Chinese

Lee Ho Fook, II

10/14/2015 11:54:00 AM

Lee Ho Fook

Lee Ho Fook
11-15 Duckboard Place
Melbourne, VIC 3000
Ph: (03) 9077-6261
Lee Ho Fook Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

I really enjoyed Lee Ho Fook in its original Collingwood location, and when I heard that they moved to the CBD, it didn't take me long to organise a a Friday night dinner there with some friends! New Lee Ho Fook is down a laneway off Flinders Lane, with the entrance under that bright red neon sign. (If you look closely, it actually does say "Lee Ho Fook", so don't blame me if you get lost...)

Lee Ho Fook

I really liked the atmosphere of the new Lee Ho Fook, with its high ceilings and warehouse vibe. There aren't any cocktails (it was a Friday night, I asked!), but they do have a very accessible list of wines available by the glass.

Arfion Pinot Rose Yarra Valley - $12 per glass 

The menu has a similar feel, with a focus on fun and modern Chinese cuisine. (The crispy eggplant survived the move to the CBD, awww yeah!) Prices seem to have gone up a couple of dollars per dish - it's definitely on the pricey side, with most mains ranging from $32 to $38. There was a very tempting ten-course banquet option for $68 a head, but we had a couple of dietary requirements on the table, so thought it would be easier to order our own dishes. Between one non-seafood eater, one pescetarian, and two greedy people who eat everything, I think we did pretty well! (Can you guess which category I fall into?)

Chicken crackling with Sichuan spices - $8

I couldn't not order the chicken crackling from the specials. The small pieces of chicken skin were very crisp, and were covered in an addictive mix of chilli, salt, spring onions and tingly tingly Sichuan peppercorns. I hope this makes it onto the permanent menu!

Lee Ho Fook Spring Onion ‘Chinizza’ (Fried pizza) - shallot pancake style and buffalo mozzarella - $18

I'd seen the "Chinizza" doing the rounds on social media and some blogs and was definitely keen to try it. The Chinizza is Lee Ho Fook's take on a Chinese pizza - deep fried dough, blanketed in spring onions and topped with buffalo mozzarella. I really liked it (fried dough and spring onions yesssss), but my dining companions thought it was more interesting than delicious. Not to worry, more fried dough for me!

Crispy eggplant spiced red vinegar - $20

We took the advice of my previous Lee Ho Fook blogpost and ordered two serves of the eggplant. (Thank-you Sarah-from-the-past!) This was definitely the highlight of the meal - crunchy salty sweet sour goodness!

The main dishes were, for some reason, brought out two at a time rather than all together. We would have preferred for them to be served together, family style - so next time we visit I'll have to remember to request this!

Steamed Gailan - our oyster sauce and crispy garlic oil - $10

I really liked the presentation of the steamed gailaan - definitely stealing this idea for my next dinner party.

Steamed Cone Bay barramundi - ginger and shallot sauce - $35

The steamed barramundi was another highlight - the boneless pieces were extremely fresh and tender, with a wonderful flavoursome sauce. In addition to the usual mixture of soy sauce, rice wine, ginger and spring onion, the sauce also had a vibrant green oil on top (I believe coriander or spring onion, or maybe both!) - perfect for soaking into rice.

Aylesbury duck - $34

The duck was a bit disappointing - whilst the accompanying sweet-ish sauce was very nice, the duck itself was slightly overcooked for my liking, and I would have preferred the skin to be crispy. It also seemed a bit expensive, at $34 for a single duck breast.

Peking Wagyu Beef and carrots - sang choi bau, with baby cos lettuce - $38

We didn't actually order the Wagyu beef and carrots, and when we pointed this out to our waitress, she said we could keep it and took it off the bill. Woohoo. This was served sang choi bau-style, with a bowl of baby cos lettuce leaves on the side. Generous pieces of tender wagyu beef were covered in a variety of deep-fried, wafer-thin crunchy carrot slices. I actually ended up liking this better than the duck, so I'm glad we got to try it.

I enjoyed our dinner at new Lee Ho Fook - good atmosphere, interesting and tasty food (if a little expensive). Would go back.

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1 comments

  1. I went to Lee Ho Fook for the first time last Thursday. Thought it was brilliant, could not fault the service or the food. Only had two of the same dishes as you, the chicken skin and the barramundi but both were fantastic and highlights of the night

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