because I can't cook

Yum Cha Cafe in the Melbourne CBD.
Address	193-195 Exhibition Street
Opening Times	Mon-Sun     11am-11pm
Cuisine	Chinese, Dim Sum
Visited	19 August 2011
Rating	

At dinner time on a Friday night in the Melbourne CBD, I felt a sudden hankering for yum cha. No Chinese restaurants serves yum cha for dinner, no good restaurants have a free table for two on a Friday night. No, not in the Melbourne CBD at least. Aarrghhh.

Those were what I kept on having in mind but as it turned out, my chance of finding one was pretty good. As we were strolling down Little Bourke Street, found was a pretty swanky restaurant serving Chinese cuisine, yum cha inclusive, even at dinner time; Yum Cha Café.

Unlike many restaurants that night in Melbourne City, Yum Cha Café was quiet yet at the same time very inviting as it looked contemporary and very cozy.

A candle on every table. Dimmed ambient lighting. Minimalist, modern décor. Slow, jazzy background music. And a perfect table for two on the corner by the window. This quite romantic setting packaged with Yum Cha Café’s excellent, speedy service, we found us a very nice restaurant for our dinner that night.

Our teapots were never empty and always warm, empty plates on our tables were taken away straight away, dim sims were brought out quickly, and the staff were very welcoming. Unfortunately Yum Cha Café was not flawless; there were not many selections of yum cha unlike bigger Chinese restaurants (it might have something to do with the quiet night so they didn’t make as many dishes as usual?), and their dim sum collection was a hit and miss. Some of the hits included the BBQ pork bun, ginger prawn dumpling, chicken pies, and the mango pudding dessert. And the misses (and by ‘misses’ I meant, they were not awful but simply okay) included sticky rice dumpling that was a bit bland, chicken flat noodle with peanut butter sauce that was a little… unusual (still can’t decide whether I liked it or not honestly), and the prawn and pork dumpling that were neither memorable nor impressive.

Nevertheless, Yum Cha Café was full of potentials; their large selection of teas and cocktails (will need to try next time), their delicious-looking pre-theatre offers (as it was located close to Her Majesty’s theatre), their quiet, elegant ambience, and their seemingly fantastic service. They deserved a second visit, for sure.

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