Cellardor.com.au tries Cho Gao-Asian Beer Cafe, Melbourne Central Complex, Melbourne
Posted by Danae Goldsmith on July 7th, 2008 filed in Restaurant Reviews
“You just don’t go out and have prawns and duck for that price…you just don’t!!”
Cho Gao – Asian Beer Café
311 Level 3 Melbourne Central
It’s the end of October and the nights are starting to get balmy. Once again we found ourselves wandering through the hustle and bustle of Melbourne peak hour, when we stumbled across a kitch kind of Asian sanctuary.
It’s hard to put a finger on how these guys want to present themselves, but the smell of linseed oil on the Jakartan teak furniture permeates the medium-easy beats of pop house on the speakers.
The balcony is sensational overlooking the museum, and there’s so much room, no need to just swing one cat, but go for a few. Friday nights sets a cracking pace with a late night DJ, and there’s a vibe of anticipation of somewhere that’s easy to be, with no pretence.
Cho Gao also has an extensive cocktail offering, but the value of the wines is hard to beat.
What we ate?
With prices this good, it’s easy to over-indulge. Jumbo prawns, reminiscent of Thailand, Duck pancakes (my favourite), lemongrass mussels, san choy bao, salt and pepper quail (don’t miss this), pad thai, red duck curry, and snake beans. Our most expensive dish was $16.50!!
What we drank?
Bollinger Special Cuvee (Champagne, FRANCE), because the food was so cheap, we felt we had to indulge! Such a classy juxtaposition, that was so much fun in contrast to the hawker style food.
Give yourself a mini-treat and buy a case of the 375ml half-bottles at www.cellardor.com.au for only $60.38 per bottle, or go the full hog for $99.41 for the 750ml bottles.
In short, it is what it is, and doesn’t propose to be anything more. Food that is cheap, fast and full of flavour, with a little bit of fun. Go with a group of your loudest friends and make some noise!
As Always,
Chardanae 
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