102 Kingsway
Glen Waverley, VIC 3150
Glen Waverley, VIC 3150
Another lazy day, another cheap eat. The Grand Tofu has been a stalwart in the Glen Waverley area
since as long as I can remember, but I only recall ever having eaten there
once, a very long time ago. The interior once again surprises me with how
clean and pleasant it is, even after all these years.
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| Yong Tofu |
Their drawcard is the yong tofu, 6
pieces of fish paste stuffed vegetables picked from the buffet and cooked into
a laksa, tom yum, or clear soup along with your choice of noodles.
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| Traditional Curry Laksa ($9.5) |
I felt like trying my luck with the
curry soups here, and because I was too lazy to get up and pick out 6 pieces of
yong tofu, I ordered the Traditional
Curry Laksa ($9.5) instead. This was extremely not delicious. The soup
was neither spicy nor creamy, the chicken was fatty and stringy, and the amount
of fish cake, tofu puffs, everything really, leaved a lot to be desired. Thankfully
the soup was infinitely improved by the sweet and slightly spicy sambal sitting
on the table, but unfortunately it also gave the soup an unpleasant greasiness,
leaving it undrinkable.
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| BBQ Pork Egg Noodle in Oriental Style |
Chris’ BBQ Pork Egg Noodle in Oriental Style ($9.5) was a lot
better, with a nest of egg noodles in a puddle of simple soy sauce, topped with
slices of roast pork that were surprisingly soft, tender, and just plain yummy.
The noodles lacked the tell-tale bounce and richness of being freshly made,
which is a shame, because it’s the little touches like this that really makes a
dish shine.
The feeling I get is that the Grand
Tofu is game of hits and misses. You’d probably be better off being boring and
sticking to the most basic of the classics, such as fried koay teow or chicken
and salted fish fried rice, to avoid disappointment. The staff are also a lot
surlier than those of the surrounding restaurants, but then again, it’s
probably the guarantee of predictable mediocrity that keeps the less
adventurous punters coming back.
Rating: 11.5/20 – sambal laksa.
It's a good place (the glen Waverley one) to chill and have some yong tau foo :) But of course it's not the same as Malaysia !
ReplyDeleteMy Malaysian friend says that she hasn't found any authentic Malaysian place in Melbourne; good thing I'm going to Malaysia later this year then! :D
DeleteOh, that's a shame your meal wasn't so good :(
ReplyDeleteI think the yong tofu here are, indeed, the drawcard so maybe give them a go next time :)
I went to the Grand Tofu when I was a wee little lass, and I did like the youg tofu, though I feel hard-pressed to choose to eat there when Petaling street is right across the road ;)
DeleteYour photos look so good! It's a shame you didn't like it though, we always have the yong tofu when we go there, so maybe do give that a go if you ever find yourself back there! We also get the Hainanese chicken a lot which is quite nice compared to other places I think.
ReplyDeleteAww thanks so much :) I might give the hainanese chicken a go; there's a really good one at Straits Cafe but I'm always a sucker for tender poached chicken :D
Delete