Yum Cha at Shark Fin Inn Keysborough
Shark Fin Inn
328 Cheltenham Road
Keysborough VIC
03 9798 8788
Website
It’s not often the family goes out to celebrate – we prefer the casual laid back approach of a roast or a BBQ. However, occassionally – we realise that it’s time to give Mum a break from the kitchen (she does such an amazing job looking after us all!!) and so that’s when one of us says: Hey, it’s been a while since we’ve done Yum Cha!! This always garners a rousing “Hurrah” – because 3/4 of this family love their prawns – and Yum Cha is really all about prawns – done 473 ways – so there’s no contest! Yum Cha!! And given we’re scattered all over the place – from Drouin to the CBD – we generally head for the gastronomic mecca that is Keysborough!! Yay!!
I realise that Keysborough was the first thought that jumped in your head as well! But in all seriousness – this outer suburban outpost of the Shark Fin Group does some really great dim sum, and it gives its inner city compadrés a bit of a run for their money. In fact, good friend of mine, T-bird – who loves her dumplings – rates this as the best yum cha restaurant in Melbourne. And one should never mess with the T-bird!
It’s hard not to love the Shark Fin Inn – it packs the crowds in over two sittings on each day of the weekend – and for special occassions such as Mothers’ Day – they will be doing 3 sittings of lunch! So, if you haven’t booked in already – you might be pushing it! There’s a real hustle and bustle in the air – and the trolleys come around thick and fast. The food is always hot and fresh – because they’ve usually got about 200 people sitting in that restaurant – and that’s a lot of dumplings to turn over!
So, without further ado… what did we have?
Fried Prawn Rice Paper Rolls - Sesame Prawn
The prawn fest began with fried prawn rice paper rolls – fast becoming my favourite yum cha dish. Light and crunchy on the outside, and filled with gorgeous, fresh prawn. The same with the sesame prawn – all good crunchy, prawny goodness! Both served with some gorgeous sweet plum sauce… I was in heaven!
Crab Dumplings - Prawn & Chive Dumplings
Some of the steamed dumplings – crab, and then prawn and chive. Just lovely – fresh, soft wrapper on the outside, with firm, fresh seafood inside.
Spring Rolls - Satay Skewers
We did have some non-prawn eaters with us (including the birthday boy – Andrew!). So, we made sure we looked after them as well by getting some spring rolls and satay skewers.
Battered and fried calamari - Pork Rice Noodle Roll
The calamari was an interesting dish - when I usually get calamari, it’s not battered and deep fried – it’s just fried. The batter added a lovely crunch – but perhaps was a bit of overkill on the oil. I would have preferred it without the batter. I think it’s the only time I’ve eaten battered calamari (apart from those terrible calamari rings you get in the fish and chip shop!… and I hasten to add it’s been decades since I had one of them!). The pork rice noodle roll is always a must do for me – however, it can tend to get a bit claggy and sticky, and this version was a little that way.
There’s a number of dishes I haven’t shown you – we dove so quickly into the steamed pork buns and some of the other dumplings… journalistic endeavours had to be sacrificed. In addition, we did order two items from the à la carte menu – to cater for those not all that keen on dumplings. Isn’t it great that there’s something for everyone!! We ordered a serve of lemon chicken for Little Miss, and it was so huge, most of the table was able to enjoy a piece or two. And Andrew enjoyed his Mongolian Lamb which was served on a sizzling platter. I don’t know – for someone who’s under the water a lot – he doesn’t seem to appreciate the fruits of the sea!! But, hey – it’s his birthday!
Overall, we had a fabulous time and got so full we could barely move! The family were all completely replete and happy!
The Damage
So, for a feast of dumplings and Cantonese delights – how much did we pay? This is the amazing thing – bear in mind, we could barely move from the amount of dumplings we had eaten! It came to less than $260 for 10 people. That’s $26 each – amazing value! Especially when compared to some of the CBD eateries where you can barely get out of the restaurant for less than $40 per head. I would highly recommend Shark Fin Inn Keysborough – it’s worth the trek out to the ‘burbs!
Yum! I have been waiting for this post. Sounds like it is definitely worth a visit, and according to Whereis.com it is only 20 minutes from my place!
Hi there Em – yes, it’s definitely worth it. Pretty good quality yum cha and good value!! What have you got to lose. They’re pretty popular though – so make sure you book!
Cheers,
Helen.
I think T-bird may be onto something with her assessment of the yum cha at Shark Fin Inn Keysborough. Have tried out plenty of places over the years and rate this Keysborough outpost highly myself. The quality and variety of dumplings is amongst the best I’ve struck anywhere and the prices are reasonable. Enjoyed your review.
Cheers
Nat Stockley
Hi there Nat,
I agree – the quantity and quality of the dumplings – especially for the price is amazing! I’ll let the T-Bird know you agree
Cheers,
Helen.
Glad to see people agree! As is with most things in life, the experience of something is better judged comparatively. I only ever went to Shark Fin Keysborough and nowhere else for quite some time. Once I started branching out and testing other Yum Cha providers I came to realise just how good Shark Fin is. The food is the freshest. One tell-tale sign is the look of the shark fin dumplings. At Keysborough they are nicely sized, fresh and steaming. I have generally found at other places they are quite shrivelled and sad looking, no matter how quickly they are trolley-ed out of the kitchen. It is no surprise their entrance way is lined with awards. Now I am craving yum cha…