Melbourne’s Lunar New Year festivities are still happening this week so this weekend is a good opportunity to sneak in a last Chinese New Year feast at David’s Prahran.

This bustling ‘Country Shanghai’ Chinese restaurant has great value sharing menus which are perfect for groups of diners and eliminates the need to make difficult decisions from the a la carte menu. We were invited to try the sharing menu, which can be organised for 2, 4, 6 and 8 people – though if you turn up with an odd number (like us – 3 people) then it’s easy for the kitchen to make adjustments by reducing the number of dishes. 

To start we had gently poached chicken marinated subtly in Chinese rice wine and topped with a handful of edamame. The meat was almost marshmallow soft and the crunchy soy beans provided the dish with some textural contrast. 

In contrast the other meat entree was a punchy concoction of thinly sliced lamb, dry-fried and tossed with chilli, garlic, spring onions and shredded iceberg lettuce.

One of the ‘must-eat’ dishes at David’s is their DIY shredded duck and veggie wrap (their version of Peking Duck), which pairs crispy duck with some delicate rice flour pancakes. I suggest asking for more pancakes as there’s lots of filling to go around and you don’t want to overfill your wrap and make it soggy.

One of my favourite dishes were the ‘one bit’ soft shell river prawns, a generous earthen bowl full of crispiness tossed in a sweet/sour sauce. The prawns are great on top of rice or just on their own.

The other main dishes also paired well with the simple ‘Buddha’s’ fried rice with bok choy and egg as they were more akin to stews.

Firstly, the ‘country comfort’, a rustic soy-braised dish of pork belly with chat potatoes which is a rib-sticking cold weather dish. Then a classic Chinese dish of cubes of silken tofu brimming with shiitake, button and enoki mushrooms. Other than the mushrooms vegetables come in the form of green soy beans and diced bok choy stir fried with chilli for spice and colour.

 

For dessert you receive a traditional gelatinous hemisphere of black sticky rice flavoured with osmanthus and red bean. It’s a bit of an acquired taste in terms of its gluey texture as well as the not-quite-sweetness of the red beans. Even though I’m Chinese I can’t say I’m a great fan and it can sit heavily in your  stomach after a large meal.

If you order from the sharing menu at David’s then I guarantee that you won’t be able to finish everything! The sharing menus are $70 for 2 people, $140 for 4 people, $210 for 6 people and $300 for 8 people. Fortunately they are very accommodating with take away containers, making the dinner even better value when you can enjoy leftovers the next day. 

David’s also offer all you can eat $35 yum cha on weekends, another great way to sample lots of dishes and leave with your stomach full, rolling out the door.

David’s Restaurant, 4 Cecil Place, Prahran +

Mon-Wed 12pm-3pm & 6pm-10pm
Thu 12pm-3pm & 6pm-10.30pm
Fri 12pm-11pm
Sat 11.30am – 11pm
Sun 11.30am-10.30pm