Thursday 23 August 2012

The Grand Tofu


102 Kingsway
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.

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.

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.

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.


The Grand Tofu 2 on Urbanspoon

6 comments:

  1. 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 !

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    1. My 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

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  2. Oh, that's a shame your meal wasn't so good :(

    I think the yong tofu here are, indeed, the drawcard so maybe give them a go next time :)

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    1. 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 ;)

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  3. Your 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.

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    1. Aww 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

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