Plume - Doncaster, Melbourne

A while ago, my partner called me to rave on about one of the "best congee"s he has ever had. Being a comment from a usually non-congee eater, I was all ears and eager to experience it for myself.

One of the first things I noticed about Melbourne yum-cha places is that you can book! How awesome is that? No more waiting for numbers at the door! Our booking was for 11am... I think we woke up around 11 LOL. Nonetheless, we called up and the waiters were very understanding about our lateness.

As it takes around 20-30 minutes to drive from Melbourne city to Doncaster, we got there at around 11.30am, and were seated promptly. In no time at all, our table was filled with hot steamy yum-cha food - and an order for two 'thousand egg and pork congee'.

The siu mai and prawn har gow were the same as any we could get anywhere. No surprises there, but it sure did satisfy my siu mai craving :)

siu mai

Har gow

After satisfying my cravings, of course we need to care for some of my partner's favourites - namely, chicken feet in black bean sauce and pork ribs. Again - both yummy, and similar to all other yum cha places.

chicken feet in black bean sauce

pork ribs in plum sauce

And then there is the steamed radish cake. Mmm... one of my picks. I thought it was quite delish, an opinion probably not shared by my partner who likes all his food pan-fried, deep-fried, or char-grilled! The consistency is mushier than normal pan-fried radish cakes, but that's the way I like it :)

steamed radish cake

Now for the reason why we drove down to Doncaster - the congee. I had high expectations, and these expectations were met. The congee was smooth and silky and just so WoW~ The crunch Chinese donuts remained crunchy as I greedily downed my super tasty congee. It was soooo awesome!

super yummy congee

Lastly, there was dessert. Egg tarts. Hmm... I think these were made the way my partner liked them. The "tart" base was crispy and cruchy and crumbly as opposed to the cheesecake-biscuit-like tart base that I prefer.

Egg tart

Plume is a traditional-like Chinese restaurant offering bookable yum-cha. The waiters seem all like overseas students, not super attentive, but does the job. The food? Mostly the same as other yum cha places, but the congee outdoes all competitors, leaving memories which make you simply crave for this simple yet awesome dish! All up, our meal cost around $50.

Ratings:
Food - 8.5/10
Service - 6/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Value for money - 7/10
Overall - 28.5/40

Plume Chinese Restaurant
546 Doncaster Road
Doncaster, 3108
Tel: (03) 9840 1493