Gold Leaf (Burwood East)
155 Burwood Highway, Burwood East
03 9802 3788
Chinese, Yum Cha
$$$
Food
- Corn Sauce with Fried Fish
- Lamb with Black Pepper Hot Plate
- Eggplant Hot Pot
- Pork Cutlet in Peking Sauce
- Chinese Broccoli
- Rice
- Fried Ice Cream
The Good
The eggplant claypot was cooked relatively well. Eggplants were soft and juicy. The mince was full of flavour and seasoned just right without being overly oily. Only complaint was the lack of chilli and the apparent substitution of capsicum which seemed odd. Lucky the flavours worked out in the end.
The Mediocre
The stir fry Chinese broccoli was a tad too soft, which resulted in a less crunchy experience. The portion size was also less than generous. A tad disappointing given the crunchiness is the main differentiator in an Asian stir fry.
The fish was fresh out of the frier and provided a good crunch. Fish itself was of decent quality and the crunchy outer went relatively well with the smooth and creamy sweet corn sauce. However the sauce’s sweetness and thickness gradually overpowered any flavour in the fish as the meal progressed and ultimately turned into a sloppy mushy mess.
The Bad
The sauce on the pork ribs were a huge let-down. Might as well name it sweet and sour pork and not fancy it up with a name like “Pork Cutlet in Peking Sauce”. It was essentially no different to the scoop food you can get at any food court.
The lamb was also poor. Not only was it not served cold despite being on a ‘sizzling’ hot plate. The lamb itself was extremely chewy, full of gristle, and more importantly devoid of any flavours of lamb. The accompanying broccoli was drowned in black pepper sauce that overpowered all else.
Fried ice cream was downright terrible. Oil tasted old and rancid. Batter was dense and hard. The ice cream lacked any flavour. The sweet syrup drizzled on top did little to enhance the experience.
The waitress I would say was the most terrible part of the meal. We were hassled hurried from start to finish, being asked every ten minutes or so if each dish was finished and can be collected when they clearly still had plenty of food left. Paying this amount of money to be rushed to finish food is not a fun experience. After a couple of times, I almost cracked the shits with this tone-deaf waitress.
The Verdict
Overall a rather mediocre experience given the level of inconsistency on the dishes. Food ranked from good but unremarkable to downright poor. The attitude and nonchalance of the waitress didn’t help either.
Would Penguin Eat Again?
Absolutely not. Pacific BBQ House and many other Chinese restaurants do a much better job, in both the cooking and the service. Won’t be back.