We tried this new malatang* restaurant in Burwood, after I promised my wife that we’d just go out for a light Chinese meal “probably something quick like noodles… not something heavy, like hotpot, or anything like that”. Though 576 Google Maps reviews with an average score of 5.0 is quite suspicious, I wasn’t offered any inducements or discounts for posting a review, and the food was actually quite good.
Priced at $42.80/kg, there is quite a reasonable selection of seafood, meat, vegetable, and processed items. All soup bases other than their traditional beef base are advertised as vegan, though I can’t really see how this would factor into things, as it’s surely impossible to keep vegan in a place like this.
The shared tongs ensure a reasonable degree of pendelluft between ingredient tubs, and I’d not think that many would be keen to pay $42.80 for boiled vegetables either.
I aimed to avoid heavily processed foods like fish balls, and chose a 526 gram bowl ($22.51) of mostly seafood (prawns, clams, sliced black fish – great), marinated meat (no frozen sliced meat rolls), tofu, with a small quantity of vegetables in the Signature Szechuan Broth – medium spiciness 经典川味 broth.
Service was slick, quick, and the meal was tasty. The medium level of spiciness was the perfect level for me, and the soup was fragrant, tasty, and warming. The chicken was unusually good.
My “not-hungry” wife chose a 548 gram bowl ($23.45) with more vegetables, some thin rice noodles, and zero seafood in the Herbal Three-Fresh Healthy Broth 草本三鲜锅底. This broth was also quite tasty and flavourful, and the noodles here did help to bring up some of the flavour that is often lost when having a non/low-carb malatang.
Overall, the meal was good. I’m still a little press X to doubt about the 5.0 star review, but you’re right. I’d also not have any reason to dock it stars, I guess.
*: I am informed by netizens that maocai and malatang are actually somewhat distinct concepts, with maocai featuring a smaller volume of soup, and being designed to be eaten with rice. That would certainly explain the rice cookers filled with all-you-can-spoon rice, which we completely ignored.
On our second visit my wife picked this mushroom broth 山珍菌菇锅底.with an insane 836 grams of food. Needless to say it was not very tasty, and too much in terms of volume.
My choice of bone broth 骨汤, which is unavailable without a bit of chilli, was pretty enjoyable. I’d get it again, easily, especially with my more manageable 464 gram basket.
The unlimited scoop-yourself congee with lots of sesame seeds, jelly, and sultana was quite refreshing. A better freebie than the plum juice from My Aunt’s Handmade Noodles next door.
Sanku Maots’ai 三顾冒菜
228 Burwood Rd, Burwood NSW 2134
