翠竹閣 Bamboo House (Melbourne) - ♕♕♕♕♕
Bamboo House is a great restaurant, it has been good for the last 25 years I have been visiting it. I actually rate it above Flower Drum in Melbourne in terms of regional Chinese cuisine. One could interpret it as gradually falling behind it's time but I have my reservations on that approach. Chinese cooking across the globe has been stagnant for a while except for the rare pioneers who have future vision and in the inevitability of things if you don't push forward enough you will temporarily find yourself falling behind the trend. But here is where Bamboo House really excels at its max. It is sturdy, and in comparison young apprentice chefs in China can't always keep up with the old tested chefs' skills, who are also more often than not a bit conservative to share their years of accumulated technical knowledge to any apprentice chef. No one wishes to see the day that their students will overtake them. The kitchen at Bamboo House however has maintained a veritable standard for years, it's still predominantly run by the same kitchen team who arrived from in Hong Kong since decades ago, previously very well trained. On the executional side of things the food has been so consistently impressive I still use here as a base reference to pick up on flaws in Shanghainese and Northern Chinese cuisines when I dine in Hong Kong and China itself. That often involves comparing it directly against Michelin 1 or 2 star awarded restaurants such as 夜上海 Ye Shanghai in HK or Shanghai Gardern 紫玉蘭, and it is still above that standard here. The Tea and Sugar Smoked Duck (樟茶鴨) is gorgeously prepared and has set a standard so high, thus far I have been unable to find a replacement in Hong Kong. The same applies with their Fried Beef Pot Sticker Dumplings (牛肉鍋! 貼), which has been so perfect every time with flowing juices inside and fried evenly crispy, it is just amazeballs and reminds you not to fix what isn't broken.
The No.1 rule when ordering at Bamboo House is that one must always order the most Authentic dishes via a la carte selection. The tasting menu is there to cater for Western diners' palates. No duck feet, not smoked fishes, ALWAYS including Peking Duck and asparagus with scallops and X.O. Sauce. The stereotyped Chinese cooking which is more Cantonese than Northern cuisine. Tell the staff you want the best of the best and the most authentic dishes NOT set up for Westerners. You have to come here with an open mind and venture out to explore.
Appetizer Platter of Goose Webs, Smoked Beancurd Skin Roll,
Marinated Jelly Fish & Fried Smoked Fish -
The goose web is the only weakest link here as it seemed a little thin and bleached than crunchy enough. 
The smoked fish has always been of very very high quality, even better than 80% of the ones I eat in Asia, a mean feat. The Smoked Beancurd Skin roll is another mush order, right up there with the best of international standards. The jellyfish is nicely supported by a subtle sesame oil. Half great and half mediocre on this particular night. Usually better ~ 7.5/10
Spring Onion Cakes -
The one here is good, and once again I really struggle to find such high executional quality here in HK. And don't forget I have been dining in hundreds of times to know its consistency. There is little wonder why Bamboo ! House is the only Chinese restaurant in Melbourne that I always miss a lot. The spring onions are abundant and the flaky pastry is fried well but not oily, and overall well seasoned. ~ 9/10
This is a decent Basket Pressed Shiraz. B.Y.O. -
Seemed a little muted from the past vintages, but the characters are still there.
Beef Pot Stickers -
This has always been the best pot stickers I've eaten in my life for the last 20+ years and even today remains to be so. The bottom is crispy, the skin is thin, and that juice flowing inside is subtly herbed is simply amazing stuff. This standard can't even be found in China or Hong Kong ~ 12/10
Minced Pork with Pickles, served in Sesame Pastry -
Another Signature dish here but not found on the banquet menus, and a typical Shanghainese and surrounding regional dish. The meat is thickly grounded and well seasoned in a viscous sauce, which is the true essence of Shanghainese cuisine with it's lavishly thick coating of sweetened soy base sauce. The pastry pockets were nicely done and aromatic. Nothing to be faulted and again one of the best versions I have eaten. Perfectly balanced. ~ 9/10
Sweet and Sour Grouper Fish - *Off Menu Item
! This is a typical dish though usually made with different DNA fishes in China, and Shanghai 1930 also serves a similar version. We ordered this non typcial Grouper version (previously refrigerated, as we didn't pre-advance ordered) just to cater for a family member's needs, and the kitchen did not fail this test at all as the end result was still satisfactory and done as good as you could find it anywhere else. ~ 9/10
Tea Smoked Duck with White Buns (By Default Boneless, but insist on Bone-In version.) -
Their Peking duck might be famous, but this is the real Piece de Resistance here and which the Bamboo House kitchen is most proud of. Here I made a blopper however as over the years my aunties have been ordering, and I never realised the Smoked Duck is boneless by default. If you want the bones left intact you have to ask. The Skin is still all smoky and crispy, the duck is cooked perfectly right but the bones and crevices was where all the flavours got slightly lost. Always order this Bone-In is my only advice. There is no other way, as you will be into your experience of your life, I bet even the French didn't see this coming. Trust me for once. This time ~ 8/10
Mermaid's Tresses (干燒二鬆桃仁), with added Honeyed Walnuts -
The fried green leaves with conpoy is another signature dish here and only recommended to revisiting Chinese customers for some reason. The added honey coated walnuts costs another AUD $ 10 additional dollars but is well worth it and is the only way to go, but surprisingly not recommended by the staff by default. I think they should. It is in these minor details and when they become too complacent, when they are not doing their kitchen staff enough justice as to what they are capable of cooking. In fact this particular dish used to be much more popular in HK, but has gradually becoming phrased out as well bar the 1-2 restaurants still selling old ! style cu isine. Which makes it another reason to treasure Bamboo House before they retire. ~ 10/10
Price: AUD $ 40 – $ 50 per person
Food: ♕♕♕♕♕ (Execution and Adherence to proven formulas is the King here. If some of the 1-2 Michelin Starred restaurants in HK are being awarded as such, my recent revisit suggests this is still easily deserving of 1 or 2 hatted status in The Good Food Guide. You just need to know what exactly to order as a regular Asian customer. It goes both ways, what do u want, and what do u order in the end? I certainly don't often come in here to order Peking Duck. I will do that an Quanjudge instead, with direct Beijing roots.. )
Opening Hours:
Mon – Fri Lunch and Dinner
Sat – Sun Dinner only
Address: 47 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne 3000, Victoria, Australia
Ph: (03) 9662 1565
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