Chun Po
18 Glenferrie Road
Malvern
(03) 9509 9624
Google map
Being away from family means that we miss the big family gatherings and dinners. With only 2 of us here and our families are far away from us, we are always up for a big Chinese dinner together. I cannot remember how the twitter conversation started but I believed someone mentioned pork hock and Chun Po came up and somewhat made a decision to catch up for dinner. Bizzare but I do love these adhoc but spontaneous decisions.
Chun Po has been around for a long time and the same chef has been working and cooking here for the last 13 years. I think I was more excited about this meal than anyone else. I had a dental issue and it was resolved the day before so finally after months of agony and pain, I can finally chew on both sides. So bring on the food!
It was always good to start with a good dish. The mudcrab was served with a simple garlic, ginger and spring onion sauce and egg noodles. The flesh was firm and fresh. The sauce was thick and it went so well with the noodles. It was so flavourful. I can eat it all by myself. You could just hear the sucking and licking of fingers on the table.
Mudcrab and noodle
The simple long bean with minced pork was a hit on the table. I love the added small crispy fried anchovies to the dish. It brought the dish to another level. I will try and recreate this dish. The flavour was bursting in the mouth with every bite. Many of us went back not seconds but thirds and fourths!
string beans with minced pork and anchovies
I love my meat but I love tofu as well. We ordered the deep fried tofu with salted egg. Instead of coating with normal egg, it is coated with salted egg and then fried. It did have a weird texture. It reminded some of us of the ’smelly tofu’ texture. They were more porous looking? @stickifingers and I love it but probably not a huge favourite with the rest.
Deep fried tofu with salty egg
I gave the table a choice between duck and fish and fish won. So for the next dish, we had steamed Barramundi with light soya, seasame and loads of spring onions. The fish was well cooked and the sauce was simple but tasty. It is basically simple Cantonese home cooking. This is what Mister and my mum would cook at home as well.
Steamed barramundi with soya sauce and spring onions
The next dish was a defintely favourite with the boys on the table. Don’t get me wrong, I love this dish as well. It is fatty pork stew with preserved vegetable or in Cantonese, mui choy kau yoke. It is a very popular dish back in Asia. I always have it with porridge but I can have it with just rice. It is fatty, oily and not very healthy but it has such an intense taste. This really reminds me of home and having supper after a night out. Nice memories 
Pork stew with preserved vegetables
The next dish was a little disappointing after all the punchy flavours that we had from the rest of the dishes. It was a simple kailan and mushroom stir fry. Wonder why we did not order the pork hock? Must make a mental note for the next time!
Kai lan with mushrooms
And it ended with fruits and corn jelly~ I just love the sweet corn jelly dessert. It was great to sit on a round table and enjoy dinner together. There was a lot of laughing and talking and it didn’t matter if it was across the table. I love the food because it was good but most importantly, I had great company yet again. So thanks to @stickifingers @rippingyan and your partners, @taylem and of course, @th0i3 for a great dinner. I miss communal dinners like these. 
Till the next time
So you like having a big communal dinner with family or a small intimate one?
Glad to hear you got your dental problem fixed! I would hate to be in that situation! As for your dinner… Looks sooo good I would like a bit of each please
Wow what a feast!
I’ve been craving for crab since some time. I’m going and getting myself some today.
Chun Po rocks!!
Sounds like a really great dinner again. The mud crab dish looks amazing. The deep fried anchovies in the long bean dish rock! Even a meat lover like me want to try that dish. Funny that you didn’t order the pork hock after all. Oh btw glad to hear your tooth problem was taken care off.
The mud crab sure looks so appetising, in fact all the dishes that you ordered were good.
The mud crab and the bean dishes are calling my name. The sauce looks so generous with the mud crab dish, it’s begging to be mopped up with some rice (begging while it’s not busy calling my name, that is).
Now, I love pork, but how are you meant to fool yourself if the name of the dish has “fatty” in it?! I guess I could tell myself it was “fitty” instead.
Wow… I love all the dishes NOT the plates huh…Walau-a, already salivating! Don’t do this to me please…! It’s like killing softly with the pictures!
The crab and the whole fish are so appealing to me. I’m glad you can chew now! Don’t forget to floss after all of your feasts!
what an extravagant feast! so different from all the homey winteresque food up here in the NO-Hemisphere- lucky, lucky girl. Your writing makes the food come alive, in a good way, that is
Beautiful! I just had the steamed flounder two days ago, that looked exactly like that. You are making me so hungry!!!
I just love and want every dish! They all look so delicious….100% my type of food….mmm. I love both big and small communal dinner as long as there’s good food and good talkers
By the way, glad to hear that your dental problem is at last over. Enjoy eating!
Thanks for sharing your experience, the foood looks and sounds awesome. Salted egg, what is this?
I can’t believe I haven’t been here before! Must go. The dishes you chose all look superb – cannot wait to try the crab (always have room for crab) and the sensational beans with mince and anchovies. I’ve only just had brekkie but it’s made me hungry!
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Everything you have there looks amazing! I’m getting hungry now!
Omigosh, that crab and tofu looks amaazziinngg! My family is huge and Chinese with huge appetites for Chinese so definitely a big communal dinner – however it is always difficult to go for anything BUT Chinese with such a huge group and not have to pay for some degustation meal! I’ll definitely take my parents here the next time they’re in Oz, thanks! =o)
That mudcrab looks sooo good. I love it exactly like that – just with ginger, garlic and green onions!
Haha that’s so funny seeing your assortment of dishes. That’s pretty much what my family orders when we go out. There should be a set menu called “typical Chinese family order” which includes all of these!
Big family dinners for me, please! What a spread! Yummy!!
The simple dishes did it for me or what the chinese called them, peasant food. Being a cantonese myself, dishes like pork with preserved vegetables, steam minced pork with salted fish or really simple oysters sauce kailan really have all the ticks in my book.
What a great feast, and the pictures are great:)
Lots of great dishes! I keep looking at the long bean with minced pork photo I think I would have gone back for seconds and thirds as well. It truly does look tasty!
I’m almost drooling… and the place is just across the road from me… I work on Glenferrie Road!!
I LOVE mud crab with noodles when we have our gatherings.
It all looks soooooooo delicious.
@Rochelle – Thanks babe. It feels good to be able to eat properly
@Frank A. Fariello, Jr. – Thanks! I love it.
@Shirley – Can hardly go wrong with crab
@Th0i3 – It was! Let’s go again
@CheapAppetite – There was a miscommunication. Sure there will be a next time
@Cheah – I love yummy food.
@Conor @ HoldtheBeef – Heh – fattier the better
@Kristy – But you get all those dishes where you are too
@Trix – Yes. I remember!
@linda@saltyseattle – Thanks for your lovely comments
@citronetvanille – hmmm….steamed flounder
@MaryMoh – Thanks dear. I just miss big communal dinners
@Brad – Salted egg is egg soaked in brine. You should try it one day
@Joanne – Happy to join you! Let me know. I still wanna try the pig hock
@Shelly – Thanks sweetie
@Vee @ Munching (in) Melbourne – No problems! Anytime babe
@Trissa – I like the chilli crab back in SG though… heh..
@Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella – True that! Give me family order set A please…. hehee
@The Little Teochew – Thanks. I bet you make all these beautiful dishes too
@th0i3 – Let’s have dinner
@laura – It is a nice dinner with great friends
@Jessie – I bet you like it. Big flavours. Right up your alley!
@Iron Chef Shellie – Go go~~
@Anna – Thanks. And very yummy too.
ah..chun po. I used to live around the corner from there. It had abit of an overhaul over the recent years. I remember when they used to serve water in cordial bottles and when there was 70’s styled laminate walls!! LOL