Box Hill, VIC 3128
Ever notice the way your tastes change as you grow up? As a child,
I could eat a whole bag of potato chips in one go, but a slice of cake (so
delicious and moist) would literally make me ill. My favourite foods consisted
of the fattiest braised meats, and whilst I still like them today, I’d be the
last person to say no to a fresh, vibrant salad. And oily, Asian hawker food like the kind
served at China Bar? I could
never say no.
China Bar rose to fame when they
opened their gourmet buffet on Burwood Highway, but they started
out as a chain of Malaysian hawker restaurants, ducks hanging in the windows
and all. I absolutely love their buffet (as much as a foodie can love a
buffet), but I’m not too well-versed in terms of the food served at their
casual restaurants, having only been once, more than 6 or so years ago.
 |
| Fried Koay Teow ($9.8) |
I wanted dry noodles and so did
Chris, so a plate of Fried Koay Teow
($9.8) went down a treat. Or it would have, if it hadn’t been so greasy. The
noodles had lovely, charred edges and the sprouts were a crispy, fresh
counterpoint, but I just couldn’t get past the fact that it was sitting in a
puddle of oil.
 |
| Roast Duck and Crispy Pork on Rice ($9.8) |
Faring better was a plate of Roast Duck and Crispy Pork on Rice
($9.8). The duck was very good, just fatty enough to make it tender and juicy,
but not enough to make it grotty. The pork wasn’t as moist as what they serve
at the buffet, and a bit too salty, but any meat capped with shards of
crackling is a win in my books.
China Bar doesn’t serve fabulous
food; I would hesitate to call it anything more than average. But their food is
fresh, the servings are large(ish), and the bills are small(ish), and all that
together makes for a restaurant popular enough to thrive in the
ever-competitive Box Hill.
Rating: 11.5/20 – here ducky ducky ducky
would you visit there again? I have been to several China bars and they weren't as nice as the one you described here.
ReplyDeletebox hill seems a bit too far for me. I live in the north western suburbs
Hmmm.... I don't mind the food, but it's much too greasy and there's better food everywhere else, so probably not. And China Bar has seriously spread, I think there's about 7 branches floating around now
DeleteHaha China Bar is only good at 2am in the morning after a few drinks in my opinion!
ReplyDeleteHaha that and kebabs! I can understand how salty roast pork on a huge bed of rice would be appealing after a too-long drinking game :p
DeleteI really like the duck soup with preserved veggies and the custard buns...not sure how authentic they are though :)
ReplyDeleteI haven't personally tried any of those things but, does it matter too much if it's authentic if you enjoy it? ;)
DeleteTrue...you should totally try them if you go back Ming!!!
ReplyDelete