Mask of China

LOCATION
Melbourne CBD.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
With Flower Drum just around the corner, staying a favourite in Melbourne’s busy Chinatown is not an easy thing to do, however Mask of China has managed to do so for some two decades now. Chef Yeung Pui Ming’s mastery in the Chiu Chow cuisine is one of the main reasons. Originating around the Swatow district of Eastern Guangdong and now hugely popular in Hong Kong, Chiu Chow dishes are light and tasty, abundant with fresh vegetables, with refined poultry dishes a feature. Presentation is also of high importance with Chiu Chow chefs skilled vegetable carvers, creating the likes of birds and dragons from carrots and ginger.

For $75 per head you can sample the special banquet menu with options like pan-fried green prawns with soy sauce, and fillets of wild boar in chinjew sauce (stir fried fillets of wild boar with a special herb and peppercorn sauce). Alternatively choose from the a la carte menu with starters like diced chicken wrapped in egg whites, and sauteed fresh abalone. Mains include chicken in chinjew sauce, Cantonese style beef fillet and an old Chiu Chow favourite, the Chiu Chow egg omelette. Finish with steamed crystal dumplings with ice-cream. The predominantly Australian wine list also boasts some high-end French options.

Veda Wickens