Sung's Kitchen

This place has maintained its standard over the years. The food is good and reasonably priced. The dining setting is pleasant and comfortable.
They serve very authentic food, and excellent service as well which is hard to get in chinese restaurants in general.

A good chinese bistro. The surrounds are pleasant and comfortable. There is space between tables, the acoustics are reasonable, surrounds are clean and tidy, and there is napery. The menu is very good also. I would say it is definitely more restaurant level than bistro/cafe. You can expect dishes such as Slow Cooked Pork Knuckle with Bok Choy & Dates $36, Tea Smoked Duck on Boy Choy $27, Scrambled egg white with fresh crab meat $29. All the dishes were of a good quality and reasonably sized. There was some small innovation in the way each dish was served. Ie. the scrambled egg white & crab meat was served with a perfectly whole tempered egg yolk in the centre. This was broken on serving and gave the dish a lovely richness which to coat and add complexity to the mild flavours of the crab meat and egg whites.

Sungs Kitchen is hands down my favourite Chinese restaurant and it's the thing I miss most about moving out of the area (I miss it more than fresh groceries from Vic Market!)

I lived around the corner from Sungs for years but never tried them until a friend visited and told me he and his family were regulars there. I was hesitant at first because I tend to avoid restaurants with 'meal' fish tanks in them. It's just something i dont like. He made me try the Minister Spicy Wings and Spring Onion Pancake and I've been hooked ever since... I've also turned multiple friends and family into SOPancake addicts too! Possibly the best testament to how amazing the food is is that my mum, notorious onion hater, was made to try the SOPancake and is now hooked. Still doesn't like onions, but lurves the pancake!

I must confess I have only ever bought take-away, but I have never been disappointed. Living alone I was most impressed by their dinner boxes which came with rice; perfect for me because usually I have to buy a massive dish plus rice and I'm eating leftovers for days. The dinner box was enough just for 2 meals so it was perfect for me!

My favourites were the Mongolian beef (minus the mushrooms!) and the black pepper steak. It costs a little extra but it worth it for the sizeable pieces of oh-so-tender fillet steak. Oh I am drooling at the thought and it's only 7am!!

Admittedly the prices are a little higher than other establishments but it is worth it for the quality of meal and prompt service. I highly recommend you to try Sungs Kitchen - just make sure there's enough SOPancakes left for me!

Approximate cost: $17

One of the best Chinese restaurants in Melbourne. Not a cheap eat but not Flower Drum prices either! Service is more upmarket and staff are courteous and well trained (unlike the general Chinese restaurant staff).

Favourites are Minister Chicken ribs (the sauce is amazing) and Onion pancake (perfect texture and tasty).

It's always a good sign when you see plenty of Chinese looking customers dining here.

Highly recommended!

The look and feel of Sung's Kitchen is of a more upmarket Chinese restaurant than the usual "cheap and cheerful" places in the surrounding area. The prices creep up a bit in the evenings, but the special lunch menu is pretty good value. Last time I noted down the price (earlier this year) it was $16.80 for two courses or $20.80 for three, with 3 to 5 choices for each course. It may have increased since then, though. I went looking for their website so I could check the special lunch price, but the link seems to be broken.

Most of the dishes referred to below are usually available as part of this special lunch menu. I've only eaten here at lunchtime so far.

My favourite dish is the spring onion pancake - very moreish. I can also recommend the Mongolian Beef and the Country Style Tofu with Vegetables for their rich, earthy flavours.

The fried salt and pepper calamari was crispy outside and tender inside, but a touch too salty. The steamed rice it's served with as part of the special menu went largely uneaten because it makes the overall dish a little dry and unbalanced - it's crying out for some kind of sauce.

The Chicken San Choi Bao consists of a generous serve of nutty, spicy minced chicken and vegetables, but is presented on a single stingy lettuce leaf, making it impossible to roll up into a parcel until most of the filling has already been eaten. This was such a disappointment, because most of the pleasure of san choi bao derives from the textural and flavour contrast between crunchy iceberg lettuce and soft, spicy, warm filling. It's also unnecessarily mean, because the lettuce is probably the cheapest component of the whole dish, and it really wouldn't break the bank for them to provide three or four lettuce leaves to do justice to the filling. Such an inexpensive addition would be all that is required to elevate this dish from just so-so to a highlight of the meal.

I've also ordered quite a few things from the yum cha menu. It has been a while ago now so I can't comment on specifics, but I remember liking everything I ordered.

They used to offer a selection of Chinese teas, often with a special "tea of the day" listed on the chalkboard with a comment about which benefit that particular tea can be expected to deliver. My favourite - both the tea, and the chalkboard description - was the lemongrass and jasmine tea, which was described as being ideal if you're suffering from "brain overload". I think we could all use some of that tea occasionally. I haven't seen that chalkboard for a while, but I presume they still have the selection of teas available.

Leave room for dessert. I don't usually bother with desserts at Asian restaurants, because I'm not a fan of green tea ice cream, or of things made with bean paste. But Sung's has an extensive dessert menu, way beyond your usual lychees with ice cream, and it contains some really interesting and intriguing things, such as toffee apples with an Asian twist. (As well as green tea ice cream and things made with bean paste, if that's what you prefer.) And the desserts are often beautifully presented, decorated with artfully arranged flowers - almost Japanese in their presentation.

I frequently get takeaway from Sung's Kitchen in the CBD, even though I live in Richmond, as I have found their food to be some of the best Chinese food in Melbourne. I pre-order by phone and my food is ready for pickup when I get there. I know I will get high quality food consistently. My favourites include Salt & Pepper Calamari, Stir Fried Green Beens with Pork, and Ma Po Tofu (Grandmother's Tofu)