DENGON NET

特集の中国茶に合わせ、中国の料理を紹介しよう。メルボルンには高級な店から大衆食堂のようなカジュアルな店まで、星の数ほどの中華料理店がある。中国の料理は地域ごとに特徴があり、今回紹介するのは上海スタイルの店David’s。上海料理は他の地域の料理と比べ、素材の味を生かした薄味が特徴とか。どんな料理が出てくるのか、期待に胸躍らせ足を運んだ。

湯気が立つ蒸籠で運ばれてきたのはShanghai steamed pork dumplings、つまり小龍包だ。小龍包は上海が発祥地で、今でも絶大の人気を誇る代表料理。熱々をパクッといきたいところだが、ガマン。まずはレンゲの上に小籠包を乗せ、皮を破って中のスープをレンゲに出して味わい、その後にジューシーな具とモッチリとした皮を食べるのが本式の食べ方。確かにこうして食べると火傷もしないし、ひとつで二度おいしい。

Shanghai steamed pork dumplings $10

続いては、常温でサーブされる見るからに辛そうなSteamed chicken in chilli soy。棒棒鶏の辛い版と味を予想しながら口に運んだが、良い意味で裏切られた。ムチッとした鶏肉に、辛さだけではない奥行きのある味わいのチリソイソースがピッタリ。聞けば、ソースはこの店のオリジナルとのこと。「辛い、辛い」と言いながら、気が付けば箸が伸びる魅惑の一品。お酒にもご飯にも合いそうだ。

Steamed chicken in chilli soy $18

更に、ハッキリとした色合いが目を引くSpicy pork belly bao。フカフカの蒸しパンに、こってりスパイシーな豚バラ肉が良く合い、シャキッとした食感が残る野菜もアクセントになっている。おつまみとしても、軽食としても楽しめる。

Spicy pork belly bao $12

「シェアして楽しむなら、この組み合わせがお勧め」と登場したのは、Seafood garden with scallops, prawns, calamari,rice cake & green beansとBuddha’s fried rice with bok choy & egg。Seafood gardenは、チリが入っているので辛いと思いきや、海鮮の旨味とにんにくが効いた、マイルドなのにパンチのある不思議な味わい。シーフードが苦手な人は別として、この料理は誰が食べても笑顔になること間違いなし。そして、この料理を引き立てるのが、玉子と青梗菜のシンプルなBuddha’s fried rice 。なんでも、肉などが入った炒飯は重過ぎてお互いの良さを半減させてしまうのだとか。食べてみると納得。炒飯のどこかホッとする素朴な味が、海鮮の旨みをより引き立たせている。この組み合わせ、病みつきになるかも。 

Seafood garden with scallops, prawns, calamari, rice cake & green beans $38,
Buddha’s fried rice with bok choy & egg $16

もしお腹に余裕があるなら、1番人気のデザートSoft centred, withe chocolate dumplings with peanut & coconut praline with ice creamがお勧め。薄い餅皮の中にトロリとしたホワイトチョコレートがたっぷり入って濃厚だが、小ぶりなのでパクリと食べられる。2人でシェアするのが丁度良いかも。中国茶と一緒にいただいて。

天井が高く白を基調としたスッキリとした店内は、友達とのキャッチアップにも、デートにも使えそう。週末には、人気の飲茶食べ放題も。ごちそうさまでした。

Enjoy the taste of Shanghai in a relaxed environment

This month, inspired by our Chinese tea feature, we decided to visit a Chinese restaurant. Melbourne is filled with countless Chinese establishments, ranging from top-end eateries to simple takeaway joints, but one thing that often gets forgotten is that Chinese cuisine is very regional. This month’s review is of the Shanghai-style restaurant, David’s. Shanghai cuisine relies on subtle flavours that let the ingredients shine when compared to other regional styles of Chinese cuisine. With hearts pounding, and excited by what might be on offer, we made our way to David’s to find out for ourselves.

We started with the Shanghai steamed pork dumplings, which arrived (appropriately) in a cloud of steam emanating from the wooden baskets. As the name suggests, this style of dumpling originated in Shanghai and is massively popular to this day. We wanted to just dive in, but we held off, following the instructions on how to eat them correctly: First, place a dumpling on top of the spoon, then break the skin and drink the soup from within. Finally, enjoy the juicy filling and sticky skin. By doing this, you avoid burning your mouth and get to enjoy two very different taste experiences per serve.
Following the dumplings, we tried the Steamed chicken in chilli soy. Served at room temperature, this looks pretty spicy, and we imagined it would taste like a hotter version of Bang Bang Chicken, but we were completely wrong. The chilli soy sauce was indeed spicy, but it had a further depth to it that perfectly complemented the tender chicken. We found out the sauce is a house-made original. You may keep saying ‘Wow, that’s hot!’ but you keep reaching for more regardless. It’s a very alluring dish, one that would go well with either an alcoholic drink or rice.
Adding more heat, we then enjoyed the Spicy pork belly bao. These draw the eye with their clean, distinct colours, while their fluffy steamed bread and richly flavoured spicy pork belly, accented by the crunch of the vegetables, are a great combination. They’re ideal as a light meal or snack.
 The Seafood garden with scallops, prawns, calamari, rice cake & green beans, plus the Buddha’s friend rice with bok choy & egg, were next to arrive. They were recommended to us as, ‘a perfect combination for sharing’. Thanks to the chilli, we figured the Seafood garden would be spicy, but the combination of the seafood’s umami, plus the garlic, tempered it considerably, providing a unique, mild flavour that also has some punch. Unless you have an aversion to seafood, this dish should make pretty much anyone happy. We should note the Buddha’s fried rice, with its simple combination of egg and green veges, really helps set the Seafood garden off, too. If this had meat, it would be too heavy and ruin both dish’s good points. The simple flavours here relax and really help draw out the seafood flavours even further. As such, this is a combo that could become very addictive. 

If you’ve still got room in your stomach at the end of your meal, we’d recommend the restaurant’s most popular dessert – the Soft centred, white chocolate dumplings with peanut & coconut praline with ice cream. The thin, sticky skins house plenty of rich, thick white chocolate, but because they’re single mouthful size, you can still down them easily. This is probably a dish best shared between two people though. Make sure you wash it all down with Chinese tea too.

With its tall ceilings and mostly white décor, this is a chic, calm environment that’s perfect for catch ups or dates. On weekends, there’s the popular all-you-can-eat Yum Cha too. Gotchisousamadeshita. 

David’s
4 Cecil Place Prahran
03 9529 5199
Lunch   Wed - Fri: 12 - 3pm
             Sat・Sun: 11:30am - 3pm
Dinner  Sun - Thu: 6 - 10pm
             Fri - Sat: 6 - 11pm
davidsrestaurant.com.au