I’ve had some great restaurant experiences in recent times with food I’ve really enjoyed for its creativity, care in preparation and standout quality. Society Restaurant and MoVida Next Door, (both in Melbourne), Khufu’s in Cairo, and Sum Yung Guys in Noosa, on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast all come to mind. And I have reviewed each of them too.
A train trip to a regional Victorian restaurant had brought me another excellent dining experience I can add to this list. Fook Shing restaurant is set in the town of Kyneton, about 90 kms northeast of Melbourne, and offers some excellent South East Asian food and hospitality.
I thoroughly enjoyed their Sri Lankan fish cakes with cucumber and red onion sambal, so crunchy, tasty and delicious. Chicken and prawn dumplings are really well made and served with a sauce that had a good hit of Sichuan pepper.
The Chinese egg custard, blue swimmer crab, xo and spring onion is one of the most interesting and creative dishes I ate at this lunch.
Vietnamese tumeric, lemongrass, fish and vegetable curry is beautiful made with generous quantities of tender fish and perfectly cooked vegetables. Crispy half chicken with spring onion and ginger sauce is tender, juice and just right.
Their crispy bean shoot, coconut and peanut salad is so, so good and unlike anything I’ve eaten previously.
While I don’t always order dessert, the food had been so interesting here I was keen to try more. And the tapioca pudding came with poached quince which is a totally favourite fruit of mine.
The tapioca was served with coconut which transformed it to a beautiful texture that reminded me of marshmallow (without loosing the tapioca texture). Hints of pandan and black sesame added a lovely finishing touch. Beautifully done.
I really enjoyed the atmosphere and service at the Fook Shing restaurant dining room too. Very welcoming and genuine.
There were a number of standout dishes here I would happily eat again. Which makes me look forward to dining at Fook Shing restaurant again. I can definitely recommend making a booking to enjoy this Victorian dining experience.
Allan Campion