Chinese Adventures @ Secret Kitchen

222 Exhibition St, Melbourne

9988 7778

11:30am - 3:00pm Everyday (Yumcha)

5:30pm - 11:00pm Everyday (Dinner)

Oh glorious yumcha, definitely one of the top cuisines which I absolute love. With all sorts of dim-sum, staple chinese dishes and desserts, what is there not to love?

To be honest, yumcha restaurant in the CBD cannot compared to the outer suburbs such as sunshine and springvale, therefore I didn't have high expectations when I came here.

I don't remember the price of the dishes but it's your standard yumcha style pricing where dishes are catergorized. Unfortunately the secret kitchen website also doesn't have a menu of the yumcha selection so i'll have to do it from bottom to top.

Chilli Pork Dumpling

Below average to be honest, didn't taste that good but the chilli packed a punch. 

(4/10)

3 Colour Prawn Dumpling

This is your standard take on the staple prawn dumpling (Har Gao) with the extra touch of the unique colurs. It was actually pretty good, though the downfall is that the dim sum was literally impossible to pick up without it falling apart or tear off.

(7/10)

Prawn & Scallop Dumpling

Definitely tasted prawn and the obvious scallop on top of the dumpling, I would say this was the best out of the 4. Delicious, hot and the scallop was tender and delicious.

(8/10)

XL Prawn Dumpling

Literally a prawn dumpling (Har Gao) but the size is a lot bigger. Nothing that great to be honest, average at best and just like the 3 coloured dumpling, it was impossible to pick up as a whole since it teared apart.

(5/10)

Chives & Prawn Dumpling

Majority of the dim sum literally tore off whenever I tried to pick it up, definitely a downside for this yumcha. The chives & prawn was nothing amazing but packed a nice flavour with the chives involved

(6/10)

Egg Tart

These aren't as good compared to many over yumcha establishments that I've been too. I felt that the pastry was a bit too try and overall it wasn't as flavoursome.

(5/10)

Mango Pudding

My childhood favourite, i've always loved mango pudding since my first time dining at a yumcha restaurant. You simply can't go wrong with it.

The mango pudding was pretty good, though it was overly sweet. Creamy with the extra milk complimenting the pudding, it was a satisfying dish.

(8/10)

I also had a few other dishes but unfortunately the food was devoured before I able to take a photo of it ;) but I do highly recommend the shark fin dumpling and chicken feet. 

Food - 6 / 10

Ambiance - 7 / 10

Service - 5 / 10

Total FoOodie Points - 17 / 30

Dumpling Adventures @ Dumpling House

Dumpling House

2 Everage St, Moonee Ponds, Melbourne VIC

9372 9188

  11am - 10pm Mon - Sat

4:30pm - 9:30pm Sun

On the outside, it looks like your simple, average Chinese restaurant. Because that was the mindset I had when i decided to go here when all the other stores were closed, but I was dead wrong. Though the place itself looks like your usual Chinese joint, the food on the other hand is on another level.

Steamed Pork Dumpling (15pc) ($9.50)

Juicy, perfect texture, and delicious pork, the steamed pork dumpling was great and had no faults

(8/10)

Steamed Large Beef Dumplings (6pc) ($8)

The favourite dish of the night, these beef dumplings were packed with amazing soup, delicious beef and the dumpling texture was beautiful. I was surprised when I took my first bite into one of these, probably the best I've had in terms of dumpling.

(9/10)

Steamed Pork Juicy Bao (8pc) ($8)

Nothing special about these, also known as Shanghai pork dumplings, It had a delicious soup and was flavoursome. Though the dumpling itself would literally fall apart as soon as I picked it up which was a shame.

(6/10)

Pan Fried Pork Dumpling (12pc) ($9.50)

I felt like the steamed dishes are more prominent here, as the pan fried pork dumplings were quite average. 

6/10

Food - 7.2/10

Ambiance - 5/10

Service - 6/10

Total FoOodie Points - 18.2/30

Chinese Adventures @ China Bar (Lonsdale St)

235 Russell St, Melbourne VIC

9639 1633

Mon - Fri : 11:00am - 5:00am

Sat - Sun  : 11:00am - 5:00am

Another China Bar Edition, the Lonsdale store had recently just reopened after the store had a fire which caused it to close for renovations.

I've always preferred the Lonsdale St store over the Swanston St store because I feel that after being to both locations a few times, the Lonsdale one is more cleaner and less cramped. As my last experience at the Swanston st store I saw rats running around on the second floor.

I wouldn't say the food here is great, and I wouldn't choose to dine here because there are many other places that do better. But if you're out after a long night at 3 in the morning, China bar is the place to go.

BBQ Pork Egg Noodles ($10.90)

Cha Siew, dry egg noodles & bok choy

A Chinese staple, the BBQ was quite dry which was slightly disappointing but the egg noodles were quite delicious.

(5/10)

 Stir Fried Flat Combination Noodle ($11.80)

Flat noodles, fish cakes, prawns, chicken, squid & bokchoy

I've always had a soft spot for these kind of noodle dishes, but it was disappointing when my first bite tasted like nothing. The flavour was almost non-existent, I wasn't sure if it was because there was poor seasoning or none at all, but I was very disappointed. The portion and toppings were generous but if it doesn't taste good then that's the end of it.

(3/10)

Mushroom & Vegetable Noodle Soup ($10.80)

An average dish, the variety of vegetables was pleasing and the egg noodles were nice.
(5/10)

Another thing I'll mention is that the service is appalling here, I feel that this is a chain for the China bar franchise as the Swanston St store is also on par.

Food - 4.3/10

Ambiance - 5/10

Service - 2/10

Total FoOodie Points - 10.8/30

Chinese Adventures @ D House

313-315 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC

D-House is one of your inexpensive 'Go-To' asian places to eat. With a large range of dishes for affordable prices, it can be considered it as 'fast food' with their unique order system of pen and paper which popular restaurants such as PappaRich have implemented.

Baked Chicken Fillet on Rice ($12.80)

 w/ Creamy Mushroom & Portugese Sauce

Rice, chicken and sauce, a simple dish but is one of the favorites for dining customers. Though the presence of MSG is obvious, the sauces are flavoursome and mix well with the rice. Its a basic dish that focuses on quantity which will leave you full at the end of the day.

(3/5)

Kimchi Fried Rice with Chicken & Fried Egg ($11.80)

Simple and average, don't expect to have top notch food when dining here as most dishes are of substantial quality for the price you pay for. The dish reminds me of an home-cooked meal as there is little attention for the eyes but the taste makes up for it.

Food - 7/10

Ambiance - 6/10

Service - 4/10

Total FoOodie Points - 17/30

Chinese Adventures @ Red Silk

A restaurant of many specialties, Red silk serves up all kinds of Asian dishes, from Chinese, Malaysian, Thai and Japanese. There's endless options to choose from.

Crispy Chicken Wings ($7)

Crispy and flavourful, you can't go wrong with fried chicken. There was nothing special about these as they felt quite average. But it was still quite enjoyable.

(3/5)

Pipi's in XO Sauce ($26)

The Pipi's were quite disappointing, first of all there wasn't enough Chinese donuts so it seemed like the restaurant is pretty stingy for the price of the dish. Second, the pipi's lacked flavour which resulted in the overall dish being dull and not as enjoyable as expected. Can definitely find better elsewhere.

(2/5)

Wonton Noodle Soup ($11)

Nothing too spectacular, Wonton Noodle Soup is one of those dishes that make you feel like your at home when eaten. Wonton's were cooked satisfactory and the overall dish was quite nice. Though i felt that the soup was lacking in flavour but its something a bit of salt can fix :).

(3/5)

Deep Fried Ice Cream ($6.8)

You can't go wrong with deep fried ice cream, well in most cases. But Red Silk has delivered successfully. It wasn't until recently that i actually tried this dish, and oh my, i fell in love. A guilty pleasure since i'm supposed to be dieting ;D.

(4/5)

Food - 5/10

Ambiance - 7/10

Service - 5/10
Total FoOodie Points- 17/30 

 

Chinese Adventures @ China Bar Swanston St

Located in the heart of the Melbourne CBD, Swanston St Chinabar is one of few restaurants that is open 24/7 in the CBD. 24/7 restaurants is slowly becoming a thing in the CBD as new locations are popping up catering to us late night junkies :).

Corn & Chicken Soup ($6.50)

First off, Corn & Chicken Soup. For $6.50, The restaurant serves a generous amount of corn & chicken soup that can easily fill you up. It was average, nothing too great but perfect comfort food after a night out.

(2.5/5)

Seafood Laksa ($13.80)

My friend had ordered the 'Seafood Laksa', from first sight you can tell there was a generous amount of seafood in the dish. Sadly you can easily tell that it was frozen and the overall dish was average, you can easily find a better laksa dish elsewhere.

(2.9/5)

Curry Chicken w/ Dry Noodles & Bokchoy

You can't go wrong with curry chicken w/ dry noodles. Which is why i usually pick this dish whenever i come to China Bar as i feel that the other dishes are a hit or miss at times. Delicious, but nothing outstanding. It was overall still a flavoursome dish. 

(3/5)

Overall, The restaurant is quite mediocre, serving average to above average dishes. But if you're looking for a place to eat at 3am in the morning. Then you can't go wrong with China Bar.

Food - 5.5/10

Ambiance - 5/10

Service - 5/10
Total FoOodie Points- 15.5/30 

Chinese Adventures @ Rose Garden BBQ

Located on Elizabeth st, near Melbourne Central. Rose Garden BBQ is a Chinese restaurant that specializes on affordable home-style dishes. Perfect for budget uni-students as most of the dishes here are less than $10 and are large in quantity.

Upon arrival we were greeted and given 2 different menus, the first menu was the original menu with all the dishes. Whilst the 2nd menu was the 'Top 10 Dishes'. We opted for that menu because it interested us the most.

Fried Rice w/ Shredded Duck & Preserved Veggies ($10.80)

The dish was quite average, generous amount of shredded duck and veggies. The dish overall was satisfyingly filling, though it was inconsistent in flavour. At times the flavour was either lacking, good or the preserved veggies overpowered the dish.

(2.5/5)

Egg Chiffon Rice w/ Pork ($10)

The 'Egg Chiffon Rice w/ Pork' consisted of primarily; Rice, omelette on top, pork, spring onion & gravy. This dish reminded me of home-food which is a good factor. Sadly it was lukewarm when it was served, else i would've liked it more because the overall flavour and the dish itself was quite nice.

(3.3/5)

Food - 6/10

Ambiance - 5/10

Service - 5/10
Total FoOodie Points- 16/30 

 

Dumpling Adventures @ Shanghai Street Dumplings

Located in the corner of Little Lonsdale and Elizabeth St, Shanghai Street Dumplings is known for there renowned dumplings such as 'Xiao Long Bao'. The restaurant seems to always have a line outside the store and that's always a good sign despite the wait.

Homemade Traditional Steamed XiaoLongBao (Pork) (8pc) ($9.80)

Full of soupy goodness, the XiaoLongBao did not disappoint, it was flavoursome and came out steaming hot. The pieces were a bit bigger than the usual XiaoLongBao and was my favourite dish of the night.

(3.5/5)

Homemade Boiled Peking Dumplings (Pork) (15pc) ($8.80)

The 'Homemade Boiled Peking Dumplings' were also delicious. Though i felt like the dough was a bit thick, it was still overall enjoyable, and for almost $9 for 15 pieces, thats a bargain for a uni student like me.

(2.5/5)

I wished i could've ordered more dishes as i wanted to try other specialties but i will save that for another time. Me and my partner came here on a Tuesday night and the line was a 20-25 minute wait. Was it worth it wait?, i'd say yes, Shanghai Street Dumplings does some pretty good dumplings compared to alot of other dumpling joints in Melbourne (which explains the long line everyday).

Food - 7/10

Ambiance - 5/10

Service - 6/10
Total FoOodie Points-18/30 

 

Dumpling Adventures @ New Shanghai

Located in the heart of the Emporium food court, New Shanghai is as you can tell, a Shanghainese restaurant that serves their numerous specialty dishes such as dumplings, noodles, rice dishes etc. 

New Shanghai Xiao Long Bao ($7.80) (8pc)

Steamed Mini Pork Buns

Filled with the usual soup in 'Xiao Long Bao' the first bite was filled with dumpling goodness. Disappointing factor was that it was served lukewarm so it wasn't as enjoyable as most 'Xiao Long Bao'

(2.5/5)

New Shanghai Fried Pork Bun ($10.5) (8pc)

These came out the minute we placed our order, which gave me and my buddy shifty eyes and assumed it was already cooked and sitting on the counter (-1 to my books). The buns were lukewarm but were quite enjoyable. 

(3/5)

Overall the meal was average, dumplings would've been a lot better if they came out hot so i assumed it was cooked before we placed the order. Would i come here again? sure, to try some other dishes and give then a second chance.

Food - 5.5/10

Ambiance - 5.5/10

Service - 6.5/10
Total FoOodie Points- 17.5/30