Lee Ho Fook
11-15 Duckboard Place, CBD, Melbourne
03 8899 6603
Asian, Chinese
$$$$
Food
- Crispy Eggplant With Spcied Red Vinegar
- Taiwanese 3 Cup Chicken
- Grilled Black Bean Cured Ocean Trout
- Steamed Jasmine Rice
The Good
Being the specialty dish of the restaurant as introduced by our server, the Crispy Eggplant was naturally a must try. With an incredibly crunchy outer, the crumbling was hard and provided great feedback. The inner eggplant was exceptionally soft, though was a tad too airy in some instances. The sweet red vinegar sauce was interesting and complemented the eggplant rather well.
We also enjoyed the Tawniness Three Cup Chicken. The chicken drumettes were tender and juicy. Cooked in a sweet soy sauce and loaded with ginger and spring onion, this dish was very palatable and went rather well with rice. Though, as we progressed through the dish, the sweetness grew more overpowering.
The Mediocre
Unfortunately, the most expensive dish of the night was the most disappointing. While the Black Bean paste was forward and delicious in and of itself, same can't be said for the Ocean Trout. The protein was noticeably tougher and drier than I'd like. Given the poor execution, it feels like something I can easily whip up at home, while over-cooking it at the same time.
The Bad
The Jasmine Rice served tonight was dry, rather hard and chewy. Scraping the bottle of the barrel perhaps? It certainly was a far cry from the fresh, soft and fragrant rice that I'm used to.
Portion sizes were less than generous to say the least. An entree, two mains, plus rice and we still left hungry.
The Verdict
The dishes tonight can best be described as pleasant, though thoroughly unspectacular and unsurprising.
The dishes are also noticeably targeted towards a Western palate, exhibiting sweeter and less spicy flavours.
Would Penguin Eat Again?
Maybe. Asian fusion is always hard to execute on, as the original, unadulterated items are already so palatable and delicious without further alterations.
Honestly, tonight was no exception and I left feeling much rather having eaten at a traditional Chinese restaurant, and paying a much more agreeable price.