Monday, September 13, 2010

September 6, 2010: Chan House

27/10/2014: The owners of Chan House have opened a new business in Doncaster East, see comment below.

18/09/2013: Chan House appears to have changed hands, see this update on Vegan Bullsh*t.

The Melbourne veg grapevine works fast - within a few days of Chan House opening, word had spread across twitter and facebook that Melbourne had another vegetarian venue. So when Cindy and I found ourselves with a Monday off and looking for lunch on our way to the Tim Burton exhibition at ACMI, it seemed like the perfect opportunity for us to check it out.

It's a little shop-front in a small food court off Little Collins Street, with a handful of tables shared between four or five places. The daily options are pretty limited - aside from some steam buns and a noodle soup, Cindy and I managed to sample the whole menu between us.

I got in first and ordered the two most delicious dishes: tofu in black bean sauce and curry vegetables. Both were tasty - the curry had a mild kick, but could have used some vegies other than the dominating cabbagey bits. The tofu black bean was probably the pick - sweet and rich with some mild chilli and ginger notes.

Cindy got stuck with the mixed vegie dish, which was pretty standard fare. On the upside, she also snagged the faux ribs: crispy fried chunks of faux meat with crunchy noodles and heaps of red chilli. These were pretty great, but a little on the dry side (which we rectified by dunking it in the leftover sauce on my plate).

The food is cheap - 2 hot dishes and rice for $6.80, and the hot-box offerings change daily. For city workers looking for a cheap and tasty lunch, Chan House will hit the spot, but there's nothing here that you'd travel out of your way to sample.

Address: Shop 10, 422 Little Collins Street
Ph: 0402 798748
Price: $5.80 - $8.50
Website: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=118206988218176

10 comments:

  1. holy crap!! want!!!

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  2. I think all of you in the Melb veg grapevine should move to Canberra, just for a month... maybe a whole host of veg restaurants will open because you're here? Then you can go back to Melbourne, unless you've fallen in love with our nation's capital ;)

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  3. Ah good to hear of another veg restaurants! Will have a swing by next time I'm in the city. =)

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  4. You beat Toby to blogging about it, hehe.

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  5. HAVE, Carla. :-)

    I'd be willing to give it a go Hannah! But it'd have to be in summer.

    Yes, Celeste, great to have some new veg spots popping up!

    K, we were a little pleased with ourselves for beating him. ;-) We did eat first too, I think.

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  6. Went for lunch here yesterday. Thanks for the find as it's hard to notice! I got sweet and sour "pork", which I'd been thinking of headign to white lotus to satisfy a craving for, and the same curry as Michael, which was lovely! Great place I'd head back there...

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  7. Hi Cindy and Michael! Chan House now have more variety in their menu. They have noodle soups, and fried noodles made to order on Saturdays, and also Nasi Lemak specials on Saturday/Friday.

    I think they are also trying out Yum Cha Saturdays, though I think you might need to book for that through facebook.

    Their facebook page (group and friend) is frequently updated :)

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  8. Thanks for the update, Valerie! Yum cha would be very cool. :-)

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  9. The owner of Chanhouse has sold their take away shop last year. But they have recently just opened up their new restaurant in the suburbs. The address is: 21 Rosella St, Doncaster East, 3109. The number is: 03 8806 9056!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the update, vvnchn - I noticed the new posts on their facebook page last week! I update the post above.

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