Flower Drum…review by Jessica Anderson

Flower Drum Restaurant
Melbourne 17 Market Lane 3000
(03) 9662 3655




It was a rather interesting weekend when my friend decided we needed to eat somewhere fantastic. Too long had we savoured the kebab and cheap pizza, we needed something special. Flowerdrum has a reputation that all restaurants would envy and so we went to find out if it was true.

On entry we were greeted by a lovely door man who escorted us to the lift and took us to the restaurant. I must admit, the decor disappointed me and the repeated “do you have a booking?” was also frustrating, especially because the restaurant was no where near full! We did however have a booking and were taken to our table.

Any reservations I may have had after the first impressions was whisked away as our lovely waiter Barney came to look after us. We ordered the set menu, which was a modestly priced $55 for lunch (it is $150 at dinner). From that moment on, Flowerdrum became everything we hoped.

We ordered cocktails (Planter’s punch and Pimm’s punch) which were a fresh and cool alternative to wine. They also complimented the Chinese food perfectly.

Our first course was three dumplings. One was filled with a smooth crab filling, another with a bitey pork and the last, was seafood which was dipped into a soy and ginger sauce. All were sublime and had us hankering for more. The texture was perfect, the dumplings held their shape and didn’t fall apart in your chopsticks and the sizes were large, but not too big for your mouth.

The next course was a deep fried garfish. Firstly let me say ..there was not one bone. The fillets were long and perfectly fried for the crunch on the outside and the soft/flaky in the middle. This was lovely, however was the least favourite of all the courses

The third course was peking duck. The trolley was wheeled out to the table, and I almost squealed in delight. The pancakes were rolled in front of us, a large cheek of crispy skinned duck was placed with the hoi sin sauce, cucumber and spring onion. It was sublime. I savoured my first and last bite and was so relieved when the waiter asked if we were ready for our 2nd one. Same again, beautiful duck, chewy and soft texture of the pancake, all perfect.

The last course was breathtaking. Grain fed rib eye cooked medium rare in a black pepper sauce. I have never in my life had meat melt in my mouth the way this cut did. It was by far our favourite. The rib eye was cooked perfectly and the broccolini that accompanied it was firm and delicious. The cut was very generous and still rare in the middle; the restaurant could have served only this dish and would still be regarded as one of Australia’s best.

Our other waiters; Jeff, Tommy and Trainee were all as fantastic as Barney. They had pleasing, genuine smiles and they made sure out glasses of water were constantly filled (it seems like a simple gesture but was much appreciated). The timing of the meals between each course was also down to a fine art. I never felt starved, but always ready for my next meal and the waiters never made us wait too long.

We were brought coffee and some almond biscuits to finish our meal and were suitably stuffed by the end, but did not feel gluttonly full. The meal really was a great experience. I recommend it to all who are in Melbourne to try this institution on the restaurant scene.

Jessica Anderson