While walking near Melbourne Chinatown one cold afternoon, we chanced upon an eatery called “Pounding Rice Bowl”.
Hmmm …. A name like that surely warrants a closer look. So we went in.
The interior is clean and looks to be recently renovated. More importantly, there were many China nationals eating merrily away. The food has to be authentic!
Still unsure of what is meant by “pounding” at this point, we ordered the Spicy Chicken & Peanuts set, a bowl of noodles, shredded potato salad, a bowl of wontons and finally a plate of pork mince pancake.
Food preparation took but a few minutes and in the meantime, we helped ourselves to the free condiments bar. There were plenty of pickled veggie choices to choose from.
Water (tap, lemon infused and cordial) was free flow as well.
Overall, the eatery has a chill, self service kind of vibe.
When the food finally arrived, the servings were huge! The mystery was finally solved when the rice dish set came with a small mortar, presumably to pound / mix the ingredients into the rice for that extra flavour.
We did just that for the fun of it and yes, it added an element of enjoyment.
😊
Would we return? Most definitely!
