Chaozhou Malaya Bistro Cafe

Authentic Chaozhou taste, only one I come across in Melbourne n Sydney. Pettit family run bistro, no fancy deco or uniformed waiters, you feel like dining at home, loved it! Prices are sooo reasonable, but you get great quality of food. Oyster omelette, prawn balls, satay beef, marinated duck and other meats are a must if you like Chaozhou food. Dinner on weekends.better book weeks in advance. NO kidding.

I came back again because the food was good, however, was extremely disappointed in the food this time round. The stirred fried rice cake was overly sweet, the char kuay teow was too wet, the vermicelli rice noodle soup was bland, and the worst dish of all was the Bak Kut Teh soup. When it was served up, it didn't look right. The colour of the soup was very light and not the usual dark colour when we ate there last time. There was no meat or pork rib, there was no pork tripe, there were only 4 pieces of tofu floating on top and a few shreds of lettuce. It was nothing like the BQT that we had land enjoyed ast time. Suspect that they've sold out of the BQT during lunch service and had a little bit of left over broth which they had reboiled with added water then served it up to us. When we prompted the waitress, she apologised and came back with 4 slices of boiled pork. One can tell straight away that the pork was not cooked in the BQT soup because it was white, it was so fatty that you can hardly eat it. For $19, this is a total waste of money. A dish like this shouldn't even be served up to customers. I would give a zero star if I could. Terrible food and service, it's a shame.

Had the best dining experience here in chaozhou Malaya bistro cafe. I was quite surprised by how fast the dish was served considering the restaurant was run by two people including the chef. I was amazed by how both the cook and the waiter can maintain their friendliness considering how busy they are. Since there are only two staff members, please be patient if no one is available to pick up the phone. The taste of each dishes is on point and well balanced. My dad, who is a teochew himself is very happy with the dishes and said it reminds him of his childhood. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to try teochew cuisine. Hopefully they can stay around longer in the current tough economic climate.

We came to eat here but without making a booking. They did seat us at a table but said we had to leave before the next booking which was fine. We ordered a char kuey teow, braised duck with rice, vegetarian mee goreng, and garlic fish with rice.
The CKT was reasonable, the mee goreng was overly saucy and not what I was expecting. The fish was disappointing and disproportionate to the rice serving. The braised duck was average at best. Nothing special and unsure how this place has a 4.3star rating.

A surprised discovery of the neighbourhood. The braised duck was absolutely amazing.
Will be back soon to tryout other items on their menu.

An authentic, hole in the wall cafe that serves Malaysian Chaozhou food.
Very popular with Malaysians longing for a taste of home. It is a family run restaurant, and the friendly chef often comes out and has a chat with the customers.

I ordered the pork intestine pepper soup with rice, it is one of my favourite dishes and supposedly a Chazhou signature. I waited around 20-30 mins for my order as it was very busy at the time. Was slightly disappointed as the soup was not salty and peppery to my liking. However, there was plenty of pork intestine to make up for it, and the soup had a very authentic, home cooked feel to it. Would be keen to return and try other dishes from here.

Tried to call all day, no answer. Went to cafe, told fully booked but totally empty. Asked for take away told too busy for that. Supported this place thro lockdown, and this is how we got treated.

Second to none Chaozhou cuisine! The best and authentic Chaozhou dishes (Chaozhou and Shantou Region) you can have in Melbourne! The Chaozhou cuisine is famous for its natural, seasonal and light flavour by using the freshest and high quality ingredients. A true healthy gourmet food. Here, you can also appreciate the good collection of beautiful Gongfu tea sets while you enjoy the delicious food. The Gongfu tea is known as the "espresso" of Chinese teas, an unique part of the Chaozhou culture and cuisine. A neighbourhood environment that makes you feel welcomed and enjoyable. Will definitely come back.

Hidden gem in balwyn - authentic teochew (chiu chow) cuisine in melb.most of the seafood dishes and signature dishes are off-menu though so have to do your research and pre-order.

Unique and very well hidden from the Main Street.

Delivers on their food - excellent scampi!

If you're looking for something different, this is the place. Chaozhou is an ethnic Chinese group with by their own unique cuisine style

Teochew restaurant with good choice of food. Char Kueh Kak was good. Kueh chap was different to what I am used to having but nonetheless still yummy.

Nice. We ordered two for the family, me, my wife, and our daughter, and it’s enough. Authentic Southern China cuisine.

Authentic Chaozhou cuisine. Pork stomach soup is my favourite, no wonder everyone orders it. And I like the braised pork tongue and duck leg platter, best of the ones I tasted before.

If fast food & fast service is what you’re after, you’re in the wrong place. Chaozhou is a small restaurant that is only run by two people, but the food is as authentic as it gets. Bookings are a must! The food was absolutely delicious and I cannot wait to go back!

I am so impressed with every single dish! Great owner, we ordered about 5 dishes for two of us, she came out and suggested us considering ordering one less dish, otherwise we wont be able to finish it. She was def right, we completely smashed all the rest of dish, thanks to my friend's recommendation. HIDDEN Gem it is

Heart of Teochew Homecooking

Surprising find in the heart of Balwyn North - an authentic Malaysian/Teochew eatery run by sisters and assisted by one of their daughters on service.

Taste-wise, this reminds me of what my in-laws used to cook and serve - unpretentious soul nourishing fare.

Not all dishes were hits though - the highly recommended pig stomach pepper soup was underwhelming. Stock lacked body and pepper though the offal was cleaned and cooked perfectly. The or chien (oyster omelette) was flat-pan style and pricey, in my opinion, at $25.

Things looked up when the braised duck platter with tofu and pig intestines arrived. Braised expertly with a light hand on the soya - letting the lean duck meat and aromatics sing on the tongue. Probably the best version we’ve had outside of a private kitchen offering.

The winners for us were the prawn rolls (hae chor) and mixed veg platter (more of that later). Prawn rolls were exceptional - fresh prawn, pork, water chestnuts, yam and five spice rolled and fried in bean curd skin. The fresh ingredients could all be tasted distinctly yet went together like fireworks. Their version is lighter on the yam filling which I thought really let the prawns shine. Would've been nice to have been accompanied with a sweet sauce dip.

The highlight was *surprise* the mixed veg platter. It didn’t look like much but man, this is the dish that I’d really miss on cold nights. Organic caulilini expertly tossed with preserved napa cabbage for that fermented body and oomph, plus tomatoes for that sweet tart umami. This on hot white rice is a last meal candidate and absolutely what I’d liked to have opened this meal with. What a stunner.

Service was understandably slow (just cook and daughter) - we even had to pay. That said, this eatery deserves love for what it does. Be kind. Will definitely be back to try the rest of their offerings soon.

This is a tiny hidden gem of a restaurant run by a small family. Very authentic Malaysian ChaoZhou food, with a lot of off-menu options that need to be pre-ordered so they can source produce. Tastes like home!

Be patient as they have very few staff. The food is worth it and they are all lovely.

Some special dishes: oyster omelette, pork stomach soup, and the braised duck platter are really nice!

Can't believe I've found authentic teochew food in Melbourne! It was a quiet Friday lunch time but auntie was cooking and serving all by herself. Food took a little long but it was all worth it! We are so impressed with everything we ate that we also took away food for dinner! Their braised platter is a definite must try!

It was a great place years ago, but today it was really bad food experience. I ordered rosted chicken rice, the rice was had no chicken taste, the chicken was over cooked and dry, the chill sauce I had was watery. Would recommend or come again.