Flower Drum

I had dinner here this week with a small group of people. The food was quite simply sensational. The service was sensational. Best of the night — Peking Duck & Lobster with ginger, both memorable. This was a special occasion and that’s what this is for most of us I guess, a special occasion restaurant — I hope there’s another special occasion real soon!

I made a reservation ahead of time which I highly recommend if you want to come here. I was here for lunch and tried the 4 course tasting menu. Everything was extraordinary — it probably was the best Chinese food I’ve ever had in my life. The ambiance was a little cold, and I was sitting at a table directly facing into the commotion of kitchen door exit — which they couldn’t accommodate despite me asking to get another table (at the time of my arrival, there were 20 empty tables –sure, sure they were reserved for later…)

Finally I got the chance to dine at this well known and very well established restaurant. First impressions; there is a lot of polite silver service staff. The tables are spread out nicely so you don’t feel like you are imposing on anyone else and vice versa. The bathroom is clean and spacious and on the way there you get to see just how big this restaurant is, there are a few separate rooms which all look nice and comfortable.
Our party of four couldn’t decide whether to have a banquet of four or six dishes so our waiter created a special banquet of five dishes. It consisted of Crab, scollops, deep sea fish, lamb and beef cheek. All the dishes were magnificent. The beef cheek was served with a truffle and seafood rice, amazing. Our waiter was excellent and explained each dish to us when it arrived. All the staff were friendly, polite, professional and non-​judgemental.
We chose our own wine; started with a champagne and then had two bottles of red and a dessert wine with our desserts. This is not a cheap restaurant and probably the wines are a little over priced. But what we paid was worth every penny as the whole experience was wonderful. Six dishes and four bottles of wine and a sparkling water came to $ 1000.50.
We will definitely return soon.
Love it.

Experience and service is great– they saw that my husband could not use chopsticks and brought silverware without asking. Problems: food was to expensive for the amount that you receive and the lack of excitement on our tongue; it took 45 minutes for our appetizers to come out. I’m sure we could have found a great hole in the wall in the area for much less in cost. We have had some amazing Asian dishes particularly in the US and this place did not live up to its name unfortunately.

Amazing food, people are super nice, the place is really nice and cosy.
I remand it to everyone who like to spend a bit of time at a restaurant.
Perfect for groups…

It has a reputation as being one of the best chinese restaurants in the world. Can’t tell you if that is true, but it the best one I’ve ever been to. It’s pricey sure, but you leave feeling like you’ve been fed a first class meal. For me, the only downside is that the service is almost a little too attentive. I don’t like feeling watched that much, but this is a minor criticism.

Extremely fine Chinese food. Love how the byo has no costs. Some of the times have been At this place

The things you’ve heard about Flower Drum are true:
1) it is very expensive
2) service is excellent
3) there is a dress code
4) lunch is a great deal on a relative basis (vs. dinner)
The restaurant is tucked into a small lane in Chinatown with a slickly imposing red door. Make sure you don your spiffy duds as this is far more formal than most Melbourne eateries and a dress code applies (think long pants, collared shirts and proper shoes for gents).
For lunch, there are 3 tasting options: 2 courses for $ 45, 3 courses for $ 60 and 4 courses for $ 75.
We opted for the 3 course lunch supplemented with additional a la carte dim sum as we’d heard great things about the Mud Crab Xiao Long Bao $ 9/​piece and the Prawn Har Gao $ 4.5/piece. While tasty, the skin on both were rather thick and not quite worth the sticker shock.
We fare better with course 1: the Peking Duck starter. Our waiter attentively crafted 2 duck wraps and even shaped my dab of sauce into a vaguely duck-​like shape. The duck meat was tender although I would have enjoyed some more snap on the skin
Course 2: we found the Crispy Skinned Chicken with lemon juice and spicy salt to be far superior to the Grain Fed Eye Fillet w/​Black Pepper Sauce, The chicken was perfectly tender and the skin was crispy and flavorful, beautifully enhanced by the lemon juice and salt. While the beef quality was great, the sauce didn’t really add anything to it. The veggie and fried rice sides were tasty.
Course 3: if you order anything aside from the Peking Toffee Apple w/​Cinnamon Ice Cream, you’re crazy! The apples are brought tableside and individually cooled and hand plated. The result is a beautiful plate of hot crunchy sugar shells filled with creamy apples.
PARTING THOUGHT: the almond cookies to finish the meal were delightful!

One of the best Chinese restaurants I’ve ever been to, and I’ve visited many all of the world, from NYC to Los Angeles to Shangai to Taipei.
Yes, it’s expensive but it’s worth it. Inventive yet traditional, exquisite subtle flavours, fresh ingredients.

The Flower Drum is as good as it gets for high-​end Chinese in Melbourne. Exquisitely prepared Cantonese dishes matched with attentive service from tuxedoed waiters make this a winner.
We decide to go all in and went with the $ 115 four course tasting menu with consisted of a delicate seared barramundi, a lettuce wrap pork dish, peking duck, and wagyu eye fillet followed by an overly sweet dessert (they also had deep fried ice cream on offer).
The peking duck in particular was the standout dish. The best I’ve had in Australia. Tender and meaty duck breast meat, crispy perfectly roasted skin with the traditional accompaniments of plum sauce, cucumbers, and scallions, served in a pancake. The staff make the pancakes for you, so you can focus on eating. I’d go back just for the duck.
The space is elegant and old worldly — in other words the Flower Drum is not a casual restaurant and it’s worth dressing up for otherwise you might feel out of place.
Overall, if you’re looking for traditional Chinese food paired with top-​notch service, the Flower Drum should be on top of your list.

It’s been 6 years since I was last here and it’s still one the iconic restaurants of
Melbourne
The service is excellent and the food well it was simply stunning
Then be dazzled with the wine list
If your finding it difficult to select your meals and drinks, sit back and relax and ask for suggestions. I can assure you that the staff will do the right thing by you which is a rarity in this industry
I took in the 4 course Banquet… Wow!
This is Chinese fine dining at its best ! Enjoy

Let’s be clear that you come to The Flower Drum for a dining experience. If you are worried about your budget then the prices may take the edge off your enjoyment. If instead you are looking to enjoy great service, perfected dishes and an overall polished experience then you have come to the right place.
We tried the 4 course tasting menu and loved every dish. There was no rush between courses which we appreciated as we were enjoying catching up with special friends. The service was unobtrusive but immediate — if you put down your empty wine glass it was removed from the table 3 seconds later. And we enjoyed watching our plates prepared next to us on a cart and then presented one at a time and explained.
We are from NZ. I had heard about The Flower Drum from many visitors to Melbourne over the years. We finally ticked off that item from our Bucket List — and we were not disappointed.

Okay so this is my personal favourite restaurant in Melbourne. It’s got a lot of competition but for me it tops the tree. When ever there is an excuse it’s my place of choice. This us because I have never been let down by their service or quality. It’s a beautiful layout where from your first step in the door you’re waited on perfectly. But the overwhelming urge to go back is always because of the food. I mean the menu is designed beautifully to share, which is always the best way to try a bit of everything. Personally I love peaking duck and am always left wanting more when I’m at the flower drum! But the other dish that would be my very close second is their steak. I have had good steaks but the ones I have had at the flower drum have always melted in my mouth with the most succulent of flavours! Their desserts are seasonal but I know one of the best ones I have tasted is the mango crêpe so if it’s one the menu I wouldn’t pass it up! It’s an incredible restaurant that ticks all the right boxes. If you haven’t been to the flower drum yet, go it’s a must!

Came back here for the first time in twenty years so see if it’s still the best Chinese in town. We both had the $ 45 set lunch. The Peking duck was outstanding and as good as anywhere in the world. Everything else was really average. My hot and sour soup tasted like the pork was old and way too much msg, the eye fillet beef was good quality but cold and no real flavouring. The fried rice was nothing special, twenty years ago the rice redefined fried rice!
So a quick lunch for two cost $ 115 without alcohol. Poor value. If that’s the best Melbourne has i won’t be eating anymore Chinese food in melbs.
Btw people reading this, if you know of a better place plz let me know.

When we walked in, we were immediately struck by its opulent appearance and award plaques, especially the several «One of Best 50 Restaurants in the World» plaques. The menu is very innovative, offering various rare seafood and more traditional meat options. We settled on what the waiter said made Flower Drum famous… the baked crab shell, Peking duck, and pearl meat. We also ordered a seafood rice roll. Starting with the best and working our way down… the baked crab shell was terrific. It was made with turmeric, garlic and onion. Really unique taste with an Indian flair. The pearl meat in oyster sauce was tasty. The rice roll was ok. It consisted of various seafood but the unified product didn’t blend into one taste. The biggest disappointment was the Peking duck. It was too dry and empty of taste without being smothered in plum sauce. Of note, the waitstaff is amazing. Very attentive, knowledgeable, and pleasant. The other aspect that needs to be mentioned is the cost. This restaurant is super expensive and the portions are rather small. All of the live seafood options are over $ 100 per portion. For this price, everything should taste close to perfect and the portion size should suffice hungry people. Flower Drum does not live up to the hype.

I am a foodie and wherever I have lived, even in my pre-​yelp days, I have always looked for the places which people rave and set my sights for a visit.
The funny thing about The Flower Drum (the drum) is that whenever I have called for a reservation, I would have to plan three to four weeks in advance. Unfortunately, each time, something comes up from a business or personal perspective and I would have to cancel and reschedule. With Labor Day, there was NOTHING which would deter me from trying the fine flavors of this institution which has been in business since 1975.
As I walked into the restaurant with my partner, we were greeted at the door and escorted into the elevator. The head waiter was at the ready on the restaurant floor welcoming us and escorting us to our table. He immediately asked us if we wanted water and we ordered some fizzy. The wine list post this (amazing) and provided the menus. Keep in mind all of these were performed by three different waiters — best service I have experienced in Melbourne!
I ordered the sliced pork with plum sauce for my app, crispy skin chicken with season salt and a tasty lemon sauce on the side with a small order of combo fried rice. I had an unforgettable oolong tea along with dinner. Each course was amazing with incredible flavors — the pork so tender, the chicken juicy, and the fried rice was perfect.
The fried ice cream — amazing!
I have had Cantonese in New York, San Fran, New Delhi (yes amazing chinese), LA Mr Chows and HK — this was one of the best only rivaled by HK.
I would recommend this restaurant for those who want to provide an unforgettable experience to a loved one, business client/​other or if you want to indulge in a Cantonese experience you will not soon forget.

Flower drum service is the best in Melbourne! Food is great but the attention you get to have your wine poured or food cleared is great — the waiters hover without you realising they are there. The food is great, and a wide menu — if you want wine which cost the same as a laptop or TV, you came to the right place!

My husband had raved about this restaurant in the past, so on my first trip to Melbourne, it was naturally at the top of my list for dinner options!
I’ve heard it’s difficult to get into, but I didn’t have any trouble getting a reservation for a weekday night online through dimmi.
This restaurant is very old school traditional Chinese. Dark wood, screen prints, everything you’d expect from a formal traditional Chinese restaurant.
The food we had was great – we just told the waiter to bring us things, and ended up having about a 5 course meal, mostly seafood. Everything was prepared beautifully and tasted amazing. The Peking duck was probably a favorite dish. The beef we had was some of the most tender I’ve ever been served.
What I really need to rave about though, is the service. I’ve eaten in many top notch restaurants, and this was definitely among the best service I’ve ever had anywhere. The waiters are super attentive, and the minute you need something, you can be assured that someone will be there to graciously help you.
Highly recommended!

Late in the evening after a sherbet or two three of us stumbled into this place for a feed with an appetite that had a name of it’s own.
Traditional Chinese with an excellent wine list, the staff were remarkably tolerant of the slightly pissed gwai-​loh.
The food was wonderful — roast duck wonton, salt and pepper calamari, lamb pockets (a bizarre little mini pita-​bread thing into which you spooned some spiced lamb) beef cheeks (truly wonderful — soft, fatty, on spinach with a shiny brown sauce) mixed dim-​sims, and fantastic Peking Duck rolls.
Highly recommended!

This is a place where tradional celebration take place.
We were here to celebrate Chinese New Year. Lion Dance is always an eight o’clock event. Therefore, we will have to dine strategically around the dance, because the Lion will come to your table and say ‘Hello” ^_​^
Flower Drum provides excellent customer services. In fact, there is at least 1 junior waiting staff looking after each table, and a senior waiting staff looking after 5ish tables, and a section manager looking after 7 or so tables. So whenever you put your hand up, there should be someone coming towards you.
Apart from great customer service, the wine list has improved a lot lately. Thanks to Randolph Cheung (ex Asiana, Albert Park) joined this team. We had a few good recommendation from Randolph according to our customised menu of the night. Impressive.
I don’t think there would be any complaint on the quality of the dishes. Every dish put on our table, we just ended up with big smile.
Thank you Flower Drum for the wonderful Chinese New Year dinner (thanks to Randolph, Donald, Tommy & Mick whom looking after us everytime)
Drunken Squab is a must try.
meow…