AmiexExchange: Spicy Fish Restaurant 渔乡阁 at Melbourne Chinatown (CBD)

We cannot deviate from our Chinese roots, so... just kidding, it was just a very rainy day and it calls for delightful pockets of xiao long baos. Admit it, nobody can resist that! It was a perfectly good reason to go in, and the rest was history. Spicy Fish it is!

They call this the Shanghai Shao-Long-Baos (AUD8 for 6pcs). The skin broke easily upon picking it up (very) gently with chopsticks, and the fillings/soup was not spectacular. I would say: definitely nowhere near being fantastic, but an adequate remedy for a xlb craving so strong that it hurts. If you are particular about dimsum, this is likely to fail the test very much.

The Black Fungus in Chicken Stock (AUD16.80) felt like it was done in a rush, with inconsistent texture throughout the dish. This does not make the cut for me because I have higher expectations for Chinese cuisines. 

Marked with a 'mild spiciness' symbol, this Ants Climbing the Tree Stir Fried Vermicelli with Minced Pork in Flavoured Chilli (AUD9.80) is a formidable force to be reckoned with... if this is mild, I dare not imagine what the dishes with ratings of 2 or 3 spiciness level. The fire could not be doused even after 'washing' it in chicken stock soup from the previous dish. I am not one that cannot take spiciness completely but this feels like some truth-or-dare prank dish. Could not taste anything other than torturous stinginess on my tongue.

Peking Noodles with Meat Sauce (AUD11.80) was the only dish that I really enjoyed, it hit all the right notes in my expectations and the noodles were springy and freshly made from the noodle chefs counter. If you have to go to Spicy Fish, this is the only one I will recommend. But I wouldn't suggest that you visit this restaurant at all since there are more misses than hits. The dealbreaker was the xlbs but anyway, it's really quite difficult to find authentic Chinese cuisine around the CBD area. Most of them are tourist traps, especially in Chinatown.