It was with the former in mind that four of us traipsed into Green Tea last Sunday in the hope that the food there would prove decent enough to refute its poor internet reviews.
Set in the newly renovated Chinatown Mall, Green Tea's simplistic decor creates an immediate feeling of serenity upon entering, with its mouth-watering Asian fusion menu enough to entice even the most unadventurous eater.
Listed were a huge variety of dishes, ranging from traditional Vietnamese fare (pho soup, caramelised pork ribs and spicy quail) to more adventurous dishes from the remainder of the continent (Japanese-style steak fillet, anyone?)
Glancing at the awesome menu, it was hard to understand how former patrons had rendered the food here "flavourless" and "awful".
We were served promptly and as expected, the unkindly reviews rang most untrue. In fact, I remain certain that the hedonistic gods of earthly pleasures were smiling upon us as they delivered to our table some of the tastiest dishes to ever grace our palates.
For entree, we had opted for the "make-your-own-fun rolls" and fun they certainly were! Comprising of silken rice papers wrapped around tender sugarcane prawns and crisp summer vegetables, a zesty dipping sauce competed the dish and provided a feisty element that tantalised our tastebuds.
Flawlessly marrying sweet and sour, the rice paper rolls were a perfect start to the meal: not too big, not too small and so delicious I was sure they'd come with a heftier price than a meagre $13.50.
Our next course was a fusion-style duck salad that brought East and West together in one sizeable portion.
Thick slices of crispy-skin duck held their place atop a pile of crispy mesclun mix, julienned lotus root, tomato, cucumber, as well as crunchy, house-pickled daikon and carrot. A splattering of mint leaves and crushed roasted peanuts added an interesting textural component. The fresh ingredients made such a gorgeous rainbow of colours that the salad looked too good to eat.The only disappointment was the pork ribs in Peking sauce which my friend had ordered. Although the ribs had been cooked to perfection, they arrived drowning in such a quantity of sauce that even a generous helping of rice did little to absorb it. The sauce also proved a little too sickly and seemed to overpower the entire dish.
We decided to complete the meal with drinks, opting for the iced lychee tea with whole lychees and the three-coloured dessert with layers of red bean, mung bean and jelly over coconut cream and crushed ice. Both were sweet, although not overpoweringly so, and the perfect finish to a standout meal. I'd rate Green Tea four out of five stars, in the hope that they read this and offer me a free meal.
If all Vietnamese food is as spectacular as the dishes at Green Tea, I'd happily walk to Ho Chi Minh City.
Green Tea can be found at Shop 1B, 31 Duncan Street, Fortitude Valley.Open 7 days for lunch and dinner, it's fully licensed. BYO wine.
Call (07) 3252 4855
