Din Tai Fung

Emporium Melbourne, Level 4, 287 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

Din Tai Fung is perhaps most famously known for receiving a Michelin star in their Hong Kong branch in Tsim Sha Tsui. The reception was amazing for when they opened their first branch in Sydney, and in 2015, Din Tai Fung opened its first branch in Melbourne's Emporium. While it was almost impossible to find a seat there during the opening weeks, Din Tai Fung is now a lot quieter and a great place to relax and enjoy various types of dumplings and other regional dishes.

Din Tai Fung

Vegetarian delight $6.80

Shanghai style drunken chicken $10.80

Shanghai style drunken chicken is a style of preparing chicken by steeping it in alcohol, usually rice wine. The dish was served cold and was very fragrant, however the portion was quite small when compared to the price of the dish.

Mango shrimp roll $8.80

Spicy shrimp & pork wonton with dry noodle $13.80

Cha jian mian with minced pork $13.80

Spicy shrimp & pork wonton $10.80

Xiao long bao $12.80

Xiao long bao are a variety of steamed bun from the Jiangnan region in China. They are also sometimes referred to as soup dumplings, as they are filled with meat and soup, so when they are bitten into, the flavourful soup oozes out of the bun.

At Din Tai Fung, the xiao long bao is known as their specialty, with many varieties on offer. The xiao long bao at Din Tai Fung has a thin outer skin while still retaining all of the flavourful broth in the dumpling, which makes the xiao long bao very delicate.

The overall experience at Din Tai Fung was quite pleasant. While the service was not particular top notch, this was made up for in their food. The food had a huge amount of variety and even though we ordered a large variety of dishes, you could tell that quite a lot of care was put into making the dishes.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 7/10

Kitchen Republik

Box Hill Central, 1 Main Street, Box Hill

Kitchen Republic also formerly known as Food Republik, is a large restaurant area which resembles a food court. They have cuisine on offer from different restaurants, such as Old Tong's Beef Noodle, Crystal Jade Xiao Long Bao, Taiwan Cafe and Dessert Story, all condensed into a single area.

Taiwanese XL fried chicken rice box $11.50

The Taiwanese fried chicken rice box is one of the most popular items on their menu. The cheap and filling rice box is perfect for a quick lunch, with a crispy coated chicken fillet, a fried egg, vegetables and rice included.

Hsin hsu pork balls noodle soup $10.90

Fried chicken maryland noodle soup $10.90

The food served at Kitchen Republic is very similar to the standard Taiwanese style food you can find in many places around Box Hill. What sets Kitchen Republic apart from the other restaurants would be that they have many different restaurant's menus all condensed into a single restaurant menu, so you can enjoy a wide range of food, including breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert or even just a snack.

Food Rating 7/10

Overall Rating 7/10

Hot Star Large Fried chicken

233 Swanston Street, Melbourne

There are a few Hot Star Large Fried Chicken stores in the city, which are mainly concentrated around Melbourne Central. As they are always accompanied by a Gong Cha store and open until late, Hot Star is a popular destination for those who are finishing off a night out and need a quick bite to eat.

 Hot Star and Gong Cha

 The preparation

Large fried chicken $8.50

The chicken is fried to order so it comes out piping hot and juicy. They also give you the choice of having spice added to the chicken after frying which adds a nice flavour touch. I personally have always added spice to it as I feel like the batter and crumb coating has an unpleasant flavour to it.

I come here occasionally when I am in need of hot food after a long night out, as it is fast and hot food, but for those with a little more time on there hands, there are many other places in the city to visit.

Food Rating 6.5/10

Overall Rating 6.5/10

The Booth

610 Station Street, Box Hill

Being a city with a large Asian community, there is no shortage when it comes to Taiwanese cuisine in Box Hill. The Booth is one of these restaurants that serve Taiwanese food but unlike some others they also have a store next door offering their desserts and bubble teas.

Across the street

Almost empty

As The Booth is open until midnight on most days it was almost completely empty when we came here for supper.

Watermelon ice blend

Thick rice noodle soup $9.90

Originally I was not sure on what to order, but when my friend picked the thick rice noodle soup and told me about it I also decided to order one. The dish which is a soup with thick rice noodles, pork, chitterlings with fried tofu in it was light yet flavourful, great for late night supper.

Although the food here is decent and cheap, the service is almost non-existent. I would definitely recommend coming if you are looking for a quick and cheap bite to eat, but don't expect much in terms of a full dining experience.

Food Rating 7.5/10

Overall Rating 6.5/10