After 11 years, Victor Liong’s restaurant Lee Ho Fook is still widely considered to be one of Melbourne’s best. Now the chef behind the city stalwart has opened a new dining destination, inside the renovated 500 Bourke Street precinct.

Silk Spoon expands on Lee Ho Fook’s Chinese menu, exploring dishes with heritage from nations along the historic Silk Road. Expect flavours from across Asia, the Middle East and northern India as you travel down the menu.

“I’ve always been interested in East Asian cuisine, and doing research to bring this concept to life I was looking at other cuisines west of China, to have a broader umbrella to play under… and from there I just kept going west. I love the idea of playing with spice, incorporating other influences,” Liong says.

Currently only open for weekday lunches, while waiting for liquor licence approval, Silk Spoon’s offering changes seasonally, but three signature dishes are expected to stay on for the long run – all priced at $18 a plate.

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What’s on the menu at Silk Spoon?

A roti-topped chicken curry pot pie, sitting pretty in a ceramic stand, combines spices from India and Hong Kong, while the cumin lamb updates a Xinjiang-born classic. The lamb – a shoulder, slow-roasted – is served on a silver platter with pickles and house-made flatbread. The third is slow-cooked and spiced duck with chickpea salad and more of Liong’s flatbread.

The lunch menu is rounded out by three rice bowls – topped with either ginger-poached or crumbed chicken, or pork cutlet – and a range of salads; while dinner will see the introduction of four different steamed dumplings, spring rolls, prawn toast and spicy beef puffs.

Silk Spoon has a much more casual approach than older sibling Lee Ho Fook, reflected in both the interiors and price point. Designed to resemble a tea house by Taiwanese-born Min Chun Tseng of Bar Studio, the space embraces plenty of emerald green, wood and marble, complemented by rattan, plants, striped banquettes and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the street. “The dining room is essentially outdoor, so we wanted to explore what tea houses and tea rooms outside of China look like,” Liong says.

“I want this location to be a place where people drop in, have lunch, hangout, and meet people (especially on a sunny day),” Liong says. “All my other projects, I guess, are pretty stark and minimalistic, and I wanted to do something that was a bit more outdoorsy and aesthetically pleasing.”

In contrast to Lee Ho Fook – where a tasting menu sets you back $180 a head, with starters ranging from $12 baby cucumbers to $108 caviar with Peking duck – everything on Silk Spoon’s lunch and prospective dinner menu currently sits under $20. This is a boon for city workers, tourists, et al. looking for a thrifty feed – for less than a lobster – in the CBD.

Silk Spoon joins the likes of Frank Camorra’s MoVida Aqui and the Sicilian Rosa’s Canteen at 500 Bourke Street, as part of the 36-storey precinct’s multi-million dollar renovation. Inner-city dining is definitely looking up.

Silk Spoon is open at 500 Bourke St, Melbourne from Mon-Fri, 11am-5pm. Dinners coming soon. Find out more information here, @silkspoon.

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