Shark Fin House

LOCATION
In the heart of Melbourne’s Chinatown, between Exhibition and Russell Streets.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
Shark Fin House has been serving quality, authentic Cantonese cuisine for more than 20 years and can still be relied upon to provide a sense of occasion to any dining experience. This three-storey restaurant with its vast interior, bustling, efficient staff and menu featuring more than one hundred items can be a little overwhelming at first, but it caters to morning yum cha, business meetings or special occasion dining with equal ease. Waiters are on hand to help diners negotiate the lengthy menu, which features many seafood dishes, including the restaurant’s famous namesake shark fin soup, as well as Cantonese specialties, hotpots and banquet options.

Fresh seafood is this restaurant’s specialty, with lobster, abalone, mud crabs, king crabs and rock oysters available to be steamed, fried or deep-fried from the tanks in the restaurant foyer. A number of shark fin soup variations are also available. Alternative options are varied and include san choi bow, Peking duck, diced fillet mignon with ginger and shallots, minced pork and eggplant hotpot with Szechuan sauce and rice and noodle dishes such as Singapore noodles. The daily yum cha makes choices a little easier, with bite-sized Cantonese delicacies circulating the tables and encouraging more adventurous dining. It is very popular, so book for groups to avoid joining what can often be a lengthy waiting list.

Angela Costanzo