Watching the Peking duck being expertly carved at the table, it was hard to remember that this new Chinese cuisine restaurant is on the bottom level of the giant and somewhat anonymous, Indooroopilly Shopping Centre.
Yum Cha Cuisine is part of the Gourmet Fresh precinct open on Level 1 of the shopping centre which features a Woolworths supermarket and an array of premium fresh food stores including Indooroopilly Fruit, Cabassi & Co, Artisan Butchers, Con’s Fish Market, Daisy’s Florist, Sushi Sushi, Coffee Hit, UFM Asian Grocer, French Twist and Oliver & Co Deli + Table.
I wasn’t expecting anything flash and therefore felt somewhat underdressed for the lux fit out, although I’m sure they welcome shoppers every day. The precinct can be accessed through the shopping centre or direct from the front door on Moggill Road. If you know Indro well, think bottom level of the old Myer store and you’ll know exactly where it is.
The first surprise was the décor, the second was the service which was exceptional and the third was the food – perfectly cooked with fabulously fresh flavours.
I always find it complicated to order Chinese food where there's a large number of options and a banquet is often the easy choice which is what we ended up choosing on the night. If you want to tempt your taste buds the chef’s recommendations include seafood combination in a bird’s nest, pork rib Cantonese style, braised abalone with mushroom and sea cucumbers and crispy prawn in shell with egg sauce.
There's also a live seafood option with tanks of lobsters and mud crabs that hopefully do not know the fate that awaits them only metres away.
We ate our way through a mixed entrée of dumplings, then watched in awe as a crisp-skin peking duck was carved at the table and converted in peking duck rolls. This was followed by a succession of dishes which were cooked to perfection and complemented, not overwhelmed by light sauces. Good Chinese food by any standards.
Dessert is the dish of the day and we had two to enjoy, one a subtle mango custard which captured the true flavour of a ripe mango and the other a delicious bun with a salted caramel custard filling.
True to their name, the restaurant offers yum cha on the weekends and is open seven days from 10am to 10pm.
Dish prices are not Chinese takeaway but more in line with restaurant dining averaging between $20 - $25 but substantial.
There are other branches of this restaurant at Carindale and Robina.
Yum Cha Cuisine
Best tip: Try the yum cha trolley on Sundays.
Bottom line: Not cheap but great quality.
Kerry Heaney
Disclaimer: Ed+bK was a guest of Yum Cha Cuisine