Double the fun at Chin Chin


Before Jeremy and I took our holiday in April 2012 to Melbourne, we already knew of some places that we very much wanted to eat at. And sitting at the top of that list (like it does on the urbanspoon website), was Chin Chin.

It took us two goes before we managed to get a seat. Our success came as we took advantage of the fact that it was Good Friday and most people would be family bound in their activities. 

The atmosphere and decor here are funky and modern without trying too hard. It's bright and airy like a New York loft with people bustling all over the place and bar that stretches along one side with cocktails being shaken before the people seated there. 

Since it's too late for lunch and too early for dinner we decide to eat relatively light. Everything looks amazing. It's Thai inspired cuisine and my mouth is watering from the intense aromas that circle us. 

We start off with the Chin Chin pork 'roll ups'. They're red braised suckling pig with pancakes, slaw and sour herbs - enough to make four between us. 

One bite in and it's easy to see why this is one of the dishes that this place is famous for. The pork is tender and packed full of flavour; the slaw crunchy and texturally diverse. They sit at home inside the asian spring roll like pancake and when you add that glorious BBQ sauce that comes with, you can't help but groan with delight. 


Though we're extremely drawn to the massaman curry on the menu, we end up going for the chicken satay with cucumber and fresh herbs. Sadly this is no longer on the menu at Chin Chin, but it was very moorish and different to your standard satay. It had that great Thai influence of shallots and fresh flavours. The ground up peanuts that were smothered on top were an extra element that took this dish to the next level. 


We so badly wanted to keep eating. Everyone around us was tucking in with gusto into dishes that looked and smelled incredible. But we knew we were close to the end of our stomachs capabilities so instead chose a drink and a dessert each to share.

The drinks can be chosen from a large list that is bound together with a cover that looks like the letters are made of duct tape. It's very fittingly labelled R18+.


I've gone for a very citrusy and pretty much phenomenal lemon grass cocktail. It goes down so smoothly and is made up of flavours and ingredients so complex that I don't even try to identify them. It's light and makes me feel buoyantly joyous. Jeremy's equally happy with his imported ginger beer that has added limes for even more taste. 

Our afternoon tea finishes on a sweet note. There's the banana filled murtabak which is a dessert spin on a dish you normally associate with meat. It's slathered in condensed milk and tastes more like banana than the fruit itself. It's warming and extremely pleasing on the palate.


And then there was the palm sugar ice cream sundae with salted honeycomb and lime syrup. It's Asian and delicate and very sweet. I like the tang of the lime; and the crunch of the honeycomb. Really, I just like the whole thing. It's a wonderful last bite as we finish our first time here at this popular Melbourne eatery.

Next time I'm back over east, I'll definitely be making my way back to Chin Chin and devouring as much of the menu as I can.


Chin Chin on Urbanspoon

4 comments:

  1. Hi Queen on Bad Timing, this review has resulted in me calling up my girlies and making a date at Sea Bay, very yum Asian food & very reasonable too (Sydney, you have to try it if you visit!)…there goes the diet! I'm visiting Melbourne this weekend for InDesign tho so definitely will pay a visit. I was wondering if I could maybe get some help? I’m working on a dating app atm, and a part of the app will have bloggers recommending 5-10 places in their city to check out for a first date, I was wondering if you might recommend maybe a few places you love? I will put links up to your blog on the app and so far we have 2,000 signed up to download the app (I'm pretty surprised but so excited!) you can pop on here – https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dG93enNmdHRPOTVuUWVqOFJMUElibnc6MQ or email me on lauren@heylets.com xxx

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    Replies
    1. Hi Lauren

      Thanks for your comment - I'm glad it got your tummy rumbling and craving asian food! I definitely think a food trip over to Sydney will be on the cards in the next few months so I'll keep that place in mind :)

      I'm from Perth, so if you're looking for places to recommend from here I would love to be a part of it. Just let me know what you need from me

      xox

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  2. This place too is really sensational - always so busy

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