The Hidden Gem of Benyue

I’ve never really been a fan of anniversaries.  So when M unromantically suggested we just pick a date (1st of the next month,, because it was easy to remember), I agreed.

I’d been to Benyue Kitchen before with my sister, and it was one of the rare* places I wanted to return to.

A little background on the space: it opened in Aberfeldie in November 2021 serving a higher-end style of Cantonese than the words ‘Chinese Takeout’ imply.  Online research has told me it’s “the spiritual successor of…Lau’s Family Kitchen”, a St Kilda institution that I never had the chance to visit, and that has ties to the famed Flower Drum.  More so, it’s chef-owned, which I think is always a winner when it comes to quality of food.

Anyway, back to the story:

I booked a Sunday lunch slot, because I thought I’d be sensible (sometimes, I feel far too old for dinner and drinks out on a school night, especially when I’m attempting an early morning gym session the next day).

In hindsight, maybe not the best of choices.

Sunday lunches are prime family time, and one of the strengths of this great restaurant is its genuine family-friendly vibe.  Framed artwork of a co-owner’s nephew is on the wall (and there are genuine burgeoning artist vibes: just look at this photo.  And he’s only 8 years old!).

Saying that, M and I both struggle with children**, particularly the pitch of their voices, and, if I'm being honest, their loud exuberance for life.

The restaurant itself is in a brown brick building, decorated with the occasional plant and framed pictures. There's no trendy fit-out here (and thus, it's a bit of a noise trap- not a place to take your hard-of-hearing parents, unfortunately) but the food and the service are impeccable.

We ordered a glass of bubbly to start.  Because, anniversary.  (Or, as we took to calling it, liar-versary; we did make up the date after all).  We picked the prosecco over the moscato (Brown Brothers: a good, solid choice… albeit something you can easily pick up at your local bottle shop), and my thoughts when it came out were somewhat conflicting:

• Single serve bottles!  What an environmental waste!
• Single serve bottles!  What a smart way to ensure bubbles didn’t go stale!

I landed on the latter, especially because we were both able to refill our glasses.  Quite good value since we ordered it expecting only one drink each.  (Besides, although I do try to be green, I, like most of us, could probably do it better).

Back to the food.  The menu is a large one, and we settled on a few different options.  M, being the surprisingly less extravagant one of us this time, suggested we hold off on ordering our mains until we were done with the entrees.  In hindsight, smart.  In the moment, though, not my ideal.  He won me over with my love language, logic***: “We can always get more,” he said, and so I caved.  It did help, too, that our smiling server was on his side: apparently we had ordered quite a smorgasbord of entrees.

Homemade Steamed Free-Range Chicken Siu Mai: I picked this option because #dumplings - how could you go wrong?  Chicken is not usually my go to, but this version also came with prawn and was advertised free-range (I love restaurants that do that, and, at a certain price point, I do try to ask about ingredient supply chains… but it’s not always a question that can be answered).

‍Lamb Spring Roll: My second time trying this, and just as good as I remembered.  M’s favourite, and you really must have this if you visit.  Large, meaty and perfectly seasoned, served with a deliciously sweet-and-sour dipping sauce.

‍Fresh Crab Meat Fluffy Omelette: I must admit, the ‘fresh’ got me: I love fresh crab.  I was surprised, when the dish came out at the revelation it was purely egg white.  On tasting the dish, it was perfect: the inclusion of yolk, I think, would have overpowered the delicacy of the meat.  And what meat it was!  There was a lot, and it was all of it gobbled right up.

‍Peking Duck:  M’s pick, and probably a good one to try since it’s a Chinese staple.  It was, like the rest of the food, very good.  My only qualm was this is a dish I prefer to put together myself: I go heavy on the cucumber and light on the hoisin, but that’s personal preference, and I really am clutching at straws here.  Benyue’s version is perfectly presented.

By now, my choice of conversation topic (the week ahead) was getting to M, who prefers a happy avoidance for certain things****.  Plus, he’s deaf in one ear (which can make being surrounded by competing voices difficult) and the level of noise in the place was such that it was even getting on my nerves.

So, we called it.  Sans mains, which was very sad.  But, since he knows how to cheer me up, we booked a return visit when we paid: an early dinner a few days away.  Ideally not as many children, or people, where we could hear each other talk.

Read on for the mains at Benyue Part 2.

_{* living in Melbourne, I’m generally a fan of trying new places over visiting old haunts; there are more than enough to try out in a lifetime!}

_{** That we don't know.}

_{*** Not really, but I wish it was.}

_{**** Like a work-week full of difficult customers and conversations}