M R.
Yelp
T-Chow is the only Chinese restaurant in Adelaide that serves authentic Teochew cuisine from the southern provinces of China (either Chaoshan or Fujian) If you know what to order, often times the dishes are lighter and less skewed towards Cantonese-style Chinese dishes or those from Sichuan which prevails in Chinatown here.
One of their specialties is the braised duck, or T-Chow duck. It is a dish that, unlike the usual roast duck, is lean and braised till tender in their master stock. In the near-20 years I have lived in Adelaide, I have introduced many people to the dishes on the menu of T-Chow that are familiar with any one who has a Teochew heritage.
On this occasion, I had brought a guest unfamiliar with the braised duck. For the first time, I was greatly embarrassed. The duck, normally tender, came out cold ... and worst of all, tough as opposed to tender. The oyster omelette which I would normally recommend, usually fresh and fluffy, was deflated, cold and oily. The other dish was the steamed spinach which came out at room temperature. In the numerous times over the course of many years I was utterly disappointed beyond words.
My guest said: "I thought you said this place is really good?"
It didn't stop there. The wait for the dishes on a weekday with less than 10 tables was longer than any I had experienced. We had gone through half a bottle of wine when I had to ask where my dishes were. I am used to a maximum of 15 minutes wait-time on a crowded night. The table next to us noticed me asking in Mandarin (visible annoyance bridges language barriers) and said to me they had been waiting for 45 minutes for their banquet. Banquets, as we all know, don't take that long. It's the bread-and-butter of Chinese restaurants.
I asked for the owner, but apparently he/she were not around that night. The staff also told me that they were short-handed. It's not good enough especially for regular customers.
I miss eating my most favourite duck dish in Adelaide. It is not like fatty roast duck or sometimes overly-dry tea-smoked duck. The braised duck used to be so special, succulent and tender here. I feel scarred. I am tentative of returning. I can only hope that since then, there have been no bad experiences like mine.
If you venture here in spite of my review, don't order the banquet. Try something different accompanied by steamed rice and share your dishes.