Review Lau's Family Kitchen - St Kilda

Special New Years menu - delicious. Excellent service. Will be back to try the sweet and sour pork, hope the braised pork feet is there too!

Great service, high quality, authentic cuisine and it's pretty much the best value + good vibe/crowd in the area (aside from Fitzrovia). The food is presented and served beautifully and tastes great. Highly recommend the mince and bean curd as well as the crab and corn soup and the batter fried squid. Goes great with the Riesling and the owners are great. Highly recommended.

The Melbourne Cantonese legend is finally retiring in style, not doing a #johnfarnham act. Thank you #uncle Godfather Gilbert, the family and team for 3 decades of enjoying your offering at Lau's Kitchen and Flower Drum. Much love and appreciation for showcasing Cantonese food down under.

One of Melbourne’s best kept secretes. Amazing food, the dumplings and the duck are delicious and the seafood is always the best and freshest. It is a little expensive however you get what you pay for. When you have owned and run the best Asian restaurant in Melbourne for years you can charge a little more for quality. The service is of the highest level to match the food. A must visit when in Melbourne.

A very good Chinese Cantonese trattoria, dumpling are awesome; service is friendly and warm, the ambience is 90 but still charming... wine list needs some work too many classic wine . Overall a great experience

Has always been my favourite Chinese restaurant in Melbourne. The soy spatchcock is a must!! I suggest to limit your group to 4 max for better experience. The place isn't huge and because it isn't round table, makes it difficult to talk to each other.

A crowd favourite and rightly so! This is hugely popular with the locals, but don’t let the mostly Caucasian crowd fool one into thinking that the cooking has been adjusted to suit the palates. We had a fair spread - e-fu noodles, fried rice, stir-fried vegetables, BBQ pork, soya chicken, Siew mai, whitebait omelette. Here’s the fantastic bit - every single dish didn’t disappoint! What I loved about it was the balanced taste that came through on every dish. Not too salty (commonly guilty for many restaurants serving Chinese fare), and tasted just right! Highly recommended!

Amazing service by Christine. Recommend most of the dishes. Good service and food. Well balanced restaurant. Best Chinese restaurant so far.

We have visited here more that 15 times during the week over the past 3 years. We encouraged our friends to visit and so asked us to take them Saturday. When I called I was told they do a 6pm & 8pm seating which was OK and we booked 6pm. I called later to ask if i could bring a special bottle of wine and before I could offer to pay whatever corkage they wanted as it was a "Grand Cru" I was cut off and told no they don't do that. Anyway we went along,from the second we walked in the door it was obvious we were going to be rushed to get out by 8:00. This was done to complete annoyance, the waitress was being directed by teh owner at ever point to rush, I could see him doing it clearly. We were told there was a portion on our plate left and to take it on EVERY plat we ate so the plate could be cleared. We were constantly interrupted and I even told the lady that we were aware of the 8:00 changeover and would ensure we leave. The food was all good as usual except for a $40 short rib special that was pushed to us as amazing. We tasted it and sent it back as it was about 3 hours undercooked. We were told no one else complained so we must have gotten "an old cow" WOW!!! anyway we finished at 7:45, paid +$400 for 4 and left feeling very un-welcome and with the full knowledge we will NEVER return. Many restaurants do 2 sitting and we are fine with this, but this type of intensity of pushing gives you heartburn. sorry guys but you are over managing the staff and we felt really uncomfortable and pressured.....

Fabulous service and fantastic food from this delightful st kilda restaurant. Place was full, lots of staff including the famous Gilbert Lau who always over many many years has and is the perfect host.

Best Cantonese cuisine in Melbourne. Small place but clean. I ordered five signature dishes fron the menu and every one of them surprised one Especially the black truffle fried rice, soooo good! But the price is quite expensive but worth it!

Some of the best Chinese food I've ever had. Some notable dishes I tried were the crab omlette, lightly fried calamari, dumplings and fried rice. All very flavourful and fresh, will be back again soon!

I had not been here for a long time but it is very much how i remember it. Elegant food and wonderful service. We started off with the whitebait omelette. Then the prawns with ginger and a truffle rice. Followed up with eye fillet with snowpeas and a standout version of sweet and sour pork. A complimentary plate of kiwi fruit and stawberries were a great finish to a beautiful meal. All washed down with a very nice sancerre. Highly recommend this restaurant.

Every time my family, especially my dad, visited me, we always come back to this restaurant. Its my dad’s favourite in Melbourne! Those pictures are my main favourites amongst all the food they offered. I must say that I tried almost everything on the menu!! They are all soooo good! the services never fail me! Book first before you come, its so busy yet lovely inside!! Five stars indeed!

My experience with Lau’s Kitchen may not have been super proper. It’s one of the few Asian options in Saint Kilda. And my parents almost exclusively order along those lines. At Lau’s Kitchen the menu is super high end, so we only ordered two dishes. These were both quite basic too. They were very good though! But it was the kind of experience where you felt bad eating too much and we ended up getting extra food elsewhere.

This would have to be one of the best food experiences in Australia. Coming from the Flower Drum Dad you have to expect it would be good but the food is just very , very good. A more casual experience than the flower drum but food ... same 7 star class.<br/>Patagonian tooth fish was a standout. Brilliant fish cooked to perfection. A real one off. <br/>It’s worth a visit to Melbourne & st Kilda just to dine here.<br/>Hopefully will be back soon. <br/>A must foodie visit!!<br/>Peter Hugall. Perth<br/>

The place is always packed on the weekend. We had dined in for CNY. The food is good. Service is great and thoughtful. The food is overpriced. You can get this Chinese food in China town / anywhere in Melbourne. For occasionally, we don't mind have a go. Don't worry to order any of the dishes, most of them are good.

Been regular to this place. Authentic Cantonese food. Could order anything with confidence, can’t go wrong. <br/><br/>Recommend barbecue pork, Slow-cooked chicken, steamed fish and most of the seafood dishes.

Went to Lau’s Kitchen during the week and its full! Wow did not expect a chinese restaurant to be like this. <br/><br/>Had the oyster two ways, scollop dim sim, deep fried whiting, lamb pocket for entree. Main we had the chilli prawn and truffle fried rice. Everything was sooooo good, amazing flavour combination! Service was personal and friendly. LOVED it! Will be back!

Saturday night dinner here to celebrate Chinese New Year. The night started out great for a table of 4 of us. <br/><br/>Not knowing what to order we asked the owner or manager if there was a banquet meal as we couldn’t see one on the menu. We were told not a problem they would do one for us. <br/><br/>The food and service was top notch with a great selection of food. <br/><br/>BUT a nasty shock happened at the end of the night when we were slammed with a $610 bill for 4 people. Basically we were charged for each item and the owner made sure we were given the most expensive items ... $144 for the beef and rice dish was unacceptable not to mention the $100 prawn dish. After complaining all we got given was a $10 discount. <br/><br/>A few lessons learnt, always ask the price and also never coming here again. There are plenty of other places charging $59-79 a head for a feed me menu and the food at these places equally if not better. Never coming here again and left feeling robbed and taken advantage of.

The owner is former owner of Flower drum ( very famous in the world, Cantonese cuisine). Mr GILBERT LAU , he is a great great lovely gentleman, he always treats all his customers like his friends! If you go there one day (suggest on Saturday, supposedly MR LAU is retired already, somehow I know he still works there each Saturday night)

10/10 for service... never had an empty beer and staff were very helpful. Food is also excellent with my highlights being the BBQ pork which was unbelievable and the lamb spring rolls. Even not a big fan of sweet and sour pork but it was really good. Definitely worth a visit if you feel like Chinese as it’s probably one of the best

4.5/5<br/>Fantastic Chinese’s food, some of the best!! Tasty fresh food and exceptional service from all the staff! Crispy wontons and bbq pork to start we’re amazing, sweet and sour pork delicious and prawns super fresh. <br/>The brisket curry was tasty but is a bit random compared to the other food on the menu, and the chicken/prawn dumplings were so so.<br/>Overall extremely happy and a great afternoon, always helps when service is top notch.

Food: amazing quality of food with great taste very close to what you’ll get from Asia. Huge variety of choices to choose from.<br/><br/>Service: attentive staff and friendly. Food are served quickly too. <br/><br/>Price: slightly pricey as the portion isn’t huge for the price paid. The quality of food does justify the high price being charged. <br/><br/>I would def come back again soon.

Food is fabulous. It tastes the natural flavor of the food material rather than heavy sauces. The staff are very friendly and make you feel very welcomed.

Smallish but special, this restaurant boasts family members of the Flower Drum legend Gilbert Lau as part of the operation. Dining at this restaurant never disappoints. It’s not your cheap (far from it) and cheerful local Chinese but refined food and delicate flavours produced from quality ingredients. 3.5 Zomato Rating!

Located in St Kilda, Lau’s Family kitchen is a great example of food and impeccable service delivered at its finest.  Lau’s Family Kitchen really knows how to provide you with the perfect balance of casual and fine dining, whilst offering a sumptuous selection of traditional Cantonese dishes with a hint of a modern twist.

Recommended by lots of friends, and Lau’s Fmaily Kitchen didn’t disappoint me! <br/><br/>We went there for lunch, booked in advance. The food they served were not traditional Chinese food, more like western-Chinese food. But the dishes we ordered were really tasty! <br/><br/>#steamed toothfish# used simply steam method to maximum preserve the original flavour of this fatty and delicate fish fillet. Cooked perfectly with great texture! <br/>#sautee eye fillet#-used great quality of beef fillet, it was simply delicious and the meat was really tender.<br/>#truffle special fried rice#-special dish of the day with lots of truffle paste, great flavours and perfectly coated of each single rice <br/>#oyster clay pot#-small potion, using large, smooth and creamy fresh oyster and cooked with simple sauce. <br/><br/>We also tried <br/>#pork&scallops glass noddle hot pot#<br/>#duck and young ginger stir fry#<br/>#prawn and mushroom noodle# <br/>All the dishes were really delicious! You can taste the freshness of those top quality ingredients that they use. The price of the dishes were not cheap, even expensive considering the portion they serve, but have to say, it worth very single dollar you pay. <br/><br/>

had the oyster pot, fried fish and char siu. all are verh good.<br/><br/>service great and attentive. must book, very packed even on monday night.<br/><br/>but beware of parking, many street parking need to pay until midnight.

Fresh ingredients. Thats what makes a memorable dish for tonight dining out experience. The menu is carefully chosen and well tried. You can taste the freshness in everything they made. I particularly enjoyed the barramundi. It was a steamed fish without any frills and it was perfect. Buddha delight was very clear and clean. Delightful mushrooms sat beside ever tender chicken pieces. My friends liked the flavourful aubergine. Clear noodles came in a claypot was nice and the green dish of vegetables was done very simply. Deep fried squid was tender. My only wish would be to eat it with softer and more tender white rice. I did find it hard. There seem to be a lot interaction with the staff. Maybe it is the intimate size of the restaurant? This made us feel looked after. The patriarch personally waved us goodbye at the door.

A high quality Chinese meal bringing together a blend of Cantonese and Sichuan dishes. My meals were all tasty and well prepared with fresh ingredients. Service was exceptional.

So pleased to see a place live up to the hype. <br/><br/>Flawless Chinese food serviced with that famous Flower Drum attention and hospitality. <br/><br/>Chicken won tons were simply the best I’ve ever had, as was the eye fillet with black bean. Chilli prawns had a lovely kick to them.<br/><br/>No fewer than 9 staff on for around 20 tables, not all of which were full at once, gives you an idea of the importance placed on service here. And it’s exceptional. As is the food.<br/><br/>At the pricier end for suburban Chinese, but more than worth the outlay. More accessible booking-wise than its parent Flower Drum, an offspring worth being very proud of.

Hands down my favourite Chinese restaurant in Melbourne!!!! Amazing food that highlights the flavours of the produce instead of being overly seasoned. So if you think Chinese food is all about the grease, salt and seasoning, and love being slapped with flavours, this place is probably not your joint. We always dine in with our toddler and the team makes sure my toddler and our sanity is well taken care of.

Not sure what to focus on here... the food or the service. <br/><br/>Both impeccable. Three years since i last dined here and the experience is still th e same.<br/>The best old school chinese food in Melbourne. <br/><br/>Try the pork loin!

Old timer .... classic Cantonese food; simplicity at its best and a bit pricey too ... not their wines.<br/><br/>For those missing the old Flowerdrum, then this is the place to go. Small, simple, classic, a bit of simple classic Chinese influence, inside dining or the popular outside.<br/><br/>Genuine and very attentive service, a good place to go back once in a while. This place used to be packed, hard to get a booking especially for more than 4 diners, this time was easier. Melbourne is inundated with good Cantonese food restaurants and $8.00/hr parking behind the restaurant is not really attractive all the way to St Kilda .... or get a street parking that you have to feed every two hours, thank you City of Port Phillip.<br/><br/>Food wise;<br/><br/>9/10 $38.00 Beef Brisket, poor man's cut of beef but the best of the bunch for me tonight, just wholesome flavoursome<br/>8/10 $36.00 Sweet Vinegar Pork Loin, simplicity at its best, good ingredient and not much interference <br/>7/10 $26.00 Poussin, small, but much better than most Crispy Roast Chicken in Melbourne<br/>7/10 $16.00 Bean Curd Spicy Salt<br/>6/10 $28.00 Salt & Pepper Squid<br/>6/10 $36.00 Shiitake Mushroom and Chinese Greens<br/>Ignore the 7/10 $48.00 Oysters Ginger & Spring Onions Claypot, Lau's kitchen is still one of the benchmark for Cantonese food in Melbourne. JT-28/10/2017.

Overall, it's pretty average considering its price. A "large" truffle fried rice for 40 dollars? You can find better deal and better taste elsewhere. As you can see from the pictures I took, the portion size was pretty small to say the least. Maybe I grew up in southern China, I've tried a lot of authentic Cantonese cuisine during my life. In terms of flavor, Lau's family kitchen is good but definitely not top-notched. Friday afternoon, this place was still very crowded, full of local people. I guess someone who lived their life outside China might admire those fusion Cantonese dishes more.<br/>The service was very western style, attentive, prompt. If you expect to have a authentic Chinese cuisine experience, go to HongKong!

Possibly the best Chinese I've had in Australia. Very authentic, high quality ingredients, excellent service. I cannot fault it. Tonight was our first night, from a recommendation off a friend, and it certainly won't be our last.

I'm not an expert in Cantonese cuisine and can't define the authenticity of meals I had tonight but I know that my tastebuds were absolutely delighted. I'm still trying to make up my mind which dish I would define as the winner. San Choy bau for starter was delicious, the duck melted in mouth and then the fish, oh my, that was possibly the winner. Then Singapore noodles were superbly done. This lovely, refined place with its Chinese tea house atmosphere and excellent service is a must stop in St Kilda!

What more can you ask for? Great food, wine list and friendly staff. This is the famous Gilbert Lau inspired and mentored Chinese restaurant which is just to die for. The food is awesome my favourite is Sang Choi Bow and Vegetarian wontons and the steamed barramundi. Jason is a fabulous host and the fruit to end the meal is great touch. A must eat !

Lau's family kitchen is an amazing Chinese restaurant! All staff are friendly and I've been their several times. Every time 5\5. The food is just divine. Guaranteed best Chinese in Melbourne!

Been here a number of times. Always faultless. From service to food quality, this place is my favourite for Cantonese in Melbourne. Try the steamed Patagonian toothfish and also the salt & pepper quail. Never had a bad dish here. Friendly and very efficient service.

Have been to lau's half a dozen times now & I cannot fault one this in this restaurant. Food, beverage & service all 100% each time. See you again soon!!!

Everything was good, yet nothing special, <br/>Here for friends birthday, had good time. Ver cosy, prompt service, the quality of ingredient is definitely up from scratch, from the text and texture.

<br/>It's not often these days that I find myself dining out in St Kilda – sadly it’s no longer on my radar. But recently, we had tickets to see Maxwell at the Palais Theatre, so we were faced with the dilemma of choosing a nearby pre-concert dinner venue.<br/><br/>In the last ten to fifteen years, Melbourne has been hit with so many new buzzing restaurants. In particular, chefs working with Asian cuisine have pushed the boundaries with their menus, introducing us to lots of subcontinent fusion flavours. Owners are spending a bomb on architecturally designed fit outs. It seems that every week brings another ‘must try restaurant’ that I add to my list.<br/><br/>So when I remembered an old favourite – Lau’s Family Kitchen – I was excited to shelve the idea of going to a new hip restaurant, and revisit a fine restaurant with a focus on good quality Chinese food. I was a little nervous, hoping nothing had changed, but fortunately it was just as I remembered. Even the menu was the same. I knew exactly what I was going to order.<br/><br/>Lau’s Family Kitchen serves Cantonese food by Gilbert Lau – of Flower Drum fame. You’ll experience the same quality, flavours and service as the Flower Drum, but in a much more relaxed environment. Some of my firm favourites include: scallops with vermicelli noodles; fresh squid with salt and pepper; rice noodle roll filled with spinach; steamed dumplings; and barramundi with soy sauce. All the meals are presented with silver service – it’s unusual to receive that kind of service, unless you’re at a fine dining establishment.<br/><br/>It was one of the few restaurants in St Kilda to draw a crowd on a Wednesday night. I’m so pleased to see that a good restaurant can survive the hardships of a struggling area. Hopefully that’s the case, anyway.... it’s now back on my radar and I’ll make sure that years don’t pass before my next visit.

Very fresh food, especially the seafood. <br/>The spicy tofu and sweet sour pork are great too. Friendly and attentive staff. Only Disappointed to the very little choice or dessert and $2 per bowl of rice which is very small in sz and the rice is quite hard in texture.

My partner is very fussy when it comes to Cantonese food. It's unavoidable when he is from Hong Kong, and has grown up eating the best that Cantonese dishes have to offer. Thus when it came to choosing a venue for his belated birthday dinner, we were tossing between Cantonese or his other favourite, American BBQ. Our Asian tastebuds won the argument, so off we went to Lau's Family Kitchen. <br/><br/>Lau's much more upscale than your typical Asian restaurant. Dark and moody lighting, waiters in crisp white shirt, and attentive service. There are 2 seatings (6pm and 8pm) and we came for the earlier seating, which I'm guessing contributed to the waitress somewhat rushing us to order as soon as we sat down. <br/><br/>The dishes here are refined and sophisticated, the ingredients are fresh and of high quality, and the flavours are delicate and light. The wok fried Patagonian toothfish was a delight. The skin was lightly crisped while the sweet white flesh stayed firm and moist. It's no wonder that the flesh of toothfish is known as white gold. The duck was another favourite - tender, succulent and juicy, and just the right amount of fat. The chicken was firm and tender, but it was unfortunately dry in some parts. The BBQ roast pork was alright. It was a mix between the Cantonese and Malaysian version - Cantonese type of meat with a more fatty texture and thick cut, but came with a Malaysian-ish sweet soy dipping sauce. The truffle fried rice not only tasted great but smelt awesome. A good mixture of "wok hei" and intense truffle flavours. The sweet and sour pork was the least favourite dish of the night - too much batter. <br/><br/>Despite the portion size not looking like much, the four of us were pleasantly full after the meal. The complementary fruit platter came with longans, which was a nice touch. <br/><br/>Lau's a great option when you feel like splurging or plan to wine and dine someone important, but if you are after a no-frills experience with the same quality feed, there are better options elsewhere.

Tasty and well-cooked food, family-run and always packed restaurant. Go for the truffle fried rice!!<br/><br/>We booked a table for two in advance and chose one of the only two options offered (6pm or 8pm session).<br/><br/>We started the dinner with the Steamed Siu Mai (3.5/5 points) which were excellently cooked. The meat was balancely marinated, tender, and moist inside. The texture was smooth and firm.<br/><br/>We then grabbed the sweet and sour pork (3.5/5) which was great as well. The taste was pretty much as expected - but very balanced and fragrant. The texture of the meat was excellent - tender and moist.<br/><br/>Next dish was the soy sauce poussin (3.5/5) which was again yum! We love how well the chicken was cooked - all the moist was retained inside while the skin was thin and soft. We sauce tasted a bit too fruity/sweet for our liking though. <br/><br/>The last dish we got was the truffle fried rice (4/5) and it was smashing! The truffle flavour was just on point - not too overpowering or subtle - and went really well with the rice and seafood. The rice grains were firm, moist, long, and separating enough. Definitely one of the best fried rice dishes we have ever tried in Melbourne.

Been here a few times now and the food is consistently good. Always lovely seeing old Mr Lau helping out his sons. The noise is sometimes a bit much though when it is busy.

We ate at Lau's on Saturday night (1/4/17) around 6.30pm. One of the best places for service at this time we have eaten at in a long time, well done guys, a real highlight. The food was great, fresh, fast and hot. Looking over the menu things look expensive however if you take into account the freshness and the quality of service we were happy. There were ten wait staff on the floor, it's a small restaurant, so that was great. I did leave a small tip but the waiter didn't seem happy with the amount however I feel the menu price, service and what I paid fair all round. Our meal was $100 per head and that included two entree, two main dishes, two bowls of rice and two glasses of red wine. Parking was a problem. Would recommend without an issue.<br/><br/>Don't forget to click "FOLLOW" if you like my honest and how I saw it review.

Lau's kitchen ticks all the boxes, nice atmosphere, prompt services and good food.<br/><br/>The only thing is the food isn't quite authentic Chinese, it's very westernised. But guess it's not really a problem since we are in Melbourne!

Very terrible experience. The food is ok but not that amazing, not worth 4.5 rating! We order guy tataki(it is ok), Tuna on cold dish section (odour), chicken teriyaki and black cod( this is very nice dish)! The reason why I m giving such low rating, because of the service, I m not asking for service at 5 star hotel or other fine dinning restaurant, but their service is really terrible. <br/>First of all, we order 2 cold dish n 2 hot main, we expect the cold dishes will come first, but they bring two hot dishes, that's fine, we don't mind have the hot one. But they bring the bill to us while we haven't start one of the cold dish! I won't pay the bill after I finish my dinner, but one of the staff come n asking us to pay the bill, it is nonsense! I m still picking, I not finish yet! Terrible, will not come back, could found another better Japanese food in elsternwick where close to Brighton!

DO: Everything. But the best would be toothfish, sweet and sour pork, soy Chicken and my absolute favourite Truffle Fried rice. <br/><br/>DON'T: Forget the fried banana fritter for dessert. <br/><br/>TIP: Parking is horrible and so exy. Get early and see if you can park on the street instead of the car park behind. Also, has two sittings. Choose the later one.

Amazing Cantonese. The truffle fried rice, toothfish, crispy skin chicken and mix veges. <br/><br/>Will be back again. <br/><br/>The service was also good and we were guided well by the waiter.

价钱格外的昂贵，而且每份餐的份量非常少。一份鱿鱼就那么几小块，味道很普通，吃了都不够藏牙缝。客人都没几个，上菜又慢。价钱和品质不成正比。令人失望……no good is not worth for the money and we not visit any more this restaurants

Really well done Cantonese food with friendly, playful yet professional service. Food: entrees were great and can recommend the lamb spring rolls as well as the dim sum 'special' of scallop and pork & mushroom. Another 'special' we had was the steamed ginger orange roughy - excellent. Food tasted fresh & of high quality. Service: both our floor staff were so much fun and also attentive, recommending and steering us away from less interesting dishes. Will definitely be back soon.

When I first started doing some serious travel to Melbourne for the big events, like the Melbourne Cup, one of the restaurants I had to try was Flower Drum. There is an awe to dining here for the first time; an intangible in the institutional surrounds that gives your experience an entirely different air.<br/><br/>Like a drop of perfume, the feeling from Flower Drum wafts lightly through Lau’s Family Kitchen. It is seen with the flourishes of silver service, the multiple greetings and goodbyes, and the positive response to each and every request. It may be an unfair adjective to describe the cooking as “clean” but there is a purity in the flavours, and the fashion by which the kitchen expresses complex technique in simple presentation and fewer components on the plate, is superior to most Cantonese restaurants I’ve eaten in.

Such a gem of a restaurant. Really enjoyed our time, from the friendly waiters to the delicious food. Lovely outside tables to sit in the sun

From my native Cantonese foodie background, I must rate this restaurant as very average with the relatively high price they charged. We were recommended to order scallop siu mai but it's disappointing that no whole scallop was seen on the dumpling but costs excessive price. The black truffle fried rice tastes good though. Again my friend and I were very disappointed becoz we held great expectations as it was rated the best Chinese restaurant in Melbourne. It s absolutely not value for money

Hidden Gem !<br/><br/>I was surprised when I came here ! It wasnt like what I have imagined. Trully fooled by the fish picture as I thought it will be like those usuall Chinese place with good ratings. This beautiful place has a dark wood accent which feels very modern, fancy, and beautiful. Wonderful ! <br/><br/>The waitress there were so attentive and friendly. There were one waitress who keep pouring our tea for us and refill our water. They even ask you bowl of rice is cold, do you want me to change it to a warm rice ? (Sounds a bit wasted but you can see their service here). They are also flexible. Theres a dish called toothfish which is one portion 2 slices but we were not sure and they say that they can just give the half portion of it for us to try. Really awesome ! Never had this awesome service from Chinese restaurant before in Australia. They can help you with dividing the food (sort of). I saw one of them help the customer to divide the fried rice into the number of people on that table. <br/><br/>The price of the food are reasonable for the service they give which maybe for students its quite a fancy dinner. Their menu was also really unusual. Deer tendon, Toothfish, BBQ pork belly, poussin (young chicken) and etc. <br/><br/>We reserved the place before just incase they are really full. But it was okay (we came at 7pm). <br/><br/>Ordered :<br/><br/>- BBQ pork (Not the pork belly) <br/> A really good dish ! Really juicy, just awesome.So far this is my favourite BBQ pork in town. <br/><br/>- Steam toothfish <br/> Belongs to the same family as cod fish. It is expensive because they contains more fish oil and due to a very long time till its age of maturity. Its a really rare chance to eat such fine fish ! <br/>Furthermore, this fish taste real good ! The meat is really tender and you could feel the "oil" while eating the skin area. <br/><br/>- Deer tendon with mushroom (Chefs special)<br/> Deer tendon is high in calcium and its good for bone ! I like the mushroom but the tendon was also taste great !<br/><br/>- Deep fried bean curd with mushrooms<br/> A good option for vegetables. Taste good too !<br/><br/>- Banana fritter <br/> Perfect crisp with red sugar and ice cream. Yum ! Perfecto ! <br/><br/>What else can I say ? Amazing place, awesome service, delicious food !! Everything in one place. But when I went there, there is a group of customer that is pretty loud. So I find it pretty noisy but oh well. You cant really control it do you ? 😊<br/><br/>I really enjoyed my time here !! I hope you guys could enjoy it too ! Cheers ! 😁🎉

The best Cantonese restaurant in Melbourne with exceptional service. The patagonian tooth fish are really good here or I should say 'excellent' both the steam one and the pan-fried one. The way they cook them ia just so perfect. Just can't get enough of it. Please do make a booking as this restaurant is a cozy intimate dining place but can still cater for a small group/family.

We live in Richmond and eat plenty of Asian cuisine. There's nothing wrong with the food here, it's all fresh and the flavours and balance are OK with a few odd combinations. <br/><br/>Sui mai - hand made 4 for $16. On VIC street we can get better Sui mai 3 for $4<br/><br/>Spring rolls - $13.50 for 2 - can get better at china bar 3 for $6<br/><br/>The same goes for the rest of the dishes however the service was great, but I pay for food and service isn't overly high on my priority as long as it's polite. <br/><br/>If you're really into your Asian food you'll be underwhelmed.

The only place hustlin' and bustlin' down Acland on a Tuesday night and with good reason! Authentic, homely, delicious meals. Sat outside which wasn't a problem as the heaters were more than sufficient. <br/><br/>Had veg dumplings, braised eggplant and fried tofu with mushrooms. Rice was dry but that's personal preference. Appreciate the waiter adjusting dumplings from 4 to 6 pieces for easier sharing between us 3. All dishes were perfectly cooked, not oily and cleanly presented.<br/><br/>Pricier compared to typical Chinese food but this is upper class. Accommodating, attentive and friendly service - knows regulars by name too! Parking is a pain but I'd happily return :)

Great food and wonderful service. Must sit outside on a warm balmy Melbourne and eat the best home style Chinese food in Australia. Great wine list and extensive menu.

Tucked away in St Kilda, this cosy little space is all about authentic Asian cooking with an up market appeal. Everything we ordered delivered in taste from a medium rare eye fillet to simple but spot on seasonal greens. The close seating arrangement and chatter across the room make for a unique atmosphere. While the pricing is a bit steep it's worth coming back for.

A breathtaking meal from start to finish. Every dish was presented simply but exquisitely, showcasing a respect for the freshest ingredients, lightness of hand and technique. <br/><br/>Gives modern "bistronomy" a good kick to the butt. When Cantonese classics are done as expertly as this, there's no coming close.

I don't like this new version of this zomato, I don't want to leave the review, but I need to reminding me how many marks I give to this restaurant

I am glad I finally visited this restaurant. We had the King George Whiting for starters, the sechuan Aubergine and the beef in black bean sauce. They were all equally amazing. You will notice the menu is slightly more expensive than your usual Chinese but there's a reason for this. That being the high quality of ingredients. After having had the food at this place, I finally understand what all the other places try to achieve but fail. I'd definitely recommend this place to anyone wanting to have some genuinely good Chinese food.

Had another great dinner at Lau's and find it hard to fault.<br/>The staff were friendly and accommodating as usual.<br/>We ordered the lemon and honey duck and fried chicken wontons as entrees. Both were perfect.<br/>For main we had garlic king prawns and ma pu with steamed rice. The prawns were great but maybe just a little too $$ for the size of dish, the ma pu was delicious but only order if you like a hit of spice.<br/>Food above + 1 beer and tea was $140 which overall was very reasonable given the quality of food and service.<br/>

The atmosphere was fantastic with great service. The selection of the food is quite common but overall very pricey. Maybe because they were belong to Lau's family who owned Flower Drum so that they were pricey.

Fine dining Chinese restaurant, please dont expect over quiet like other western fine dining, the environment of the restaurant is still quite casual considered the table seating is quite closed to each other.<br/><br/>The quality of the dishes are really good and attention to details.<br/><br/>Start of with the salt and pepper calamari, i find the coating is a little too thick but my friends feel alright, the calamari cook just right.<br/><br/>The soy chicken, needs at least 25 mins preparation, advise to order as soon as seated. I think this is the best braised chicken i ever had, personally i dont like chicken breast, but this is very tender even on the chicken breast, full of flavour.<br/><br/>The sweet and sour pork, although it is a simple dish, but the pork rib is very tender, very pleasant to eat. The sweet and sour sauce is well balanced.<br/><br/>The minced meat with eggplant, personally prefer to have the eggplant sliced thinner, good flavour and a great dish to eat with rice.<br/><br/>The tofu with bamboo shoot and mushroom, classic vegetable dish. <br/><br/>Dessert ended with banana fritter with vanilla ice cream. The sweetness of the maple syrup mix very well with the banana fritter and vanilla ice cream. Not too sure what type of banana they used, but if they use monkey banana would be even better, i guess it will not be an option in term of costing.<br/><br/>Staff member is very attentive, polite and great service, advise to order long waiting dish earlier for preparation.<br/><br/>Overall dining experience is great, dishes are pricey compare with others restaurant based on its portion, however the taste of its dish is quite distinct, still recommending to try once if you have not been.

Save yourself some money and trek to one of the more authentic Asian areas of Melbourne... On par or better food and much cheaper prices. Owners are very lucky this place has no competition

After hearing good reviews about this place and it's comparison to Flower Drum, we all decided to give this a go. We ordered the salt and pepper squid which was amazing! The squid tasted fresh and the batter was light and crispy. However, the fried rice we ordered tasted just like any other fried rice which was a disappointment. The quality of the other dishes we ordered were definitely a step up from your traditional Asian food. I would recommend this if you feel like great Asian food, but only once in awhile, as everything was well overpriced.

Food and drinks are good but not exceptional. Prices are ridiculously high in my opinion. For a special occasion I'd say yes to this place, but for a quick dinner it's definitely a no no.

Went here as a reward for a team challenge. I had high expectations knowing the background. Food was really good and overall enjoyed it. A bit stung and rich on the price of some specials leaving abut of a sour taste.

Great service & high quality food. This & Di Stasio are the only places left in St Kilda that are worth your $$, time & effort. Can't wait to visit again.

Fine, fine China. The toothfish with soy and sake is one of the most exquisite dishes I've ever eaten. It's many years since I went to Flower Drum, but I remember it being this good back then too

Very disappointed. Service was ok. But the food is not good. Too pricey. We had some dishes from chef special menu but not special at all. A lot of Chinese restaurants in China town are better than here. Not recommend to come back.

Having recently eaten at Flower Drum, I can finally conclude that Lau's Family Kitchen knows a thing or two more about food, service and experience. The atmosphere is relaxed, every dish is exquisite and yet authentic, the service is super - attentive and never intrusive. The soul of the Gilbert Lau-era Flower Drum clearly has migrated with him to this unassuming but buzzing address. <br/><br/>Forget about Heston Brumenthal or Marco Pierre White- if you're searching for a food hero, head to Lau's and watch the 74-year-old Gilbert warmly greet every customer and quietly commands the floor like a true maestro. His kitchen and staff equally impressive, but one shouldn't be surprised. <br/><br/>As for the food, one bite of the food here is enough to erase decades worth of China Town run-off-the-mill grease. I consider visits here therapeutic. <br/><br/><br/>

Yum-a-dub-dub in my tum-tum-tum! Any time anybody wants to go to Lau's, I AM IN!!!! Most excellent all the way around. Why not a '5'? It's very very close!

I don't know what food others have been served here but it was certainly very ordinary with nothing special or unique. For the high prices it it not worth at all. You can get the same thing at much more reasonable prices everywhere else at your local eatery. Cannot understand how they can justify their pricing. The menu was too simple, unattractive and my cutlery was placed by the waiter on the dirty rotten wooden table without a serviette. The sweet and sour pork was ordinary and the steak and black bean much the same. <br/>The fried rice was more like steam rice and the banana fritter was drowned in a soup of syrup that was as sweet as the amount of profit they earned from our $160 bill for two people. Disappointing and will not return. Take it from me. <br/>Don't waste ur money.

A small hidden kitchen located on a side street away from all the crazy of St Kilda. The food is beautiful- quality is definitely there. Service- lovely staff. I can always enjoy a beautiful dinner there. Ideal for a date!

Underwhelmed. Firstly service was delightful. Service was let down by food best described as ordinary. Every dish we tried was fairly well executed with good ingredients but nothing special. At half the price this would be a good night out. I was expecting more

Had an amazing lunch! I Will be back there for my next Chinese meal. Beautiful flavours in the food and the qual was cooked perfect. Lau's Family Kitchen has Friendly staff and great table service.

Having recently moved to Melbourne from Sydney, I have been looking forward to dining at Lau's ever since I moved.  Lunch here today did not disappoint. Food and service were terrific. Can't wait to come back. Highly recommend the duck spring rolls and salt and pepper squid.

If you want yummy Asian food without feeling the gym bloaty effects of all the msg in the food then Lau's is the place! This would have to be one of my favourites! The food is delicious!

Sublime food - the flavours and so delicate and well balanced. Salt and pepper squid is easily and by far the best I've ever had in my life. Beef fillet with black bean sauce is so tender and the sauce is full of flavour without being salty at all. The eggplant with minced pork is gorgeous. Service is great and they have a good selection of wines by the glass at very reasonable prices. It's easy to see why Lau's is such an institution. Refined, delicious dining.

Lovely food. Some dishes are nicer than at Flowerdrum. Wine was so so. Pricey for what you get, but a very enjoyable meal. Chilly prawns are delicious but may be a little hot for some.

Always exceptional.<br/>Always attentive.<br/>Always fresh.<br/>Always detailed.<br/>Always pleased!<br/>This restaurant will forever be one of my Melbourne favourites.

Great service, really nice food. However, probably overpriced for what it is. $180 no alcohol for 3 adults, would have received 10x more food for that price without the flashy address!

Best food, fantastic service from<br/>peter can't wait to come back!! Can't believe I haven't been here before!! New favourite restaurant!! Highly recommended

Didn't really enjoy the meal, have had better Chinese food. Singapore noodles were a bit of a let down. Also quite expensive cost me $190 for 2 adults and 2 children. Although fast and good service.

Boasting of high quality Cantonese/Chinese cuisine and the many positive reviews in Urbanspoon, there is no doubt that the small modest restaurant situated in St Kilda is an extreme hit with the locals. We were greeted with a warm welcome by one of the Lau brothers (I think it’s Mr Jason Lau) who then ushered us to our table.  Again, we booked the first seating at 6pm but we were not the first.  There were already 5 tables occupied by hungry and eager families.  The smallish dining room is well decorated (not much like a chinese restaurant feel) with fresh flowers and timber walls and screens – modern.  The staff count was more than adequate as their service is very prompt – with the ‘no empty glass rule’ and ‘less than 5

Gilber Lau, formerly of Flower Drum, brings a more home style Cantonese flavour to Lau's Family Kitchen. I'd heard good things and was keen to check it out when I was in this part of town a little while back.

Lau's Family Kitchen is one of those gems that does not get much publicity in the media, but it is always busy (make sure to book ahead!) because of the loyal customers who go back again and again, and the word of mouth from them raving to everyone about it (guilty on that front). Clean and fresh modern versions of traditional Cantonese dishes breathe life back into a cuisine that has been left in ruins by bad takeaway joints. Match that with the crack front of house team and you have Lau's, my favourite spot in Melbourne for a Cantonese dinner.

For me Lau’s is as much about the service and whole experience as it is about the food. That’s not to discount the food though, which is always perfectly cooked and balanced. Prawns are moist and tender, with Singapore-style chili sauce; the beef brisket is flaking with a rich sauce; eye fillet is stir-fried medium-rare with slivers of garlic and ginger… you get the idea, every dish is delicious.<br/>

Yu Heung, a special on the menu, is described as a tradition Szechuan dish of braised eggplant and minced pork with a touch of spice, served with steamed rice. This was pronounced to be delicious by those who ordered it.

Much like a penguin, I can get easily distracted by shiny things so when I am in the area of the Prince complex on Acland Street, it is rather hard to resist the siren's call and either end up eating and drinking at either Circa, Acland Street Cantina or the Prince of Wales itself. Knowing that Chef Paul Wilson doesn't look much like a beautiful siren even on the best of days, with courage and a fair amount of intestinal fortitude, I managed to resist my carnal desire for mole and tacos and make my way just metres away up Acland Street to Lau's Family Kitchen which is often overlooked because of its location off of the colourful Fitzroy Street and of course away the skagboys. Being greeted at the door, you would never think that this restaurant specialises in Chinese fare or that its pedigree is from the eponymous Flower Drum on Market Lane. There are no cats waving at you, Chairman Mao's face is not staring at you and most surprising, the colour red can not be found - anywhere. This i

I have never had a bad dish… Another suggestion… Let team order for you based on a couple of your fav ingredients… Dammit, I am probably setting your standards too high…

I cannot recommend Lau’s Family Kitchen to you highly enough. The food is prepared simply, and is simply beautiful – which means there’s nothing to hide. They clearly source the freshest most beautiful raw products they can, and give it a little Lau magic. You will not be disappointed. I never have been. Enjoy!

But the mushroom fried rice, is perfection, each and every time.

...excellent produce, fabulous service, moderate pricing and inspired family cooking.

We found a pan-seared Patagonian tooth fish with sugar snaps and zucchini to be truly one of the best we have had. It’s texture is cod-like but I believe the magic lies in the style of cooking.

Lau’s Family Kitchen is a more casual style Chinese restaurant where we don’t see a lot of Chinese people. We are seeing more non-Asian diners sipping wine than your average Chinese restaurant, which may or may not be a good sign.