Joyful Chef
237-239 Blackburn Road, Doncaster East
0433 990 687
Chinese
$$$$$
Food
- Spinach
- Beef with Leek
- Okra
- Crispy Lamb Ribs
The Good
Nothing.
The Mediocre
The Spinach was fine. The spinach leaves were nicely cooked to great softness and accompanied by some goji berries that offered up a nice tinge of sweetness. Unofrunately the portion size left much to be desired given its priced upwards of $20.
We also sampled the Beef with Leek. The beef was suitably tender and flavourful, though the leek itself was very tough and wasn’t cooked through.
The Bad
The Okra was rather disappointing. The okra itself was tough and old, stir fried with some mince pork and some very hard and chewy dried prawns. The flavours were definitely tasty, though the quality of the ingredients within were certainly poor.
What was supposed to be Crispy Grilled Lamb Ribs arrived deep fried. The thick, limp yet oily batter was disgusting. Within, the extremely fatty lamb ribs obviously haven’t had the chance to get the fat rendered down due to being deep fried. As a result, the ribs mostly consisted of fat and hardly any meat, which was soft though unseasoned and bland.
The Verdict
Newly opened at what used to be Tai Pan, Joyful Chef is an unimpressive concoction overpriced and wanna-be premium “Cantonese” food.
It’s discouraging to see dishes of such poor quality given the price point, loaded with MSG and executed without any common sense. Coupled with attitude from staff that’s bad even by Chinese restaurant standards, this is a place to avoid.
Would Penguin Eat Again?
If it isn’t already clear, avoid at all costs!