Man Mo WTC

Address: Riverside, World Trade Centre, 38 Siddley St, Docklands Victoria 3008
Phone: 03 9077 9598
Website: http://www.manmowtc.com.au
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Recently I was invited to the launch of brand new Chinese restaurant Man Mo, located at the premier riverside dining precinct of World Trade Centre.

For those who are familiar with the Chinese/Malaysian dining scene, you will know of the sister restaurant in New Quay. Man Mo New Quay is considered to have a stronger Malaysian fusion offering, whilst Man Mo WTC looks at providing a more traditional Chinese offering with a strong focus on Seafood and Clay Pots.

I was running extremely late that evening, however when I finally arrived at the location I was awestruck by the interior – dark wooden furnishings, red tassels and lanterns. The tables are draped with lovely crisp white cloths and polished wine glasses.

After I settled down the waitress brought over a crisp glass of Shawn & Smith Sauvignon Blanc. Perfect drink for a stressful evening!

I was very luck to have my entree saved for me which is a Scallop and Egg Lettuce Leaf, that is served in the well known San Choi Bao form.

The eggs were stir fried with finely julienned carrot pieces and onion and topped with crisp rice flakes and topped with scallops from Western Australia. The scallops were fresh and well cooked.

The next dish served was the Baked Blue Swimmer Crab Shell. Shredded chicken pieces and bacon topped with cheese and baked in its shell. It is then served with worcestershire sauce. The amount of fresh blue swimmer crab was generous and I enjoyed the pieces of bacon. This is best eaten with small amounts of the worcestershire sauce, as it would overpower the delicate taste of the crab in my opinion.

Whilst we waited for our next dish to arrive I had a brief chat with owner Eric Duong, who explained that the name Man Mo 文武 stands for God of Literature (文), and God of Warrior (武). He explained that Man Mo WTC caters for the growing number of Chinese residents in the area, but also a premier dining location for business meetings where they have great views of the wharf and the Yarra River. He also mentioned that two Chinese lion statues would be installed at the front of their restaurant over in the coming days. As I visited this place a month or so back, I’m assuming that the installation would be completed by now.

The next dish to arrive was the Peking Duck Roll. You definitely cannot leave a premier Chinese restaurant without having their Peking Duck Roll.
The Peking duck roll was made fresh in a cart near us. The chef carved pieces of juicy Peking duck pieces, whilst the waitresses assembled it onto a thin pancake, cucumber strip, spring onion and hoisin sauce. I’m a big fan of Peking Duck Roll, so I was happy to know that we were going to receive a second piece! yay!

Next up is the Garlic and Butter King Prawns with Jade Noodles. This features large succulent and juicy King Prawns sautéed in creamy garlic and butter sauce and served on a bed of chewy jade noodles. I honestly could eat a bigger portion! It was that good.

Next dish to arrive is the Cape Grim Tenderloin w/ truffle oil served with broccoli florets and Special Fried Rice.
Before the Cape Grim Tenderloin arrived in front of me, I could smell the fragrance of truffle oil from a distance. I was excited to try the Cape Grim Tenderloin, but was sadly disappointed by the dryness of the tenderloin. It was overcooked and lacked flavour. I could only taste the truffle oil.

Luckily the Special Fried Rice served with the dish was flavourful. A good fried rice should be served with all grains of rice separate with an even distribution of egg omelette pieces – this Man Mo did perfectly.

Finally, dessert is served. I was lucky to be served with my favourite dessert of all time - creme brûlée.
Whilst the creme brûlée was light and creamy, I found that there was not enough caramelisation to the top and could do with more torching. This would have give it a better crunch when breaking into the creme brûlée. I also found the mixture to be strong in egg yolk taste, it was however sweetened perfectly and I have no complaints there :)

We all left with full and happy stomachs. Man Mo WTC is definitely a potential premier dining scene in Melbourne. The use of high quality ingredients, premium Chinese dishes, beautifully decorated interior and great views should be considered if you are looking at a place to have premium Chinese food.

Disclaimer: Peach was invited as a guest of Man Mo, Asset 1 and Harvey PR to attend the launch of Man Mo WTC. All opinions and views on views on www.peach-water.com are honest and purely based on my own experiences and how I feel about the product.

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