I've heard about Chun Po for quite a number of years now, but have never got around to trying it out. It's gotten quite a number of good reviews and have been in probably most (if not all) of The Age Good Food Guide editions.
So tonight, on a last minute whim, we decided to give a go tonight. And of course, I had to forget to bring my camera AND my phone to the restaurant. So no pictures - sorry!
From the outside, Chun Po looks like your typical suburban restaurant. Inside, there are two levels of closely packed tables, with specials listed on brightly coloured strips of paper. At first we were a bit concerned that there was only a table of Chinese people dining there - a sure sign that a restaurant serves good authentic cuisine is by the presence of diners native to that type of cuisine - but luckily those concerns were short-lived.
A workmate had told me that the sweet and sour pork here was to-die-for, so we got that. The four of us also got the combination vegetables with Japanese bean curd, oyster omelette and wasabi steak fillet.
The portions were really generous. The sweet and sour pork was one of the best I've had in Melbourne. I usually stay away from this dish here because not many restaurants do it well - usually there's too much batter, or the sauce tastes really "fake" - but here the sauce was a nice mix of sweet and sour flavours, and the pork was lightly battered and crispy.
I really liked the mixed vegetables with bean curd dish, there was a good mix of vegetables - different types of mushrooms, water chestnuts, broccoli, carrot, beans - which went well with the silky Japanese tofu. The wasabi steak fillet was beautiful. The beef was tender, juicy and flavourful, drizzled with wasabi mayo that packed enough of a kick but wasn't too overwhelming.
The oyster omelette was probably the only let down for me. The execution was good - a nice, crispy omelette that wasn't too thick, filled with little oyster pieces. But on the whole it seemed a little ordinary compared to the other offerings on the table, and I didn't think that it was worth the $23.80 they charged for it. But the oyster fans around the table had no complaints. I'm a fan of fresh oysters, and somehow this dish just didn't do it for me.
I was so full at the end of it, I could hardly move. At the end of the meal we were brought a plate of watermelon and cantaloupe slices, and cubes of coconut jelly topped with mung beans. It was a nice finishing touch to a really delicious meal.
You certainly can't go past
Chun Po Chinese Restaurant
18 Glenferrie Road, Malvern
t: +61 3 9509 9624
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