Firstly; the service was just incredible. There were only a few tables of customers on a slow Wednesday night (State of Origin and the Ashes on TV wouldn't have helped) but the staff were still giving it their all and just going the extra mile with lots of nice little touches. All the other patrons sounded like regulars and were addressed by name, which shows those who love it here must come back often.
The space is *huge* and a touch nicer than many Chinese restaurants around, without being anything fancy or sophisticated. That said, the prices definitely are 'Balwyn prices'. Most mains start at $25 (well above most Chinese places) and those with big appetites may wonder where the bang for their buck is. (Luckily we had an Entertainment book coupon to help.)
We had a few entrees - dumplings (which there was disappointingly few of on the otherwise expansive menu), chive pancake and BBQ off-bone ribs. All were excellent quality, and these dishes are actually priced pretty reasonably at around $7 each.
For mains we shared a fantastic beef dish, and the 'crispy chicken', which was the only one that let us down. The bone-filled chicken cuts were not the greatest - a little gristly - and the batter on the skin was like a salt-punch to the mouth. A pity, as all the other dishes and the service had us ready to flat-out rave.
It's BYO and the corkage was very reasonable - I think we were charged under $4 for two of us. Would be back but probably only if we had another discount as there's just so much good food around the area for an overall more attractive price point. read more