Chinese – ohdenny

Overseas Seafood Restaurant

February 17, 2017 Posted in Chinese, Food Reviews, Forest Hill, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a comment

Overseas Seafood Restaurant is a Chinese restaurant located along Springvale Road in Forest Hill serving your typical Chinese main dishes but also serving Yum Cha for lunch. For Yum Cha, they offer a wide selection of Yum Cha dishes like Siu Mai (Pork Dumplings) and Congee.

We found the service to be a bit average, which I guess is the norm in Chinese restaurants and especially so when it gets busy for Yum Cha. Food-wise, the Siu Mai had decent flavour but the congee lacked that slight saltiness.

Their Prawn filling wrapped in Beancurd skins was quite tasty. Having a bit of bite with the filling and the slightly sweet fried beancurd skin making a nice combination.//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js

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The Yam Cake and Lo Bak Go (Steamed Radish Cake) were tasty. The Lo Bak Go just needed to be a bit more crispy, but flavour-wise it was good. It had good radish flavour.
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The Salted Egg Custard steamed buns were sadly overdone. Inside was not runny as it was supposed to be. A disappointment.//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js

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The Har Gow (Prawn dumpling) lacked flavour, and required the chilli sauce to add the saltiness to it. Bland.

The dumplings here had a decently tasting filling.

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Last words

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Overseas Seafood Restaurant does decent Yum Cha, and honestly around the eastern suburbs it’s difficult to find great Yum Cha so luckily Overseas Seafood Restaurant is above average at the very least.

Overseas Seafood Restaurant
482 Springvale Road
Forest Hill VIC 3131

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Kim Sing

November 4, 2016 Posted in Box Hill, Food Reviews, Malaysian, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a comment

Kim Sing opened its doors earlier this year under new management after Madam Kwan closed down. Their menu has been tweaked and a number of menu items have been removed from the menu, but Kim Sing still has a mixture of Malaysian/Chinese style dishes on offer and they advertise itself as Kim Sing, Truly Malaysian Delights. So expectations are high with that statement.

More often than not, I always try a new Malaysian restaurant’s Curry Laksa to see if they can trump Laksa King and Chef Lagenda. Kim Sing’s Laksa is a letdown, and substantially poorer quality than its predecessor. It has this watery, curry powder flavoured taste to it. A Curry Laksa it ain’t.

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Their Char Kway Teow is served in a bowl, for some odd reason and with Madam Kwan’s logo still placed on all its crockery. It has that ‘wok’ flavour, so thank goodness for that but there are several oddities with this dish. It uses Char Siew (BBQ Pork) as its protein instead of Lap Cheong (Chinese Sausage). The prawns are tiny, and they don’t add in the deep fried Pork Lard but usually I can live without that. We also ordered it spicy, but no heat to it whatsoever. The substitution of Lap Cheong with Char Siew completely changes the taste of the Char Kway Teow. Very strange.

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The Salt & Pepper Chicken Ribs with rice was actually quite nice. No chilli, which I think it needs to give it a bit of kick and depth of flavour but the chicken is crispy and still moist but they aren’t very generous with their fried capsicum and onion which I think is needed to give the chicken and rice much needed flavour. Decent but you can probably find better elsewhere in Box Hill.

Last words

Kim Sing unfortunately does not live up to its Truly Malaysian Delights statement. It serves quite frankly, mediocre dishes that are so disparate from traditional Malaysian dishes.

Kim Sing
Shop 3, 1 Main Street
Box Hill VIC 3128

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Shanghai 1930

August 26, 2016 Posted in Box Hill, Chinese, Food Reviews, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a comment

From the outside, Shanghai 1930‘s appearance can be a bit deceiving. However, once you enter its doors you’ll find that it has a lovely contemporary yet traditional aesthetic. Shanghai 1930 offers traditional Chinese cuisine, with Shanghai influences on the menu as well. Their menu has a variety of dumplings to choose from, and many chicken, beef, seafood and vegetarian options as well.

Their Crispy Noodles with Beef was actually quite tasty with tender beef. The sauce that it comes with, however, is quite strong, and leans on the salty side but nonetheless the combination of crispy noodles and beef and vegetables, is a winning combination.

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Shanghai 1930 offer what they call “Grandma’s Secret Fried Rice”, and it’s apparent that it isn’t your typical fried rice. The use of chives and I believe spinach adds to the flavour of the fried rice, and it’s cooked with the traditionally used Chinese sausage.

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If you ever walk past this restaurant, you may notice the image of these dumplings. These are the Steamed Shanghai Dumplings that are fried on the bottom with sesame seeds. The pastry (or dough) reminds me of the dough used in Pork Buns, but a bit thinner. The crispy bottom with the traditional pork and ginger filling is an amazingly tasty combination and I’m so glad I tried it.

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Their soups you can order as one serve or for sharing. The Hot & Sour soup is what you’d expect, and has that lovely balance of heat and sourness, and just enough sweetness that nothing overwhelms the other. Yum.

Last words

While, Shanghai 1930 may not be one of the “cheap eats” in Box Hill, it certainly makes up for it with its delicious dishes on offer.

Shanghai 1930
959 Whitehorse Road
Box Hill VIC 3128

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Wong’s Kitchen

July 1, 2016 Posted in Box Hill, Chinese, Food Reviews, Restaurant ReviewsLeave a comment

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Not to be confused with Wong’s Lucky Bar, Wong’s Kitchen on Station Street in Box Hill is a Chinese/Cantonese restaurant that most people seem to come for their seafood dishes. Wong’s Kitchen isn’t a very large restaurant, so more often than not, bookings are required.

Crab and egg noodles are probably one of my favourite Chinese dishes as a kid. The crab flavour combined with the wok stir fried noodles is delicious and I could honestly eat just the noodles all on its own. The crab at Wong’s Kitchen is quite nice too, I might add.

One of my favourite vegetables is Chinese broccoli (Kai Lan), there’s something about the crunchiness of the stem and you honestly don’t need much else apart from a bit of garlic.

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According to the staff, their chicken served here is free range. I’m not certain how true that is, but it is a more lean as chicken. Not particularly memorable dish, it’s decent though.

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I remember having Salted Egg Yolk Prawns at Kingsway Seafood Restaurant, which is now sadly closed. The prawns here are quite nice, crispy and have that lovely egg yolk batter that covers the tender prawns. I can’t have too many though because it’s very rich, but I needed to have a few to satisfy my craving.

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A standard dish when we go out to a Chinese restaurant, is their fish. I love sauce that usually accompanies steamed fish, and here it’s just how I like it. The fish was also nicely cooked and fresh.

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Wong’s Kitchen also provide complimentary fruits and Red Bean Sago dessert. Lovely end to a meal.

Last words

While Wong’s Kitchen won’t wow you with it’s ambience or service, it’s food is tasty and doesn’t burn a hole in your pocket.

Wong’s Kitchen
596 Station Street
Box Hill VIC 3128

Ma Brown

November 13, 2015 Posted in Balwyn, Chinese, MalaysianLeave a comment

When people talk about Ma Brown in Balwyn, you mostly hear about the delicious quail. It’s a very popular choice, but also one that they advise to order at least a day in advance of your booking. Ma Brown serve Chinese, Malaysian cuisine and even on a busy night, service isn’t actually too shabby.

You can order the quail either Spicy or just with Salt & Pepper, however, they do advise the spicy one is the more popular selection. The quail here is fantastic, it has that nice crispy exterior but tender and lovely sweet and spiciness from the marinate. I could probably just order this alone, if I was feeling a bit devious, it’s that good.

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That’s not to say Ma Brown’s other dishes aren’t good. Surprisingly, the Sweet & Sour Prawns was also a winner. Lovely subtle tomato flavour with chilli and the prawns were nicely cooked as well.

The Tofu & Mix Vegetable Claypot is more of your standard affair, yet still makes for a nice cleanser against the quail and prawns.

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The Sambal Beans was probably my least liked dish, the sambal was quite overpowering and overly sweet and definitely cooked with too much oil.

Last words
You may come here for the quail at Ma Brown, but you’ll leave satisfied with many of their other dishes. Not the best ambiance but it’s the food that counts here and won’t make a huge whole in your wallet.

Ma Brown
190 Belmore Road
Balwyn VIC 3103

Pearl HarbourFront – Toronto Series

December 19, 2014 Posted in Chinese, Food Reviews, Restaurant Reviews, TorontoLeave a comment

If you are seeking some Dim Sum (Yum Cha for us Aussies) in Toronto with scenic views, or as scenic as Toronto can get. Then Pearl HarbourFront caters to you. My sister took us here one morning and while it didn’t amaze it or anything, it was a pretty good meal all in all.

The carts come around frequently and there’s your usual dim sum, such as dumplings.

Or the more interesting sorts.

Your dim sum in bamboo steamers. A prawn dumpling steamed or fried usually is a winner for me, especially if it’s in that translucent pastry.

I never know what any of these dim sum are called, I just point and they provide but this beef one is one of my personal favourites. With a bit of chilli sauce it’s fantastic.

Chicken wings, because why not.

Chee Cheong Fun, wasn’t all that great to be honest and I’m not even a big fan of it and I could tell.

The steamed sticky rice in banana leaf was also a slight disappointment, lacking in flavour.

Saving the best for last is my all-time favourite dim sum dish that is ordered without fail, Lo Pak Ko (Surprise! I know another Dim Sum). A great Lo Pak Ko in my tastebuds is slightly crispy outside from the pan frying, and soft inside with a good mixture of Chinese sausage and turnips, with just enough salt to give it that something extra. Here it almost lives to my high expectations but I’m always happy to have it.

Impressions

Pearl Harbourfront doesn’t steer too far away from the norm, and its food also it’s something I would say was amazing. However, its array of Dim Sum I would say is above average on taste, but I do recall it being a bit pricier than I’m used to.

Pearl Harbourfront
207 Queens Quay W
Toronto ON Canada M5J2M6

The Booth (via Menulog)

June 25, 2014 Posted in Box Hill, Chinese, Desserts, Food Reviews, Restaurant Reviews, TaiwaneseLeave a comment

I’ve always been wanting to try The Booth but have always seemed to pick another restaurant in Box Hill, either by familiarity or just routine. On this occasion though, having been offered by Menulog to try their online ordering services, I thought it’s the perfect opportunity to give it a try. Menulog is currently the number 1 Australian website for online take-away and with over 3,500 restaurants on the website around Australia, it certainly makes a name for itself.

My locality is in Blackburn so the restaurants offering pick up or delivery will vary. However, if you’re in the Blackburn area, you can check out the link to check out other restaurants using Menulog for convenient online ordering (Blackburn Take-away Restaurants). I find it’s a great away to find some restaurants that you may not have come across before, you visit Menulog and type in your suburb to check out the restaurants using Menulog in your area.

Menulog is convenient and very straight forward to use, and for those tied to their smartphones (like myself), there is an app you can use too for iOS and Android (Link). But of course, the website and even their mobile website work well and easy enough to just pick what you want and order.

As you can see from the screenshots, delivery isn’t too much for the sake of convenience but restaurants also do offer pick up too. Once you’ve chosen and paid for, you can schedule it for a preferred delivery time (or pick up) or “now”. Then all you need to do wait for the SMS confirmation and either pick it up at the scheduled time or await delivery. Real simple.

The Booth

The food arrived on time and we were even provided with complimentary drinks, which is a definite winner in terms of service I must say. The food overall was still hot and no microwaving necessary.

The Pan-Fried Pork dumplings were still hot and even a little crispy still, even with the steam softening some of it up as it would in a take-away container. The dumplings are probably one of the better ones I’ve tried in Box Hill, it has just enough filling and the pork, ginger flavour comes through well.

The Black Pepper Beef Noodles is fantastic too, the meal comes in two with the noodles in one container and the black pepper beef and sauce in another, all you need to do is mix it together. If you love pepper and beef, this dish is for you. The black pepper here is so flavourful, and the amount of pepper gives it a very nice spicy pepper kick. Pleasantly surprised.

The Spicy and Sour Noodle Soup may not be for everyone, it is an acquired taste but since I have some familiarity with the sour and spicy soup, I quite enjoyed it. It’s a bit difficult to describe but if you have tasted Chinese Hot/Spicy and Sour soup before you’ll instantly know this, and I believe the sourness comes from Chinese vinegar that they add. Tasty dish but I could do without the abundance of mushrooms.

The Booth’s Sweet Soya Bean Curd with Mango, Sago & Coconut Milk is really wonderful. I would have preferred if it were a cold dessert as it was only slightly cold/room temperature but I guess I could always add ice to it or chill it for a few hours. The dessert is quite similar to a Tofu Fah/Dau Fu Fa in texture but with the Soy Bean curd isn’t as smooth as tofu is but alas with the coconut milk and mango, sago makes for a really tasty dessert. The creaminess of the coconut milk and the sweetness of the mango gives it life. Would definitely order this again.

Impressions

I’m very glad to have ordered from The Booth, from it’s great service and tasty food I think you can definitely rely on them for a great take-away night. Overall, I couldn’t really fault the dishes other than its generous use of oil. I recommend giving it a try in-restaurant or ordering from Menulog as if you’re local it’s only $5 to Blackburn which I found to be very reasonable, and the food at The Booth certainly won’t break the bank either.

The Booth (Order via Menulog)
612 Station St
Box Hill VIC 3128

Shophouse Kitchen

February 28, 2014 Posted in Chinese, Food Reviews, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Restaurant Reviews, WesternLeave a comment

Shophouse Kitchen in QV, Melbourne is one of the many new Hong Kong restaurants that have been popping up around Melbourne in recent times. What makes Hong Kong cuisine stand apart from either Taiwanese or Chinese dishes is their fusion of Western and Eastern such as eating a pork cutlet with rice or spaghetti but Hong Kong cuisine of course still retains the Chinese influence and has many Chinese dishes without Western influences.

This dish is not one of those distinctly Chinese dishes, instead this dish is called a Baked Chicken Chop on Rice. This dish is basically Fried Rice topped with a cheese and tomato sauce bake with a Crumbed Chicken Chop. You can also order this with a creamy sauce, akin to that of a Alfredo sauce or creamy garlic sauce. You can instantly tell this is Hong Kong style food, and the fusion here actually works well. The Fried Rice flavour is quite muted, which allows the flavour from the tomato sauce and cheese to come through. The generous serving of chicken is crisp and moist which is the centrepiece of the dish. Overall, I liked it but I didn’t love it.

Here we have the Grilled Chicken Chop Rice Set served with blanched bok choy, a fried egg and white rice dressed with soy sauce. I found the grilled chicken here to be overcooked, and over charred which is unfortunate. The lack of sauce also is a disappointment as with dry meat, almost dry veggies and egg lacking in any sauce as well, it makes for a poor dish as a whole with nothing to gel everything together.

The Fried Chicken Chop Fried Rice dish is as the name suggests, Crispy fried chicken with veggies and served with Fried Rice. Again the Fried Rice lacks flavour and here would be a downside to the dish as there is nothing that really defines the fried rice here with steamed white rice. On the plus side, the crispy chicken was moist and yet extra crispy with plenty of seasoning.

On the dessert side of things, I was intrigued by the Signature Durian Tofu Pudding but was sorely disappointed by the end result. You can instantly tell from the first mouthful that the durian here is just flavouring and not real/pureed durian to provide the flavour. The durian extract or flavouring here was used sparingly and it’s almost just a pudding with a hint of durian.

Impressions

Although the impression you may have here is that the dishes aren’t fantastic, I would say it’s only the Western/fusion style dishes that come up a bit short as they are not either exceptional Western dishes nor are they tasty Chinese dishes. On the other hand, the more Chinese styled dishes such as their BBQ Pork and Fried Wonton (Dry La Mian Noodles) or their Asian Roast on Rice are tasty without question and would actually come back for.

Shophouse Kitchen
Shop 29, 210 Lonsdale St
Melbourne VIC 03000
Inside QV Square

Foods Paradise

August 30, 2013 Posted in Chinese, Glen Waverley, Malaysian, TaiwaneseLeave a comment

Foods Paradise across from Glen Waverley Railway station replaced Ho Chak earlier this year. It serves a mixture of cuisines such as Malaysian, Taiwanese and Chinese. There are a number of dishes on offer on their menu, starting off with the xiao long buns, rice & noodle dishes and combo meals. It’s an interesting variety of dishes I must say.

We ordered the Braised Beef Noodle Soup, pictured above. It has that soy soup base that you may find familiar to that of Soy Chicken with an essence of something herbal too. I’m not a big fan of this kind of soup or sauce for that matter but it is flavourful for what it is.

To try something different, I was attracted to the Shark Fin Noodle Soup that was pictured in the menu with the green tinged noodles. This dish looks amazing, but the taste is a spectacular let down for its complete blandness and overload of mushrooms as its primary flavour. The soup lacks any real substance and the “shar fins” add that element of texture to the soup but with the soup base itself lacking in any substantial flavour it comes out as a disappointment unfortunately. The noodles are cooked well, not too soggy and has a nice bite to it (just a tad dense/spongey) I guess that’s the plus. As mentioned previously, the mushrooms completely overwhelm everything else. They also add strips of seafood stick pieces, it’s neither interesting nor does it complement the noodles and soup. It feels like another bland addition. I’m sorry for the scathing review of this dish but it really wasn’t in anyway great.

Foods Paradise’ s Wat Tan Hor is at the very least decent. The egg sauce is wonderfully appetising, and quite similar to the other great Malaysian restaurants around Melbourne. I’ll stop short to say it’s genuinely authentic but it is genuinely tasty. It is also generous in its seafood and chicken. The much sought after wok flavour is present in this dish so I’d say this is a winner (comparatively)

Impressions

It’s exceedingly common to see new restaurants have extensive Food, Drinks and Desserts menu. While Foods Paradise offers the first one, it lacks in Drinks and Desserts which is a shame. What I haven’t mentioned here is their Beef Rendang in Deep Fried Bread is an interesting and tasty dish in itself, although I’ll warn you the bread is very oily. So take it in small portions.

Foods Paradise has its moments of greatness and disappointments. I find it to more leaning more towards the mediocre side of things as a result. I don’t even know whether to say give it a try or not it’s that 50/50. If you like to take a gamble, I guess give it a go?

Foods Paradise

25-27 Railway Parade North
Glen Waverley VIC 3150

First Taste Box Hill

August 9, 2013 Posted in Box Hill, Chinese, Food Reviews, Restaurant Reviews, VietnameseLeave a comment

First Taste is one of my favourite restaurants in Springvale. I love the claypot rice, absolutely adore it. Being able to scrape the rice from the sides is just a treat. I never knew there was a First Taste in Box Hill, and now it’s even more convenient to dine and order my favourite Black Pepper Beef Claypot Rice.

What is noticed is slightly different from the Springvale eatery is that they use less or sometimes none at all of coriander and they don’t leave the claypot bowls to cook as long. What you have is less crispy rice but still ridiculously hot, and the lacking flavour from the coriander. However everything else is basically the same, the beef is nice and tender with a pleasant fragrance and taste of pepper on the tongue. First Taste also provides a generous serving of sauce on top.

I’m not a big fan of First Taste’s other claypot dishes though. The chicken, Chinese sausage and mushroom with soy sauce isn’t too my liking. It’s one of those slightly herbal tinged dishes, and I’m not fond of Chinese sausage with soy and of course the big mushrooms. That’s not to say it’s not cooked well, I definitely say for those that like these kind of dishes would find this perfectly satisfying. Again, they don’t leave the claypots to cook long enough so the sides and bottom of the claypot bowl aren’t as crispy.

Impressions

First Taste Box Hill is much like it’s brother (or sister) in Springvale. Slightly varied but familiarity is key here and you can’t find better Claypot rice anywhere else. Yes even Claypot King.

First Taste
604 Station Street
Box Hill VIC 03128