Sunday 16 October 2011

MissChu - Melbourne - 297 Exhibition Street, Melbourne

If this doesn't make it in the next Age cheap eats guide then there is something wrong with this world.

This place is putting the cool and hip into the normally drab upper west side of Exhibition Street - I am actually not sure if it is west but thought I would sound directionally profound.                                                            

It is small in so many ways - the stools are small, the bar width is small, the people feel small, the leg room is small and the space between a dripping sauce bowl as the waitress clears the table and your body is small.  But the food is big.  It is a cross between modern and traditional Vietnamese.

It is a tick the box menu which is fun but also problematic for someone like me who likes to tick all boxes - and not just when it come to food.

We started with roast duck and banana flower rice paper rolls. They came in a pristine little white box which felt like unwrapping a present. The balance of flavours was spot on.

Next up, scallop and prawn dumplings. The dumpling was perfectly glutinous (a word I learnt from the Gourmet Traveller - my bible) and the seafood flavour came through with a bang.  The traditional pork hanoi fried spring rolls - crispy on the outside and juicy in the centre - bring it on.

The green papaya salad was a bit too watery but the prawn and crab net salad was really interesting.

We ate too much but I could have eaten more.

This is a place I will keep coming back to, even for a nice break away from the office for lunch.

And the price for 2 - $52. We did not have alcohol but that included some quirky drinks. How cheap is that?

7.5/10
MissChu on Urbanspoon
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