Flower Drum - Melbourne - review

Name: Flower Drum
 
Address: 17 Market La
Melbourne 3000 VIC
(03) 9662 3655

Food: Chinese, Cantonese
Average price: Entree: $11-$25, Mains: $12-$160, Dessert: $13.50-$135, Degustation menu: 6 courses, $165,  Set menu: 4 courses $99, Four-course luncheon $65 per person, Six-course Dinner $165 per person

Complimentary: Nothing.


We ordered:

Wok Fried Red Emperor Fillet
Fresh fillet of red emperor lightly battered then wok fried and
accompanied by spring onions and seasoned soy sauce.

Tofu egg roll?

I can't quite remember the name of this dish, but it was nice.

Quail Sang Choi Bao
Minced quail meat cooked together with Chinese sausage, shiitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots and spring onion, served in a lettuce leaf.

Mr M enjoyed his quail version whilst my veggie version was my favourite dish of the night. The cool lettuce helps to soften the saltiness of the rice.

Supreme shark fin soup

Mr M enjoyed this.


Dumplings?

Simple but lovely.

Mains: Peking Duck
Tender pieces of roast duck wrapped within a pancake accompanied by spring onion, cucumber & a touch of plum sauce.

Mr M liked this but wish there it had been a slightly bigger serve.

Veggie pancake

The filling tasted remarkably like my vegetarian Sang Choi Bao, so whilst it was lovely, it was much of the same.

Grain Fed Eye Fillet w/ Black Pepper Sauce
Black Angus Eye fillet beef cooked medium rare or to your liking & dressed in a Cantonese sauce. Served w/seasonal vegetables.

Assorted mushrooms

This was my least favourite dish of the night, the texture of some of the mushrooms were a touch too slimy or spongy for me.

Special Fried Rice

Standard fried rice.

Mango crepe with passionfruit sorbet

This was ok. The pancake was a touch rubbery but otherwise it was fine.

toffee apple with vanilla icecream

We enjoyed watching the waiters serve this up for us but unfortunately, the apple was undercooked inside the batter. The ice cream also tasted like it was out of a blue ribbon tub.

Fresh hand-made almond cookies
Chinese Tea

Cost: $330 for two 6 course degustations as well as a supplementary cost for the shark fin soup.

Service: Great. The staff were friendly and very accommodating to my vegetarian needs. The food

Atmosphere: Typical Chinese restaurant. The colour scheme was dark reds with black and gold and accented with wooden furniture. The tables are spaced far apart and therefore, despite a moderate noise level, you cannot hear other conversations.

Parking: Ok - some street parking nearby but there are plenty of paid underground parking lots.

Website: www.flower-drum.com

Hours: Mon-Sat noon-3pm, 6pm-11pm
Sun 6pm-10.30pm

Would I return: Yes.

The Peninsula Hotel - Hong Kong - review

Name:  The Peninsula
Address: Salisbury Road, Kowloon
Hong Kong

(852) 29202888

Food: European, Cantonese, Northern Chinese, Japanese, French,

Average price: $250HK for Traditional Peninsula Breakfast and$268HK for Afternoon Tea.

Complimentary: Water.

We ordered: Four servings of the Afternoon Tea Platter.

This was perhaps the nicest afternoon platter I have ever had. Nothing was stale, dry or tasteless. My favourite items were the gorgeous scones studded with plump sultanas and the miniature chocolate tarts oozing with passion-fruit curd. Even the boys ate everything, right down to the pink marshmallow topped strawberries.

I also wanted to put in a mention for their Peninsula breakfast which has been my favourite hotel breakfast to date. I particularly loved their Bircher muesli. Here's a few snapshots.

Bircher muesli with berries, pancakes with apricots and syrup, fruit salad, eggs with bacon and potatoes, mixed Danish pastries.

Service:  Balanced. The service was attentive without being obtrusive. The staff were efficient, friendly and the food came out quickly.


Atmosphere: Colonial glamour. The floors are marble floors with large patterned rugs in the eating areas. The Lobby is filled with gilded columns, large potted ferns, ornate ceilings and gorgeous paintings all in neutral warm tones. The seats are dark wood with a royal blue fabric. Despite having a rather luxurious design and staff to open all doors for you  the atmosphere is rather relaxed and mellow.

Parking: Limited - take a cab or train.

Website: http://www.peninsula.com/Peninsula_Hotels/en/default.aspx#/Hong_Kong/en/

Hours: Daily 7am - 12:30am (for the Lobby), 2pm-7pm for afternoon tea

Would I return: Yes - for breakfast.

Lung King Heen - Hong Kong - review

Name: Lung King Heen

Address: Hong Kong
8 Finance Street Central

(852) 3196-8880
 
Food: Modern Cantonese

Average price: $48HKD - $1080HKD.

Complimentary: Preserved vegetables

These were Ok.


Beef

We ordered: National Day Dinner Menu (meat and vegetarian versions) - $1080HK ($160AUD) each for the meat version.

Lung King Heen Appetiser Combination - crispy suckling pig, barbecued pork with honey, fried scallop with string bean

Both R and G found this starter, along with the various sauces, very tasty and well executed.


Crispy taro dumplings  - $40

These were absolutely divine! I have never had taro before but these crispy parcels with their soft center were delicious.

Braised Shark's Fin with Fresh Crab Meat

A few drops of black vinegar was added to this, which R said turned this classic dish into something amazing, He requested more vinegar as he said it really just brought the dish to another level.

Vegetable soup - $130HKD

Nice, mellow soup. Some of the mushrooms had a rather odd spongy texture though.

Simmered King Prawn in Supreme Broth

Sautéed Shredded Potato in Vegetarian X.O. Chilli Sauce  -$80

I could have eaten an entire bucket of this. No joke. I loved this dish, the texture and the complex flavours were fantastic. I need to get my hands on a bottle of that sauce...

Braised Abalone Cube with Star Grouper Fillet in Supreme Oyster Sauce
  

Braised Fresh Tofu Sheet with Egg Whites- $160Hk

The texture, which was akin to very runny egg whites, didn't appeal to me, it felt too slimy on the tongue. The tofu beneath though was lovely.

Wok-Fried Wagyu Beef Cubes with Lily bulbs and green peppers in Black bean sauce

R thought this was fairly average.

Sauteed vegetables with garlic - $120HKD

I love Chinese broccoli so this simply serving of lightly cooked Gai Lan with garlic was delicious to me.


Fried rice with fresh crab, mushrooms, and vegetables

Fried rice with mushrooms and vegetables - $80HKD

Simply a good bowl of fried rice.


Chilled mango and sago cream with Pomelo

Really refreshing and lightly sweet dish with chewy tapioca pearls.

Petit fours - red bean jelly and lotus seed pastries.

The triangles had a nice puffed, flaky pastry and sweet paste, very enjoyable.

Espresso

G, an Italian, said this tasted like 'an arse fart'.


Drinks: Evian x 2 - $190hk

Cost: $3308HKD +10% service charge.

Service: Great. Food came out at a reasonable pace, they accommodated me with a vegetarian degustation menu without any fuss at all, we were provided with moist hand towels and finger bowls and the wait staff were efficient and spoke decent English.

Atmosphere: Elegant but simple with a focus on harbour views. The decor is a mixture of neutral woods and glass with plenty of spacing between tables. The vibe was quite relaxed and most patrons weren't very dressed up.

Parking: Limited - take a taxi, they are very cheap, otherwise there are trains and ferries.

Website: http://www.fourseasons.com/hongkong/dining/lung_king_heen/

Hours: Mon-Sat 12pm-2:30pm, 6pm-10:30pm; Sun 11:30am-3pm, 6pm-10:30pm

Would I return: Yes, great food, good service and reasonably priced for a three Michelin star restaurant.