Chin Chin | Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
As
soon as we dropped off our luggage at our hotel, we rushed out the
door and headed to Chin Chin.
For
those of you who have been to Melbourne before, I trust that you’ll
need very little if any background information on this extremely
popular eating-house located on Flinders Lane that serves what I’d
like to think of as, kick ass Thai cuisine with a modern twist.
The
demand for Chin Chin’s food is overwhelming to say the least, with
the waiting queue normally spilling out onto the street during peak
hour. Truth be told, I was prepared to wait for up to an hour
(but I never told the other travel bunnie). Luckily our flight
arrived early into Melbourne so we were able to arrive at the
restaurant just before 12pm and scored the last available table at
the time.
I
literally had butterflies in my stomach as I was skimming through the
menu. Every single dish sounded delicious and as usual, my eyes were
prepared to eat a lot more than my stomach could hold.
I
settled on the crispy barramundi & green apple salad with
caramelised pork, peanuts, chilli & lemongrass ($27)
while the other travel bunnie ordered a barbecue pork satay
with cucumber, pineapple, crushed peanuts & a three flavour sauce
($23). Both turned out to
be oh-so-delicious. The dishes presented with many layers of flavour
that kept our palates entertained, but it was the “Son in Law”
eggs with chilli jam ($8) that really caught my attention. It was
the unusual texture and the combination of sweet and spicy that made
me one selfish eater, for the first time, I refused to share with the
other travel bunnie.
We
wanted to sit at the restaurant for a long time to sample the dishes
and enjoy the tastes, but before we knew it, our plates were empty.
We were charmed by Chin Chin. Big Time. We just got so carried away
by the ambiance, the amazing smell of the restaurant and of course,
the friendly hospitality of our waitress who spent some time talking
to us about our plans in Melbourne.
I
could only leave Chin Chin on a sweet note and trust me, it was a
struggle to make a decision from a selection of South-East Asian
desserts. So we ordered the first one off the list – coconut
sago w' sweet corn ice cream, praline and puffed wild rice ($14).
I swear I was experiencing food-climax after the first spoonful.
Enough said.
If
we didn’t have a big dinner planned on that very night, we would’ve
had more dishes, and definitely more desserts. Chin Chin, like its
(ahem) unique name has left an unique impression with us. It was more
than just another meal for us, it represented something monumental.
It marked the great start to our culinary journey in Melbourne.
Total
Bunnie Dollars Spent: $79.50 (plus tips)
Yum, really looking forward to my visit. We are doing the same, jumping off the flight and straight there for lunch. What time does it start to get busy? AC
ReplyDeleteyou guys will love it! We visited on 1 Jan and got there just before 12, the place was pumping already but we didn't have to wait for a table.
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