David’s

If you’re in search of a typical China Town Yum Cha, then give Davids Restaurant in Prahran a miss. This is not your run of the mill Chinese restaurant, either in look or taste. From the moment you step through the door you are transported to a fishing village in country Shanghai. With natural light flooding the white washed timber walls and polished cement floors, without even looking at the menu you know you’re in for a special meal.
We attended the unlimited Yum Cha on Saturday afternoon and was treated to something very special. Trays upon trays of an assortment of freshly steamed dumplings continually made their way to our table and it was hard to say no to any of them. Dumplings wasn’t the only dishes that are on offer, a selection of Davids a la carte menu was also making the rounds of each table. There wasn’t a dish we didn’t like and we started to fill up by this stage. Just when we thought we couldn’t eat anymore our server presented to us the highlight of the meal, white chocolate dumplings. These gooey pieces of heaven are any chocolate lover’s wet dream, a perfect way to finish a truely delightful lunch.
So as I said if you’re looking for a Yum Cha that is different than the rest, I suggest you head to Davids in Prahran.

Just tried a late night snack so far. I enjoyed the clean, earthy hipster décor with a slight Asian fusion features. The food was good. Pricing was not too crazy. The all timber floors and walls mean it’s a little loud with a crowd. Worth coming back to for a more in depth yum cha.

David’s isn’t your ordinary Yum Cha option. There’s no trolleys here, no white table clothes or a lazy susan in sight! While you might miss the cheesy traditional atmosphere to begin with, you’ll soon forget what’s missing when you realise the modern additions make for a more interesting and diverse experience.
The Yum Cha sittings are offered twice each Saturday and Sunday. We came for the 1130am session and our bums had just hit the seat when the parade of morsels started to appear at the table. Pork springrolls, spring onion pancake, steamed pork dumplings, fried pork and banana (1) «things», peking duck pancakes, beef wontons, spicy pork wontons, chicken and nori, prawn and ginger in pumpkin skin… the variety of small bite sized items was astounding and I soon learnt that the trick was to just say yes to everything that came past as one of the six on our table would have room for another mouthful.
It was a fast and furious procession of food items and by 1215 we were all feeling a bit full. Then the «mains» begun! Kung Po chicken, spiced eggplant, bite sized prawns, steamed broccoli, fried rice, stirfried beef… what’s great about this way of dining is that it’s a great way to see and taste a variety of the regular options on the David’s menu without needing to buy a full plate. A dish was presented at the table, and when we would all nod in agreement a few spoonfuls were placed in the middle. The «share» plate in the middle started to get a bit goopy from a number of items, it’s not perfect but I suppose it beats having a lot of food wastage and means there aren’t countless small dishes to wash.
The staff are friendly and encourage eating way more than you think it possible. «Try it! You’ll like it» says one, as she piles spiced chicken ribs on a plate in the middle of the table. «They’re only little» says another as he insists we try the steamed pork dumplings.
Finally, there’s desserts. Steamed custard buns, white chocolate dumplings and other fried bits and bobs. It’s a 90 minute frenzy of eating and will set you back $ 35 per adult ($ 10 for kidlets) and you’ll spend the rest of the day cursing yourself for eating so much in such a short period of time.

my grandmother immediately started to complain about the noise ‘what? I can’t hear you! this place needs carpet!’, the seats ‘these are too low!’ and later the food ‘oy it’s too spicy’. but she has a tendency to do that. the staff were super friendly and did not take her loud objections to heart, even bringing her a cushion so that she was more comfortable.
the food portions were large and delicious. the staff ever attentive and even sang happy birthday to my sister when they brought the cake out.
overall we had a great night and my family enjoyed eating somewhere ‘a bit fancy’. although to be fair to my grandmother, it was a bit loud.

I eat dim sum fairly regularly and thought David’s was quite average. We had a large range of dumplings and most were ok but there were none of come back for. The Peking duck pancake was the best by far. They came out hot and fresh, which was a bonus — not all dishes were like this. The décor is funky and the ‘share plate’ was an interesting concept. I love chilli and despite ordering 2 kinds of chilli neither was hot, I was disappointed.

*Review incomplete
Loved this Chinese restaurant.
Food is delicious and the service so friendly. The interior, oh my it’s beautiful. Can’t believe i’ve never been before ’til now.

Dumplings look amazing!
The taste was a symphony of flavor. I indulged in the pork steamed and the pan fried beef and I must say, despite ordering them and bringing them home, they had such a zing!
I can’t wait to dine in and try their other fare on offer!

I hadn’t been to David’s in a few years, and I was excited to check it out post-​renovation. On first impression I loved the décor — so pretty with all the twinkly lights and white backdrop. It felt a bit incongruous with the menu, but that’s just being picky. It’s a lovely fit-​out, end of story.
Our group of 5 was droolingly hungry, and we’re all pretty easy-​going, food-​wise, so we opted for the 4-​person sharing menu (which was already an enormous amount of food), and added a couple of little extras that we wanted.
Highlights:
— The shredded lamb with chilli, garlic and spring onion was absolutely delicious. We couldn’t get enough, and there was an awkward moment where we were all giving sexy eyes to the last serving.
— Drunk Chick — super tender chicken, suitably boozy and nestled around soy beans. It was lovely.
Not-​so-​Highlights:
— Some of the dishes, particularly those later on in the banquet menu, really just didn’t come together, or were unexpectedly bland. There were a couple of very forgettable dishes in the middle, which was disappointing, and then for dessert, Osmanthus & red bean black sticky rice pudding. We’re an open-​minded crew and we wanted to like it, but this was a confusing collection of flavours, and it was left almost untouched.
— The service — yes, it was a Friday night, and it was busy when we arrived. But the crowd thinned out pretty quickly, while the service seemed to get worse. Our drinks sat on the bar for 10 minutes with no one bringing them over; in the end I got up and brought them over myself (no one else in the place was drinking raspberry lemonade, my go-​to beverage for Chinese food). But more importantly, the vibe from the staff was that they really just didn’t want to be there, which kind of bummed us out, because we were feeling pretty cheerful.
Overall, I was a bit disappointed that David’s had lost some of its original appeal in the renovation. SOME of the food is great, and I’m sure that sometimes the service is excellent. But I’m used to David’s food being really creative and memorable, leaving me thinking about it long after the meal is done, and this dinner really didn’t hit that mark.

Came here for dinner with my folks. I had been vegan for about 2 weeks and bit hesitant to be one of those vegans.
The staff here were super helpful and polite and informative. They didn’t make me feel awkward or like an inconvenience.
In top if all that, the food was phenomenal. It was tasty, fresh and full if flavour. I really want to come back and check this place out again!

Had a selection of entrees and main courses, service great, food was wonderful. Great meal, great restaurant!

fantastic on every level.
great food, service, prices. cute décor. loved it. i wish i didn’t fill up so fast or would have eaten more. vegan friendly.

This used to be a favourite place of ours … until the renovation and the «Country Chinese» theme. I applaud creativity and pushing the boundary but food doesn’t match the quality we have been used to.

From a palatial atmosphere to rural China, head down to David’s, an inner-​city restaurant that used to follow the tune of a typically furnished Chinese restaurant, but recently switched and embraced a peasant aesthetic. David’s is no longer the place to take your Chinese parents… unless they are of the more open-​minded type where impressions are not made by appearance alone. It is the complete antithesis of Quanjude — stark white with a spartan feel notwithstanding the clutter of unfinished wood shelving, globular grated lighting that reference lanterns, tin tables decked out with with DIY cutlery tin, sepia photographs and blue-​white porcelain of a far simpler design than typical Ming Dynasty-​era Jingdezhen porcelain. Service at David’s generally lacks the presence, polish or promptness as that experienced at Quanjude. They are certainly friendlier though.
…
Since its refurbishment, MoMo & Coco have visited twice for a weekend lunch. Claiming to be «country Shanghai,» David’s on the weekends offered a yum cha and an a la carte menu. On both our visits, we opted for the a la carte, which ran along traditional lines with dishes classified into starters, various meats, vegetables etc. But, there were dishes that proved the claimed «country Shanghai» label was a rather silly one… or one to attract those otherwise uneducated in Chinese culinary tradition. Note for example, the China-​trotting dishes with an unmistakable stamp of Canton, Hebei and Sichuan. There were other dishes that you will be hard pressed to find in any other Chinese restaurant, but are likely to find in the home of a wizened Chinese grandmother. These lesser-​known Chinese dishes were the highlights of our visit. First, the slightly herby, cold served morsels of Spiced Oolong Tea Quail Eggs ($ 12) with rectangles of bean curd and little teardrops of wolf berries. Another highlight, the rich, saucy Grandma’s 8 ($ 26), a carnivorous medley of sliced and diced scallops, shrimp, chicken, pork, chestnut, and bamboo shoots that reminded us of some sort of stuffing. We will also mention the tongue-​twitching ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ Chicken and Chillies ($ 19), clearly a Sichuan (not Shanghainese) dish, good by Melbourne standards but not quite as fiery as the version at Melbourne’s Dainty Sichuan. Notwithstanding some good dishes, we rather miss the former David’s.
…
Dining at Quanjude and David’s is a tale of two China. One China that is proud of its agrarian ancestry and attempts to evoke this nostalgia within the boundaries of simplicity. This is David’s, circa 2012, a homely token of history, sometimes faltering but otherwise flickering with the potential of greatness. Then there is the other China that is proud of its imperial heritage and isn’t afraid to impress with all the majesty, drama and glitz that this entails. This is Quanjude, an émigré that offers one of the finest Chinese dining options in Melbourne. To understand Chinese cuisine, it is necessary to appreciate, at the minimum, both these thematic strands of Chinese restaurant dining. Through their food (and memorable desserts), Quanjude and David’s are that bridge to greater understanding.

Had dinner here the other night for the first time and loved it! Hadn’t seen it before the recent renovations but the new décor is simple and doesn’t detract from the food. Some might find the menu limited but all six of us found at least one dish we were keen to try and we finished every scrap of food on the table, not because the serving sizes were small, but because every dish was delicious! Standouts were definitely the Mongolian lamb, chilli and pork dumplings, grandma’s 8 and shanghai greens. Will be coming back!

Unfortunately, the bright yet rustic décor and great Prahran location were both more impressive than the food at David’s, at least on the night we had dinner there.
I had high expectations for this place after hearing how fantastic it was. Everything on the menu honestly sounded delicious, and we figured we couldn’t lose. Unfortunately the three dishes we ordered tasted remarkably like subpar takeout, mostly due to the sauces having that gluggy, cornstarchy taste we all know from late night booze binging.
$ 70 for two people plus a pot of tea seemed like a huge stretch for the experience.

The menu and décor were much more impressive before the so-​called «renovations». Now their cuisine-​stunted menu is disappointing at best; horribly limited food menu is meant to be made up with their extensive & overpriced wine list. The interior, in comparison to the old design, looks like a cheap post-​modern warehouse. I wonder how much they paid for the redesign to justify $ 5 for a small bowl of plain rice? And even the chairs are uncomfortable.
Such fond memories of this place have now been destroyed. What have you done, David? You only had one task! I think the only redeeming feature of this restaurant now is the lovely staff. The girl who served us was very nice, and the omnipresent David stands around ominously surveying everyone eating, occasionally asking how the tea or duck is.
Also, on the tea, why don’t they explain what’s in the tea on the menus? Honestly, all this «calm & concentration» bullshit names are fine, but I’d like to know what the tea *tastes* like before I order it. Is this thought out at all? Does no one care about what they’re drinking?
Also really didn’t appreciate having to wait 35 minutes for dessert. Was about ready to tell them to forget it & just get the bill.
Needless to say, I’m not playing to be back any time soon.

Very busy and service was a little slow. Food arrived fast once ordered. Priced well and tasted great.

Surprised no one has written about David’s yet honoured to be the first.
David’s is not your average hole-​in – the-​wall chinese joint. It’s far more than that. Tea entrepreneur, David Zhou who is also the owner of Oriental Tea House restaurants offers a relaxed yet sophisticated dining experience nested in Cecil place just off Melbourne’s popular Chapel street.
The Chinese cuisine has a cantonese influence and there are many meals to chose from, you wont know where to start. I recommend the buffet banquet and is usually recommend to you by the wait staff if you are having trouble deciding. It delivers dishes such as seafood san choi bao salt and spicy calamari peking duck served with homemade pancake, stir fried fish fillet with snow peas in coriander, light ginger and garlic served with steamed rice.
Granted this is lot of food but it is clearly of high quality and flavour at moderate pricing at $ 49.00 pp. David’s truly delivers some of Melbourne’s most exquisite asian cuisine which never fails to please even the toughest critics.