#29 Binh Minh (40 Victoria St)

Attendees: Beata, Craig, Steph, Rob, Imogene

Binh Minh marks a milestone in the Chopstick Chowdown Challenge. It is the last restaurant on the south side of Victoria St before Hoddle St. Hence it marks the official point where we turn around and make our way down the other side of the road.

It is busy and we are given a table upstairs. As soon as we walk in we are greeted with delicious scents of garlic, sweet soy and chilli. With the smell making my taste buds tingle, I am looking forward to eating.

The specials board is tantalising (albeit partially rubbed out, leading to some conjecture about whether it actually says duck or something less appetising). Along with lobster and peking duck there are dumplings. Bonus!

Number 27 is a wonton soup with xa xiu. This turns out to be Vietnamese for BBQ pork. The wonton are quite delicious, the soup has a balanced stocky flavour and the BBQ pork is tender.

Rice paper rolls are declared to be some of the best we've had with big colourful prawns and a good balance of flavours. The spring rolls are of the delicate and tasty variety, served with iceberg lettuce and a sweet dipping sauce.

From the specials, the prawn dumplings are plump. Wonton wrappers filled with minced pork and prawn. The dipping sauce of kecap manis and a dollop of chilli sauce make this a great entree.

The satay sticks are an impressive sight making an enormous wagonwheel on a giant plate. It looks far more than 5 skewers then I realise they have been cut in half. There is a ton of chicken on each skewer (along with a slice of onion and carrot) and the chicken is plump but the sauce is not as tasty as might be expected.

Chilli and lemongrass eggplant sounds like a hit from the menu but in reality lacks flavour. The dish is contaminated by slimy and a heavy soy based sauce.

At Binh Minh it is DYI peking duck. Bonus points for this novelty! What you get is a plate of duck, a plate of wafer-thin wraps and a plate of vegetables (shredded carrot, sliced spring onion and cucumber). Now compile and wrap it yourself. I’m so into the wrapping that I forget to note the taste. All good it seems. The duck is tender with wonderfully shiny maroon skin.

Binh Minh is one of the best overall dining experiences we have had on the Challenge.

Ratings

Rice paper rolls 7.9/10

Spring rolls (vegetarian) 7.9/10

#27 wonton soup with BBQ pork 7.4/10

Satay skewers 6.5/10

Special (prawn dumplings) 8/10

Peking duck 8.9/10

Eggplant with chilli and lemongrass 7.1/10