Upon stepping foot into this new restaurant, every worker (floor staff and cooks alike) proclaimed "Welcome to Fa-faH!" I knew that I and my stomach was in for a treat.
Embracing my Chinese heritage, I could not wait to sample this new place.
The interior of the restaurant is reminiscent of my favourite "hawker style" dining which I absolutely love. Red tiles, empty cans of 'Hup Seng Cream Crackers' (sweet biscuits) adorning the walls, and lighting fixtures made out of Asian deep-frying strainers, I knew I was home.
I ventured here, with the sole intention of celebrating the good news I had received with the only way I know- by eating. And eat I did.
The menu is centred around the star of the show- the roasts. Choose from roast chicken, roast pork or char siew and top it off with a choice of three dipping choices. With my family in tow, we ordered the "double happiness" which allowed us to choose two types of roasts: the pork belly and the char siew.
The roast pork belly was as it should be. Crispy crackling contrasted perfectly with the soft meaty goodness. Most noteworthy is the fat to meat to crackling ratio; it was bang on!
The char siew was not as I am used to. Rather than being the shade of red I am used to, what arrived at our table was on the brown side. What we lacked in colour, we gained in flavour. The char siew was tender, and had a sweetness provided by the caramelisation of the marinade. Yummy!
MALA Sauce (Left); TAK Sauce (Right)
The roasts were accompanied by two dipping sauces, the home made MALA which is a sweet sauce made out of what seemed to be the roasting juices, as well as a TAK sauce which is reminiscent of a home made chilli oil. Both were equally delicious, but I found the MALA to be just that little bit superior to its TAK cousin, which was too oily for my liking.
In addition to the signature roasts, we ordered the Hot and Sour Soup. It was exactly as its name suggests, hot and sour. ALthough I didn't find it all too spicy, but it had a nice balance of flavours, and it was a thick soup which always goes down better.
As a self-confessed noodle lover, I could not go past ordering the Black Pork Noodle. The noodles were thin, and were topped off with caramelised roast pork, tossed through some salad greens to add that touch of freshness to what would have been a heavy dish. The greens were a lovely addition adding further depth of flavour, as well as making the entire dish seem lighter. The caramelised pork was de-licious. The roast pork belly had been further marinaded and cooked till it was of a sticky, 'black' consistency. Each bite had the sweet crunch from the caramelisation but balanced out by the fall apart meat encased inside. Perfection; it was a winner amongst all at the table. The only complaint this consumer would have was that there wasn't enough caramelized pork to begin with!
Last to arrive was the Stewed Pork Ribs. It's described on the menu as "literally fall of the bone" but the ones to arrive at our table weren't so. That's not to detract from the overall dish, which was delicious. The small morsels of meat were still attached to the bone, but it was chewy (in a good way) and tender. The sauce it had been cooked in was sweet and caramelized.
To wash the meal down, I ordered myself a Red Bean with Milk Tea. I am a lover for Milk Tea, especially when they have small, beady black pearls down the bottom. Instead of the pearls, the milk tea was topped off with the sweetness of red beans. This Asian drink is not for the faint hearted. It is well and truly an Asian sensation. The milk tea was a perfect blend of both milk and tea, not too sweet and not overpowered by the taste of tea. With the addition of the red beans, it provided that much needed sweetness.
My first experience at Fa-faH was just as I expected. It is as if I had fallen down the hole, into something my senses and my tastebuds are all too familiar with- Asia. For those wanting to try out something different than your average lemon chicken, special fried rice or my guilty pleasure (sorry mum!) sweet and sour pork give Fa-faH a go. It is an inexpensive means to venture out into 'fa fah' and beyond.
Fa-fAH
Shop F108, Level 1
Chadstone Shopping Centre
(Outside the Fresh Food Precinct)
