After a standing ovation, I figured it best to take myself out to dinner as a little treat for the epic week that has been. I charged straight to Chin Chin on Flinders Lane as I have been hearing great things. The place is pulsing, but being a party of one has its advantages, and I walk straight in and am seated at the bar.
What to order? I get the low-down from one of the bar tenders, whose interest in me grows as the night progresses and he finds out I’m a performer…
“I’ve never met a performer before.”
The staff is lovely. And I’m loathed to say it, but I think people are just nicer in Melbourne than in Sydney. We’re a bit too into ourselves in Sydney sometimes…
I start with the Spicy Corn and Coriander Fritters w. Iceberg Lettuce and Chilli Jam. They are crunchy balls of joy (get your mind out of the gutter). The combination of the cool lettuce, the warm fritter and the hot chilli is sheer delight. They don’t last long as I have just done a show and haven’t eaten since my peanut butter toast at breakfast.
For my main, I’m after something with meat. Meaty meat. I am advised to get the Grass Fed Hopkins River Sirloin, Stir Fried w. Krachai Green Peppercorns w. Chilli and Cha um. It arrives. It looks huge. But somehow I manage to demolish it. The beef is soft and full of that delicious beefy flavour you get from grass fed cattle. The green peppercorns provide a spiky edge to the dish as does the abundance of chilli. This dish is exactly what I needed and satisfies completely.
I like sweet things, as my regular readers know, and dessert is always mandatory. The most popular dessert here at Chin Chin is the Palm Sugar Ice-cream Sundae with Salted Honeycomb and Lime Syrup. Oh. My. Goodness. This is the sweetest thing I have ever eaten. It almost hurts my teeth… But it is delicious. The zest of the lime syrup works in tandem with the creaminess and both of these are off set by the honeycomb.
Stuffed like a taxidermal deer, I slowly make my way to the tram down Flinders Lane. Chin Chin. Yes yes.
