'Crap bun':Soft-shell crab brioche rolls.Josh RobenstoneWhen I was a kid,a long time ago,before mobile phones and the Internet,before reality TV (before colour TV),a meal out meant Chinese on a Friday night,and Chinese meant Australian-Cantonese,at restaurants run by the descendants of people who came here before Australia was even a thing – the people who gave us Kylie Kwong. It wasn't pretty,it probably wasn't even what you'd call Chinese now,but it was our introduction to something that has become as Australian as – the neighbourhood Asian restaurant.
These days the neighbourhood Asian restaurant is likely to be anything but Cantonese (unless it's actually Cantonese) – pan-Asian maybe,as it is at Benjamin's Kitchen in Alphington.
I can't remember the decor at the old Cantonese,but it certainly wasn't pale blue walls painted with a soothing mural of cumulus,timber tables and white bentwood chairs,nor interesting lamps suspended above those tables,as it is at Benjamin's.
Soothing:The cloud-like decor sets an inviting tone.Josh RobenstoneNo memory remains of the Friday night Chinese menu other than black bean sliced steak – nothing like the menu at Benjamin's,which is pan-Asian in the best possible way,a crowd-pleaser with something for all the family (though maybe not your eldest's vegan girlfriend,as nearly all the dishes are of flesh,fish or fowl).
Son-in-law eggs makes a nice start – two soft-boiled ones,shallow-fried and halved,the yolk oozy and the outside crisp in a lemongrassy sauce,while your eldest's vegan girlfriend can kick off with a couple of fat,juicy vegetable spring rolls and a little sweet chilli dipping sauce.
There are old faves like Thai red curry duck,salt-and-pepper calamari,and teriyaki pan-fried chicken – dark,soy-sweet chunks of bird with a nice smoky backbeat piled on a bed of savoury,saucy Asian greens that are threaded with sliced red chilli for a spicy kick.
Sticky twice-cooked pork belly with carrot and daikon salad.Josh Robenstone A friend had recommended two must-haves:twice-cooked pork belly and the Heaven duck,so we must-had both.
The pork belly is two slabs of juicy,sweet pig with a nice dark glaze,a creamy layer of fat and sweet,tender meat. It's served with a contrasting crunchy salad of grated daikon and carrot. Yes,good.
The Heaven duck – with hoisin sauce and a drop of whisky – was served in a filo pastry case on a bed of iceberg lettuce,with a mix of crunchy sauteed carrot and celery. The idea could be to pick the whole thing up and eat it as a kind of massive duck pie;we shared,picking bits of sweet duck and vegetable out with chopsticks,and while it was tasty,it wasn't heavenly as such.
Never mind. We turned to fat fillets of sweet rockling,crumbed and pan-fried and served on a bed of wilted bok choy,a simple dish that let the fish flavours sing.
On the side was good coconut rice,sweet and delicious,with a spike of ginger for added excitement,and to finish a creamy-wobbly coconut panna cotta laced with passionfruit.
The servings here aren't huge,but four mains and a couple of entrees gave a family of four a decent taste of everything and didn't leave anyone hungry. There's a homespun quality to the flavours,though the execution is better than I could manage in my kitchen,even with the help of,say,Adam Liaw or Kylie Kwong. And the vibe is distinctly neighbourly.
Do…come for the breakfast of a"crap bun"(soft-shell crustacean and salad on brioche rolls)
Don't… bring your eldest's vegan girlfriend,unless she's fasting
Dish…twice-cooked pork belly
Vibe… neighbourhood Asian