I somehow manage to keep getting to these Yum Cha places, maybe through luck or because they are so apparent around the place. Not once have I found one that is anywhere below greatness thus far. You have some of the best examples of good dumplings, and healthy Chinese-style dishes that are substantial and filling. Most of them are brilliant to take a group of people to (the more, the merrier, and more to try). This one gets a bit of the hawker store feel instead, and for that it is just as good in spite of the lower rating (which I will explain at the end).
Getting off work, before heading off home to do the usual weight training, it was time to find somewhere for a quick lunch before doing so. As always, it was a case of trying not to get too predictable and also finding somewhere that was relatively good value with getting a decent meal, and still not having to break the bank. Granted, food courts are often not bad for that and they can often house some surprises. Such as was the case here, it was something a bit different to what I normally fall into after work and the food did sound good to me. For what is around, you can definitely do much worse.
In the food court, this is one of the freestanding outlets. Right at the back, and to one of the sides, there is a bench for seating, and on the last two sides are the order counter and place to get the cutlery and desired sauce before heading on off. There is a 360 view of the kitchen, so they can be rest assured that the fare here is done freshly and well (with some of the stuff being in bain maries). It's hard to miss, is well presented and looks a lot like a giant food stall. For that, it works superbly. It is so hard to miss, that its top is visible to the higher levels of the Myer Center.
Service here manages to be a bit better than one would expect from the food court. They are efficient, but will take the time to explain the process if need be. The menu is streamlined so that the ordering process can be more efficient - and there will be more on that later. After ordering and paying for your meal, you are given a number and they call it out then you collect it and go.
Especially in comparison with some of its other locations, the menu here is much more compact. It is able to fit onto one page, and that is double-sided. At least during the lunch time rush, how the menu goes is that diners choose a main dish, based on either rice or noodles, and then select a yum cha item to have on the side with a drink all for a set cost. For the actual selection, they do quite well to given an accessible and satisfying flavour of what is on offer elsewhere. It is a mix of the daring (e.g. chicken's feet) with the standard (e.g. fried wontons and spring rolls) with tried and true classics (e.g. barbecue pork buns) concerning the yum cha selection, and on the mains, it is a dozen different hawker style dishes from around the regions of China.
In going here, I ordered the chicken with honey and black pepper sauce on top of rice. The choice of yum cha item was the deep fried bean curd skin rolls, filled with prawns. As a drink, though it cost extra on top, I got an iced tea raspberry flavoured. For a meal, this was quite solid. I preferred the yum cha item to the main dish, and that is not too much on the main dish itself and more to do with how well done the yum cha item was; still, the meal that I got was not the best Chinese that I have had and did reek a little bit of the Westernised versions - something about the thick sauce covering a crispy batter reminds me of it.
About the food, I am sure I have had the bean curd rolls so many times that I am running out of ways to describe it. Really though, it is really down to how crispy the skin is leaving a good crunch, plus the silkiness of the tofu and how it absorbs many of the flavours that are in the marinade. Also, the prawns were sweet, had a good and firm texture, and were delicious. With the dish I got, it was honestly a surprise that the chicken was crumbed. The sauce was a good mixture of sweet and spicy - combining the nice taste of honey without it being overpowering (even a small bit does go a long way) and the bite that pepper has. The meat of the chicken was tender and soft, and finishing off the dish was a garnish of green onions.
In the whole scheme of things, this is some really good Chinese grub. It is probably at the high end of quality for what can be found this close to the city center. As far as the food is concerned, I have little to no real qualms about it. For something really quick, and good value it does its job pretty well. Sometimes, if not close to all of the times, the rating is reminiscent of the whole experience including ambiance, looks and service. Being smack bang in the middle of a food court is obviously going to have a place lose some points by default through no fault of its own. Thus, with Yum Cha Noodle Haus in Brisbane City's Myer Center has food that is way better than the nearby competitors but can't shake off where it is located.
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