239534
Tel: +65 6238 9028

HOURS
11am-10pm Mon-Fri
10am-10pm Sat-Sun

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Stacked, Robertson Quay, Singapore

Being a Sunday, I decided that dim sum would be the lunch choice of the day.  I love my dim sum, especially as it is in my heritage.

I was excited to be going to this place and when I got to Stacked Dim Sum Bar just after one o'clock in the afternoon, I was a bit stunned to find that we were the first in. 

This place is only open from one o'clock on Sundays which in my opinion is not a good start.  Traditional dim sum places start service early and it is not uncommon to find a good dim sum restaurant packed before midday.

The menu here isn't vast.  The traditional dim sums are $5.90 each, the special fusion dim sums are $8.90 each and if you get a stack of 3 traditional dim sums, you pay $15 rather than $17.70.

OK, so we went for the traditional dim sums rather than any fusion ones.  Why?  Because all the fusion ones that I have ever tried in the past have been pretty disastrous.  This place may be different, but I didn't want to risk it.

So I decided to play it safe and opted for the traditional steamed har gau (prawn dumplings); steamed siew mai (pork and prawn dumplings); pan fried chive dumplings and pan fried carrot cake.

Har gau are steamed prawn in translucent starchy rice wrap dumplings.  The rice wrappers on these were rather sticky and starchy though, in fact a little bit too much.  The dumplings themselves didn't impart much flavour either.

Siew mai dumplings are steamed minced pork and prawn, put together into yellow wonton wrappers.  These ones came out looking nice and plump, but unfortunately the wrappers were a little bit too dry and the bottoms stuck a little too much to the paper.

Onto the pan fried carrot cake, it wasn't greasy, but they weren't particularly amazing.  They were pretty average.

The pan fried chive dumplings turned out to be minced prawn with chopped chives.  They didn't look very attractive and I'm sure that these had just been quickly tossed in a wok to get a bit of colouring on the edges.  Pan fried, I'm not convinced. 

The dishes were a little bland and a real let down to what dim sum can be.  The fact that this place didn't fill more than three tables in the two and half hours I was there must be a sign that this place isn't quite what it is 'stacked' up to be.  Is it a bar, is it a dim sum place?!   I'm not sure even the owners know. 

Neverless, service made up for the lacklustre food.  But unfortunately, it wasn't enough to make me want to go back.  It's a great concept, just badly executed. 

STACKED

60 Robertson Quay, #01-13 The Quayside, Singapore

Tel: +65 9677 8281

HOURS

Mon-Thu: 3.30pm-11.30pm

Fri: 3.30pm-1am

Sat: 1pm–1am
Sun: 1pm-11.30pm

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Pacific BBQ Cafe, Melbourne

I was in the mood for some bbq pork and egg noodles tonight, so what better place to try than the 'Pacific BBQ Cafe' that I had visited for a takeout the other week.  This place was so busy on my previous visit for takeout that I felt compelled to bring my dining companion here to try their bbq pork and roast duck.

We arrived for a fairly early dinner - six o'clock in fact.  It was about half full and we were pointed to a table by the window.  A waiter came over to with two cups of hot tea and utensils on paper napkins. 

Their menu is laid out underneath the clear glass table tops.  It's pretty vast and lists some rather random, somewhat interesting Westernised dishes such as spam and egg sandwich; french toast; fried chips; frankfurter in noodles; diced chicken with corn cream on rice and so on. 

We decided to stick with what this place is most probably known for - bbq and roast meats.  My dining companion chose the 'Mixed roasts (2 meats)' with soup noodles, choosing roast duck and bbq pork.  I also chose the mixed roasts, but with dry egg noodles along with roast chicken and bbq pork.  We also decided to share a plate of greens - 'Water spinach with garlic'.  Yummy!!

Seeing as we had to flag down a waiter by flailing our arms in the air, it was obvious that this would be the only way to catch their attention.

First thing to arrive was the water spinach and it was an unbelievably generous portion.  So generous in fact that we only managed a third of it and had to take the rest home in a takeout box.

The soup noodles with roast duck and bbq pork arrived next.  And what was nice about it was that the meat came on a separate side plate.  Again, a generous portion of noodles with a scattering of pak choy.

I had a little longer to wait for mine.  Not sure why as I was getting pretty much the same but with dry noodles.  When it did arrive, I was ready to eat.  I even got a small bowl of the chicken broth on the side.  The chicken was lovely, juicy and tasty and the bbq pork wasn't too fatty which is just how I like it. 

I can't remember how much the dishes were, but we paid no more than $30.  If you're hungry and you want something quicky, tasty and filling, this place is a good bet.  Don't expect service with a smile though, but do expect to walk out stuffed and hopefully satisfied (like we were).  For a casual Cantonese cafe, it's pretty good.

Pacific BBQ Cafe
213 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000
Tel:+61 (0)3 9663 9288

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Shanghai Noodle House, Melbourne

With shabby graffiti walls on the outside, Shanghai Noodle House doesn't look like much to a passerby.  However, I had read some good things about this place and I love trying out new lunch options. 

Just so you're aware, there's another dumpling joint a few doors down, but I decided against it.  Why?  Well, this place won hands down for several reasons - it was brighter, it looked a lot cleaner, it didn't have a nasty odour and I wasn't greeted by any rudeness. 

As I sat down at the table below the television screen (showing a Chinese channel), I saw that all four walls were neatly covered in multicoloured A4 sheets of paper with scribblings of dishes on offer.  A cheap, but oh so typical Chinese way of decorating the walls of a humble eatery.  It's not offensive and means that you can read about the dishes that you wish you had seen before ordering.  At least, it was in my case.

A waitress handed me a menu.  Like many Asian eateries, the choice is immense.  And of course, there are dumplings a plenty.  Seeing as I was in the mood for dumplings, I decided to go with the 'Chilli oil dumplings in soup'.  Fifteen dumplings for $7 - now that is what I call a bargain lunch.

As I waited for my dumplings to arrive, I wandered over to the counter top by the window to help myself to cutlery and pour myself a mug of hot tea from the canister.  It's not the strongest tea in the world, but it does for cleansing my palate.

My dumplings in soup arrive looking plump and delicious.  They bounce around in the hot broth like buoys in the sea.  Chilli oil has been spooned into the middle, there's also coriander, sliced fried egg, sliced cabbage and even seaweed! 

The soup was a little weak for me, so I had to add soy sauce, white pepper and a little more chilli oil.  Yes, I am such a chilli fiend?!  But I simply love the stuff.

The dumplings themselves were de-lish!  I could taste the subtleness of rice wine, the pork was beautifully minced with no gristle, and they were generously filled.  I managed to eat them all and was truly stuffed, but happily so.  I don't think I'll be needing another meal for the rest of the day. 

I'd like to come back to try one of their hotpots as they all sounded so good.  Shanghai Noodle House is great place to come for a cheap and cheerful dumpling lunch.  It wasn't overcrowded which was nice and it will definitely go onto my 'lunch options' list.

Shanghai Noodle House,

Tattersall Lane (off Little Bourke Street), Melbourne, VIC 3000

Tel: +61 (0)3 9662 9380

Mon-Wed: Lunch 11:30am-3pm; Dinner 5pm-9:30pm

Thurs: 11:30am-9:30pm

Fri: 11:30am-10pm

Sat: 11:30am-9:30pm

Sun: 11:30am-9pm

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HuTong Dumpling Bar, Melbourne

I have read many great things about this place and the last time I came here, admittedly a busy Friday lunch time, I couldn't even get a table!

Tonight, I wasn't taking any chances; I had arranged for my friend and I to arrive at five-thirty on the dot.  This being their opening time for the evening.  We weren't the only ones thinking along these lines either, as there was already a couple eagerly waiting by the entrance.  

Since the doors had not yet opened, we decided to wait patiently under the protection of our umbrella.  In the next few minutes, three more groups of people arrived and I felt impulsed to move closer to the entrance behind the first couple.  I felt them cautiously eye me up as I did this, but I didn't care.  I wanted a table tonight, no matter what.

Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long for the doors to open.  As we entered, I proceeded to ask for a table for two, a little nervously when I saw the huge list of 'reservations'.  We were given a table on their ground floor by the window.  It looked a little cramped, so I very nicely asked for a table upstairs.  The waitress muttered something to the waiter in their mother tongue and the waiter nodded before they ushered us upstairs - without a smile I might add. 

Upstairs on the first floor, there are a few four person booths with strategically scattered wooden tables for four and two around the rest of the room.  A technicolour stained glass window formation sits alongside the booths.  The bare red brick walls, with wooden beams running across the ceiling gave this room an almost barn conversion feel.  I was impressed by how tastefully decorated and upmarket this place was compared to some of the other dumpling houses in Chinatown, Melbourne.

We grabbed a two person table and were promptly presented with menus.  The menu had a few pages displaying photo images of the dishes.  Always helpful when you are trying to picture what a dish looks like when you have absolutely no idea...

The first picture on the first page was that of HuTong's infamous 'Shao Long Baos' or more precisely Xiao Long Bao ($10.80 for 8).  I decided that we had to have them.  My friend duly agreed.  We also decided to try the 'Szechuan Chilli Wontons'.  Being careful not to order too much, we decided to go for just one main dish - the 'Prawn and Eggplant Szechuan Chilli' Claypot' and one steamed rice to share.

A pot of Chinese tea was ordered to refresh our palates.  I personally don't like to drink anything other than this with a Chinese meal;  I really don't find beer or wine complimentary.

Our chilli wontons were the first of the trio of dishes to arrive.  They were steamed wontons in Szechuan chilli sauce with a sprinkling of spring onions (scallions).  You get eight of these little wontons and they were really rather tasty.  Although they weren't as steaming hot as we had expected them to be.  Instead they were just on the warm side of tepid.

Furthermore, not being a big fan of aniseed, I did at one point get a pretty strong taste of it which annoyingly wouldn't go away.  Nevertheless, this did not stop me from devouring them and I can confidently say that I would quite happily eat these again. 

The steaming Xiao Long Baos arrived as a set of octuplets in a bamboo steamer.  These are a Shanghai speciality and are simply known as soup dumplings.  That's right, they contain soup! 

The unleavened flour dumpling skins were soft and a little translucent.  They were steaming hot and tasted oh so deliciously good.  Using your chopsticks, simply pick them up by pinching the tops.  With your other hand, hold your spoon or bowl close by so that you can swiftly transfer the dumpling into your spoon or bowl so as to avoid them falling onto the table, which God forbid if that were to happen. 

Be careful when biting into these babies as the soup inside will naturally squirt out.  We both concluded that these were really good soup dumplings.  The meat inside was well minced and seasoned, and the soup was deliciously subtle.  Excuse the slightly out of focus photo...

The last dish to arrive was the Szechuan chilli prawn and eggplant claypot.  It was certainly a substantial size.  The aubergine didn't taste bitter and the prawns had been floured before they were cooked. 

However, there were only about seven or eight prawns in the claypot.  Considering that this is a $20.80 dish, we expected there to be more prawns.  So it was a little disappointing to find so little amongst the layers of aubergine slices.  Altogether though, a well rounded and robust dish which wasn't too spicy, but perhaps a touch stingy with the prawns.

We polished off the wontons and the dumplings, but we really couldn't manage all the eggplant.  And that is only, because we were full and pretty eggplanted out. 

I would give these soup dumplings gold stars and they really were the highlight of my meal.  It is certainly worth a trip to HuTong's for their Shao Long Baos.  I wonder if they do take out...

HuTong Dumpling Bar

14-16 Market Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000

Tel: +61 (0)3 9650 8128 

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New Kum Den, Melbourne

I had yet to venture out to Chinatown on a Friday night.  Having spent all day eating out, I thought I may as well continue to do so for my evening meal. 

This wasn't a planned visit.  My friend and I purely ended up in Chinatown for sake of ease, vicinity and value for money. 

We wondered up Little Bourke Street and we came across a well lit place down one of the many dark Chinatown laneways called 'New Kum Den'.  OK, so at the time the name didn't really register in my famished state.  On reflection, I can see how it may not sound like the most tantalizing of places. 

We stepped onto the front porch and on hearing the sounds of lively chatter starting to emanate ever louder, we both smiled in approval and opened the door leading into the restaurant.

We were instantly greeted by the manager as we asked for a table for two.  With a quick glance around, he pointed in the direction of a table at the back next to the wall.  It gave us the perfect viewing point from which to observe dishes being brought out to the other diners. 

Personally, I love being able to see what other people have ordered so that I can assess what the food looks like and try to guess what they are.  It also gives me an idea on portion size.

So, on looking around, we saw that portion sizes were indeed generous here.  From our brief, but careful observations, we decided that choosing one dish each to share, would be more than adequate for the both of us.

A polite waiter arrived with some menus for us.  On viewing it, I can explain that the menu is broken down into easy headings of appetizers, the different proteins, noodle and rice dishes, followed by a handful of desserts. 

We agreed on the 'Seafood combination and tofu claypot' (at $22.80) and the 'Shredded beef with black pepper sauce on fried noodles' (at $12.80).  For refreshment, a pot of Chinese tea to refresh and cleanse our palates was ordered.

For those who have never experienced Chinese claypot dishes before, let me start by saying that they are extremely tasty, and claypot cooking is also one of my favourite methods of Chinese cuisine.  It's an ancient technique of cooking food (which is not only confined to Chinese cuisine).  All the ingredients are placed together in what is a traditional Chinese style unglazed single handed claypot.  The claypot, having been soaked in water releases steam when cooking.  The end result, when done well, is a beautiful steaming hot pot of deliciousness. 


It didn't take too long for our dishes to arrive, but it was long enough given the rumbles in my tummy. 

The seafood claypot had slices of carrot and a handful of coriander on top.  There was an abundance of plump prawns, sliced scallops and curly squid, all of which we agreed were cooked to perfection - tender, juicy, and so not chewy at all!   There were also pieces of soft white fish, fried silken tofu (which was lovingly melt in your mouth) and gorgeous bok choy greens at the bottom.  It was a meal in itself and a truly magnificent one at that.  I have to confess, it was really very, VERY good indeed.  And we managed to scrape out every last morsel!

(I forgot to take photgraph before I tucked in again, sorry folks!)

The noodles with beef had slices of spring onions (green onions) and white onions in a peppery sauce which softened the bed of crispy noodles underneath.  As we sampled this dish, my friend announced with a little disdain on her face, how much they reminded her of 'two minute packet noodles'.  Sadly, I had to agree.  

In order to add some 'kick' to this dish, we decided that chilli paste oil was essential.  Although this dish, especially when compared to the Combination seafood and tofu claypot, was bland in flavour, I must admit to finding noodle dishes in Chinese restaurants (the world over) pretty bland in taste.  It seems that chilli is an essential condiment to enhancing noodle dishes.  Nevertheless, any lack of flavour did not stop us from polishing most of it off. 

As we sat back to digest our meal, our plates and bowls were cleared leaving behind a splattered canvas of pepper sauce, chilli paste oil, tea and other small remnants from our dishes on the white paper table cloth. 

The restaurant was heaving and suddenly the sound of 'Happy Birthday' started to jingle over the loud speakers.  It sounded like something from a Japanese karaoke tape.  'Hello Kitty' where are you?!

We saw a waiter walk towards the round table of diners next to us carrying a small dish of what looked like a square white jellied dessert with a single lit candle.  Everyone started to clap and sing along to the Happy Birthday tune being belted out.  The table next to us jeered 'Happy Birthday Hayden!'  whilst everyone applauded.  He obviously relished in the attention as he stood up and started doing a body wave holding the little dessert in the palm of his hand to the rapturous clapping of the whole restaurant.  We both laughed, a little out of astonishment and a little out of embarrassed amazement. 

However, this light entertainment brought smiles and laughter to everyone in the place.  And just as we settled down to resume our previous conversation, we heard the same Happy Birthday tune being belted out again.  This time, everyone started to ardently look around trying to figure out who the next birthday victim was.  It turned out to be a lady sitting at another round table and unlike the last guy, she looked utterly embarrassed.  She received her birthday dessert looking very much so, and managed to smile at her fellow friends on her table.  

Everyone soon settled down again and returned to their normal chitter chatter.  My friend and I were now hoping that they weren't going to do this to every table just for the fun of it.  Luckily for us, this didn't happen.

We decided that we were now in the mood for dessert (probably having seen the birthday desserts!) and we asked for the menus again.  My friend went for the 'Deep fried ice-cream' and I chose the 'Deep fried banana fritter with ice-cream.'  Blow the calories I thought, there's always tomorrow...

Chinese restaurants (the world over) are generally not renowned for their visual assembly of food.  So when our desserts arrived, I really did not expect anything elaborate.  And quite rightly too, no fancy presentation was spared.  I'll let you guess which was what.

Unfortunately, my friend didn't think much of her deep fried ice-cream.  And although mine looked more like a battered English sausage with a lump of lard, the banana fritter was in fact rather nice.  It had syrup drizzled over the top and the banana was sweet and soft.  The ice-cream was nothing to write home about though.  It had the texture of cheap ice-cream with just a hint of flavour.  But for $5 a piece, I'm not going to complain too much.

All in all, the claypot was the winner of the evening.  I would certainly go back for their claypot again and perhaps try some dim sum which looked delightful on the next table.  The waiters were polite and friendly, which is something of a rarity in Chinese restaurants, again the world over.

If you want to embarrass your friend's on their birthday, then be sure to book a table here, inform the waiters and you won't be disappointed.

New Kum Den

15 Hefferman Lane, Melbourne, VIC 3000
Tel: +61 (0)3 9639 9857

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Shanghai Village, Melbourne

On meeting a fellow foodie for lunch today, we decided to take a walk through Chinatown.  Having dismissed a few places, we stopped at Shanghai Village. 

Upon entering the pillar box red door to the restaurant, prospective customers are politely informed that they can only pay in cash.  As can be expected when arriving at a popular Chinese restaurant in the peak of a busy lunchtime hour, we had no choice but to join the back of an already eager queue of customers.  Whilst we stood waiting patiently, we watched as a spectacle of waiters buzzed in and out of the kitchen carrying trays of food to their respective tables.  We could have been in any busy Chinatown restaurant around the world. 

Assessing the place, it's impossible to ignore how impressively pink the walls are.  In fact, they wouldn't look out of place in a tart's boudoir.  Along the main side wall, there are Chinese lantern covered lights that sit in between framed beer poster prints.  It makes for an interesting take on East meets West. 

What was more interesting however, was an A4 sheet of paper sellotaped to the wall in front of the entrance.  It had inkjet printed CCTV images of some customers walking out of the restaurant.  Much to our amusement, it was entitled 'The Black List That Left Without Paying.' 

As diners finished up and vacated their tables, the queue started to dwindle and we went up to find an empty table on the mezzanine level. 

As the table had not yet been cleared of the last diners' now empty dishes, it was a case of having to frantically wave down any waiter that managed to catch our eye. Seeing my efforts go unnoticed several times, our next door table reassuringly chirped in that service is a little slow.  I changed tactics and started flailing like a mad woman with both arms.   

I eventually caught the attention of a waiter and he proceeded to clear the table and brought us some menus.  It's vast and the choice is immense, so it took us both a while to read through.  There's a good choice of dumplings, both steamed and deep fried.  Seeing how every other table had a plate of steamed dumplings, we decided that they must be good.  We chose the Steamed chicken and prawn dumplings ($6.50), the West Lake style duck on rice ($7) and the Chinese broccoli with garlic ($10). 

Having forgotten to order any tea, we watched as others gathered to the coffee urn sitting on what looked like an old wooden writing desk.  They grabbed chopsticks and Western style cutlery (fork and spoon), plastic rice bowls and filled small cups with hot chinese tea from the urn; I followed their cue.

The food didn't take too long to arrive.  The dumplings looked pale but interesting, the duck was dark from the soy sauce and the vegetables were a beautiful silky green in colour. 

You can only see seven dumplings, but there were in fact eight.  I accidentally took one before remembering to take a photo!

The chicken and prawn dumplings were suprisingly good.  As I bit into my first dumpling, it exploded with mouthwateringly hot broth that had a subtle hint of vinegar.  It was truly delicious.  The prawn was still whole and the minced chicken was tender. The rice wrapping was soft and not too chewy.  The chinese broccoli was cooked just right, not too soft with a little crunch.  Unfortunately though, the duck was a bit too salty from the soy sauce for our liking.  On the whole, considering how inexpensive this meal was, I can honestly say that this place really does deserve to be one of Melbourne's Cheap Eats. 

It may not be the sort of place that you want to bring a first date to, unless you're a poor student that is.  But if you're after something cheap and cheerful, this is the place to come.  With most dishes being under $10, it really is very good value for money. 

Oh, and remember to pay at the counter on your way out, otherwise you may find your picture gloriously posted on their black list for all to see.

Shanghai Village
112 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000
Tel: +61 (0)3 9663 1878

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Sho Noodle Bar, Melbourne

For those who know me well, you will know how much I luuurve my noodles.  I grew up eating ramen noodles, rice noodles, egg noodles, mungbean noodles. You name it, I ate it.  

Today, I decided to pay a long overdue visit to my local noodle bar. It's located inside a huge casino, which isn't where you would normally think of going to when wanting a bowl of noodles. But it's close, it's easy and it's downright tasty.

Sho Noodle Bar is all open plan with an open kitchen where you can sit at the 280 degree bar and watch the chefs at work. The waitresses wear typical red chinese costume and the front of house managers are suited and booted in white shirts and black suits.  The décor is modern, comfortable and a little bit funky.  There are six booths, plenty of regular dining tables and low casual tables with individual lounge style chairs.

Sitting at the bar, I ordered my usual of yellow chrysanthemum tea which comes in a clear glass teapot, Peking duck pancakes to start with and a bowl of egg noodle soup with char siu pork. 

As per usual, I was starving. So I made it worse by watching the chefs cook delicious looking stir-frys and stacking up bamboo steamers full of dim sum ready to be served.  It also didn't help in that the women sitting next to me ordered the Nyonya (pronounced nyoh-nyah) chicken curry which looked so good when it arrived, I tried my hardest not to drool in their faces. If I had the stomach of a horse, I would probably have ordered that as well!

My tea arrived looking divine. If you've never had chrysanthemum tea, you're missing out!  To explain, chrysanthemum tea flowers are dried and then steeped in hot water. It is light on the palate and has a delicate floral aroma. As a herbal tea, it is recommended for sore throats, fever and as an aid to help cool down body heat. Hence, it is particularly refreshing served ice cold on hot summer days.

It can be bought from all good asian grocery stores in packets or in the form of tea bags. If you buy the former, just add hot water; let it steep for a few minutes and there you have it. To add some sweetness, try a little honey or better still, rock sugar (which again can be found in all good asian grocery stores). If adding rock sugar, let the tea stand for about five minutes until it has dissolved.

After having taken only a few sips of my tea, a steaming bowl of egg noodles is laid out before me.  With the generous portion of char siu pork slices and blanched chinese broccoli (gai lan), I eagerly take a spoonful of the utterly delightful and delicious chicken broth.  It immediately sends good vibes to my stomach.  Considering that I ordered the small size, there is copious amounts of egg noodles in the bowl. The char siu pork is tasty, although a little fatty. I must say that the char siu pork can be a bit hit and miss in this place. Sometimes it is fatless, other times it isn't. There really are no guarantees and I guess it just depends on what piece you get served at the time.

Nevertheless, it doesn't fail to satisfy and I enjoy every slurp, sip, chew and gulp. At $11.90 for a 'small' (or rather generous) bowl of egg noodles with char siu pork, it really is good value.

Halfway through my noodles, I managed to grab the attention of a passing waiter to ask about the duck pancakes.  He looked somewhat dumbfounded and a little flustered.  Then when I question the front of house manager, he tells me that they were never ordered.  This was rather strange considering our waiter asked us four times to confirm it when taking our order.

Thus, this leads me to say that this is not the first time service has been lacking.  Furthermore, it seems to only ever happen during their busy peak hours, which unfortunately is most of the time.  

Although I have eaten in this place several times and front of house recognise me as a regular, I don't always get treated like one. When they are packed out and rushed off their feet, service tends to get a little tardy; orders get mixed up and often forgotten about.  It's not enough to put me off the place though, but it can be a little frustrating at times as this place is always busy when I visit.

Sho Noodle Bar
Main Gaming Floor, Crown Casino, 8 Whiteman St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: +61 (0)3 9292 6885

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