VVOC.org

113 Queensbridge St, Southbank, Melbourne Vic.

A statue of the Buddha, inscrutably calm as usual, presides over this restaurant. The 13 entrees on offer when we were there included spring rolls of pastry stuffed with minced soy and vegetables. There is the same number of soups, all of them offered with or without egg; the three mushroom soup, peppery with lots of lettuce, is particularly fine. (Westerners never seem to cook lettuce, but its texture and colour when cooked are lovely.)  The ten tofu dishes include the spicy Kung Po Tofu, in which tofu and a Chinese mix of vegetables (capsicum, baby corn, carrot, mushroom) are livened up by ginger and chilli, and the eleven vegetable dishes include the luscious spicy egg plant, which again incorporates a fair amount of tofu. The number of dishes is remarkable, and that’s not counting the many imitation meat offerings; one would enjoy working through more of them. The food is traditional Chinese, served in attractive surroundings by highly efficient staff; I was amazed how quickly we were in and out. But if you want to linger, a glass of dry white wine is just the thing to accompany food of this quality.