#34 Xiao Ting Box (371 Victoria St)

Attendees: Beata, Annabel, Steph, Rob

When I tell Annabel where we are going, she says "is it immature of me that I find that funny?" I don't get it. "Xiao-ting box...shouting box," explains Annabel. Ah, I see. Sort of.

I've been here before. In fact, a bit over a year ago this is where Steph and I made the decision to do the Chopstick Chowdown Challenge. And it has taken 33 restaurants to get back here. I remember us marvelling about the delicious dumplings and how they were almost as good as Camy Shanghai ("dodgy dumplings"). It is nowhere near as good as I remember.

We practically have to yell to get the attention of one of the three staff just standing around at the back so we can place our order. We are excited. A vertiable feast of dumplings coming up!

Number 27 comes out first. It is chicken with wafer thin discs of garlic on a sizzling plate. The sauce is very tasty. Unfortunately we have no rice to soak up the sauce with. When we finally get it, we have no spoon to get the sauce onto our rice. Fail.

The highlight of the night is the szechaun crab. A whole mud crab, roughly hacked up into a few pieces, still in its shell which has taken on a red tinge from the mound of chillies on top. As do our hands, which are the only devices we have to crack open the shell and get to the meat. It is grand fun. The flavour is terrific and even if you don't get much meat it is satisfying enough to lick the chilli flavours off the shell. Yum and fun!

First up from the dumplings are the vegetable dumplings. They are stuffed with an indiscernable mush that has a nuclear green tinge to it. There is tang to them that no one can put their finger on and Annabel categorically says she doesn't like them. The fried pork dumpling are a bit of mess and one looks half eaten before we have even touched them. The xiao long bao, which are supposed to be full of aromatic juices, lack flavour.

Ah well, the dumplings may not have lived up to expectations but wow that crab was good. And at $16 - a bargain!


Ratings
Sizzling chicken with garlic 7.5/10
Special (szechaun-style crab) 7.9/10
Fried pork dumplings 6.1/10
Vegetable dumplings 4.8/10
Xiao long bao 6/10

#33 Vi'em Cafe (345 Victoria St)

Attendees: Beata, Craig, Steph, Annabel

The weather has turned in Melbourne (making our Pom very happy) and the next restaurant on the route has an open coutryard-like area facing onto the street.

We've seen some novel decor but I'd say this one takes the cake. Most striking is the feature wall of fake rock with cascading water that makes you feel like you are in an Indiana Jones film. The lighting casts a green tinge over everything. It is like being in a Vietnamese restaurant theme park.

Even the drinks menu is fun. Unfortunately for Annabel they won't give her the three colour drink so she has to settle for the two colour. Don't ask us what was in it. Coconut milk seems to be the base and little balls of green and red make up the colour. At the bottom are chunks of...something. Maybe cream, maybe lard, maybe something else...

Perhaps the waitress has been staring at the green lights for too long because two minutes after taking our order she returns to take our order. Uh yeah, we just did that.

The spring rolls are quite tasty and and rice paper rolls are good. We substitute pho with a beef soup, which is highly disappointing. It has all the ingredients to make a successful dish (chunks of beef, plump noodles and a colourful broth) but it is tasteless bordering on wrong tasting.

For #27 we have a Vietnamese salad, which is light, tasty and refreshing. Steph being a massive fan of these salads doesn't hold back on giving it a 10 in her ratings. We also have calamari with XO sauce (not bad but not as flavoursome as it could be).

And then kang kong. We order this partly because of the name (I'm have flashes of gorillas on tall buildings) and partly to get our nutrients. This green veggie (it seems to be variation of bok choy) turns out to be stringy and chewy and it doesn't go down like hoped.

But it all doesn't matter because Craig is just happy to eat all the rice he likes under the pretext of 'carbo-loaing' for the Melbourne marathon.


Ratings
Rice paper rolls 6.8/10
Spring rolls 7.4/10
Beef soup 4.1/10
#27 (Vietnamese salad) 9.1/10
Calamari with XO sauce 6.4/10
Kang kong 5.9/10

#32 Beijing Little Restaurant (309 Victoria St)

Attendees: Steph, Beata, Craig

Beijing Little Restaurant appears authentically Chinese. By authentic I mean it has dishes that Westerners wouldn’t usually eat, such as gizzards and intestines. Plus we seem to be the only white people there. The specials are handwritten on bits of paper and stuck on the walls. Although it say restaurant out the front, the table number welcomes us to their ‘hotel’. Identity crisis?

Please let it be gizzards, I say as we count down the menu to 27. And so it is! Stir fry gizzards. They don’t look too bad from the photo. The waiter doesn’t want to give them to us.

“You know what this is?”
“Yes.”
“Insides of the chicken.”
“Yes.”
“You know organs...intestines...”

Yes, yes just gives us our gizzards! He comes back regularly to check on us. He says the stir fry method is one of the best for cooking gizzards so we are lucky. The taste is not too bad, per se, it is more the hard, chewy texture that is off-putting. Steph speculates that perhaps this is one of the joys of eating gizzards and our waiter confirms that this what the Chinese like about them. It is better if you crunch down hard from the beginning, instead of treating it like chewing gum.

We order some pork, celery and water chestnut dumplings. Pan fried. They are too salty for my liking. The vegetable dumplings are better.

The dish of the night is the tofu with szechaun sauce. “This is how all food should be,” says Steph. “Spicy and tangy and with lots of sauce.” Morsels of tofu float in a colourful sauce with specks of chilli and it is delicious.

From the specials we get the beef and cabbage stew. It is the biggest bowl of stew I’ve ever seen. I realise we have over-catered for the three of us. Lucky that we aren’t full from the gizzards. The stew has chunks of beef and cabbage with cellophane noodles (that are virtually impossible to dish out) in deep brown broth. The broth is also on the salty side and has a bit of curry flavour to it (or satay according to Steph).

So we mark down another weird and wonderful Victoria St dining experience. If you’re feeling adventurous, I think there could be some discoveries to be made at Beijing Little Restaurant. Or hotel.

Ratings

Tofu with szechaun sauce 8/10

#27 Gizzard stirfy 6.2/10

Vegetarian dumplings 6.3/10

Pork and celery dumplings 6.5/10

Special (stewed beef with cabbage) 6.8/10

#31 Tom Toon Noodle House (241 Victoria St)

Attendees: Beata, Steph, Craig, Rob


This little eatery is hidden away near the big Hoddle St intersection. Unless you purposely venture this far you are unlikely to accidentally stumble upon it. It has a warm glow amongst the closed stores. The shopfront is non-descript aside from a handwritten board of curry specials. In fact for awhile I am convinced it is nameless. We deduce it is Thai from the flag on the back wall. I finally find the name when I stand outside staring as we are leaving. Tom Toon Noodle House.

The décor consists of wooden shelving with an assortment of knick-knacks (assumedly from Thailand) including vases, jars and children’s toys. Beside our table is a bookshelf filled with books which gives it a homely atmosphere. As does the odd ant parading along the shelving. Maybe.

We are presented with two menus. An A2 laminated page and the extended flip menu. I’m assuming the one-pager is some sort of house speciality menu as it doesn’t match up with the other menu. Of course, if there is no logical thought behind it, that would make sense too. Just in case you don’t have enough menus there are photographs of selected dishes behind the counter and a specials board.
I’m having language difficulties with the waiter. We are trying to order satay sticks, not believing the lack of entrees on the plethora of menus. He is offering us something akin to satay but not quite satay. We agree.

The result is skewered chicken, grilled in spices with a watery, tangy satay-like sauce. On the end of each skewer is a piece of pork. Of course. Whatever they are called, it’s light and tangy. The spring rolls are also good with a light crispness and juicy filing.

Number 27 (on the laminated menu) is described as "rice noodles, meat with spicy flavour". It is outstanding and we demolish it within moments. It’s full of flavours (chilli, sweet soy, ginger) accompanied by a lovely chargrilled flavour.

The green curry is exceptionally creamy and given the thumbs by Rob, who claims he only like Indian curries. Perhaps the language barriers come into the play again because after asking for a prawn curry we clearly receive chicken.

From the specials we have the duck with lemongrass. The lemongrass is a bit overpowering with crunchy slices throughout the dish. The duck itself is well cooked but without the crispy skin of Chinese BBQ duck.

We are still hungry so order another Thai classic – Pad Thai. We make a second attempt at ordering prawns and speculate whether this one too will come out with chicken. But this time they get it right. For me the Pad Thai is not flavoursome enough and I feel there are too many crunchy beanshoots in it.

As the name 'noodle house' suggests, it should be famous for its noodle dishes and if you ever come here, try the Pad Kee Mao. Although the portion sizes are disappointingly small, the flavour and cheap price makes up for this.


Ratings
Spring rolls 6.5/10
Chicken skewers with satay-like sauce 6.5/10
#27 Pad Kee Mao (rice noodles, meat with spicy flavour) 9/10
Green curry (chicken) 8.5/10
Special (duck with lemongrass) 7.6/10
Pad thai 7.4/10

#30 Ying Thai (235 Victoria St)

Attendees: Beata, Craig, Steph and Rob

And so we move into the home straight of the Chopstick Chowdown Challenge and the first restaurant on the odd-numbered side of the road. There is some confusion as we think we’re going for Indian. I am mislead by the Spice Guru sign, which does not actually correspond to an eatery. Instead we find Ying Thai unassumingly tucked between some computer repair stores.

It must be good. We are the only Caucasians there and every table is full. We are given menus and told to stand in a corridor. It immediately feels authentic with its gaudy orange décor and over-lit nature, just like some of the most authentic restaurants on this strip.

As soon as the food comes out there is silence, as we and the tables around us tuck into its deliciousness.
The satay skewers are a shiny golden colour and delicate. They come with satay sauce on the side which has a healthy layer of oil. As much or as little sauce as you want seems ideal for condiment lovers like us. It also comes with white toast. I’ve never seen that before. But our apprehensions are soon displaced as the toast proves useful for sopping up the remaining sauce. There are extra half marks being thrown around when it comes to the ratings for the bread.

Everyone seems to be ordering a dish involving mince meat, which we conclude is larb and decide to get on board. We get the pork larb and having minmum experience with larb, I conclude it is very larb-like. Chopped chillies are piled on the top and the dish has a great kick but is also very refreshing with shredded red onions, cabbage and coriander and a light dressing.

Thai green curry is one of the Thai standards for ChChCh and we pick the seafood option. The seafood is generous with prawns, squid and reconstituted fish. It has the necessary hotness to it and a flavoursome sauce.

Number 27 is penang beef. It’s overwhelmingly beefy and I am disappointed with the lack of vegetables. Steph comments that they mustn’t use artificial beef tenderiser as the beef is quite tough. The sauce however is very tasty and has a great blend of flavours including a strong hint of lemongrass.

The dish of the evening for me is the pla nun manow - a whole fish. It is oh so fresh and fun to eat communally. Dipped in the hot and sour dressing it bursts with flavours as well as fresh herbs and chillis. Picking away at a whole fish is like having it straight out of the sea and the primal novelty factor is enjoyable. We manage to get all the meat off leaving just the head and bones.

Again Craig declares this is one of his favourites so far (doesn’t he say this every week?) Indeed he enjoys it so much (particularly the rice bucket refills) that we almost need a stretcher to carry him out of there.

Ying Thai serves authentic Thai food and is not afraid to lay on the spice. Its food is fresh and highly satisfying.


Ratings
Satay skewers 8.4/10
Green curry (seafood) 7.6/10
#27 (penang beef) 7.3/10
Special (pla nun manow – whole fish) 7.9/10
Pork larb 8/10

#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

#28 Oriental Spirit (54 Victoria St)

Attendees: Beata, Craig, Steph, Penny and Andrew

After a few Sunday afternoon 'brewskis', I arrive at Oriental Spirit convinced that it is larger than it is and that my other friends are tucked away in another section. It must be the oriental stone statues and indoor plants at the entrance that confuse me. Or perhaps it's the black and red theme.

We pick up the menu and all the entrees are appetising. Spring rolls? For sure. Satay sticks? Definitely, it’s one of Thai standards! Thai rice paper rolls? Well rice paper rolls are one of the standards for Vietnamese so we should try them. Peking duck? I love duck! No, there is some conjecture that $6.80 is pricey for one piece. Should we cheat on number 27 and get entrée scallops instead?

As for mains, well... Green curry prawns is a standard and there has been a special request for Pad Thai. Number 27 is a mixture of garden salads. The prospect is so uninspiring we pretend number 25 is it and get the green papaya salad.

My enthusiasm for the spring rolls burns my mouth. The pastry on them is quite thick and the insides don’t hold much excitement. The satay chicken skewers are delicious. Tender chicken covered in a creamy satay sauce that has a great texture and the right balance of spicy and sweet peanutty flavours.

The Thai rice paper rolls are different from the ones we’ve been having at the Vietnamese restaurants. They seem to be warmer and amongst the fillings are bean shoots and cabbage. Maybe I’ve been watching too much Masterchef but I detected a soapy flavour to them.
From the specials we have soft shell crab. It’s colourful and delicious with a medley of reds and greens on fried noodles. The crab melts in your mouth.

The green curry is spicy, as it should be. There’s a good serving of vegetables including beans, carrots, bamboo shoots and eggplant. It’s a light colour (almost has an orange tinge to it) and kicks you in the back of the throat.

I’m not a great fan of the papaya salad. It is strandy and chewy, composed of thin strings of papaya, carrot and bean shouts with a dash of sweet chilli dressing.

The Pad Thai has a nice kick to it. Peanuts and chilli powder come on the side delicately placed on a spoon, for those anaphylactics out there.

Finally, bonus points are given for the music selection. It was enough to bring out the karaoke-er in the best of us. “You were always on my mind...” lalala. Camy’s Shanghai Dumplings has a new competitor in the background music stakes.



Ratings
Spring rolls 6.2/10
Thai rice paper rolls 5.5/10
Satay skewers 8.5/10
Special (salt and spicy soft shell crab) 8/10
Green curry 8.1/10
Pad Thai 7.7/10
Cheats’ #27 Green papaya salad 7.1/10