Bamboo House

This is the third time I have reviewed this restaurant. I used to believe B.H. at 47 LittleBourke St. served the best North Chinese food in Melbourne and went back for another experience last week.
The venue hasn’t changed in decades and I was pleased to see Robert still holding the fort.
We started with an omelet roll – a crab filled omelet inside a crisp deep fried pastry shell an unusual and very pleasing entrée. This was followed by a plate of Mermaid Tresses. Fried thin strips of seaweed that looked interesting but tasted exactly how I think fried grass would taste. This is a dish to be avoided unless ordered by your doctor!
Prawn, for a change, in oyster sauce was a dull choice and does not distinguish B.H. from a thousand other restaurants. I wish I’d ordered the Peking duck I saw being carved for a neighboring table!! Beggars chicken is a special dish which I ordered 24 hours ahead. It is a whole chicken stuffed with mushrooms and herbs, wrapped in banana leaves, covered in clay and slow cooked. After the clay is smashed and the leaves peeled back the chicken is normally very tender, moist and tasty. For some reason, in this case, the bird was fairly dry and thus not up to the usual standard. An accompanying side dish of spinach was very stringy and not recommended. They have a modest wine list at extraordinarily low prices - many around $28 to $35

Comment: Very disappointing It's very important to order the right things at these restaurants

Score: 14-5/20