Located just off China Town’s main strip, awaits Cantonese restaurant, New Kum Den. As I entered the venue, the resurgence of kitsch Chinese restaurants about town came to mind – which, for me, was definitely a good thing.
Featuring an extensive menu, New Kum Den offers a variety of food from dumplings and other small servings to larger, main dishes, including all the staples of a good Chinese restaurant. The selection of dumplings I sampled were all flawlessly prepared. The steamed pork dumplings were soft and fluffy; the sauce accompanying the pan-fried beef dumplings was flavoursome and had me wanting bread so as to soak it up and savour all of it; the pork and shrimp were both perfectly cooked and came together exquisitely, lastly the sweet bean curd was like nothing I’d tasted before.
New Kum Den also offers Shanghainese dishes prepared by Mr Zhu, who has been cooking his way around town for years, leaving his mark on some of Melbourne’s best Asian restaurants including Hutong Dumpling Bar, David’s, and most recently Mr Huang Jin in the Rialto. His extensive experience will leave you grinning into your reflection at the bottom of your empty plate.
The interior of New Kum Den is traditional, but like its food, is well presented and tasteful. The seating is well spread out and table sizes vary, allowing accommodation for any party size; the service is prompt and polite.
Open everyday, New Kum Den (11am–3pm, 5pm–11pm) is a licensed venue that also offers BYO service. The Yum Cha menu is only available on weekends between the hours of 11am and 3pm as well as public holidays. You can easily walk away with a happy Buddha belly for under $30.
In all, New Kum Den was an enjoyable experience. This is the place to go if you want somewhere a little more traditional with a nice family feel.
15 Heffernan Lane,
Melbourne Chinatown.
Ph: (03) 9639 9857
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