Rose Garden BBQ: 435 Elizabeth Street Melbourne

The Good Food Guide describes this place as a no frills Chinese fast food shop that has been around for over 20 years and that is exactly what it is.

I love this place. It has a massive menu, everything is tasty, served quickly and is well prepared. It is not fancy, you wouldn't take a date here, it does not serve nouveau cuisine, it just classic Chinese food that you and I have been eating since the 80s. You know what to expect and most of your favourites are here, including bbq duck (though sadly no dry fried chilli beef).

The service is a bit quirky and I noticed that quite a few people have complained about it online but honestly I found it amusing. Take my first Rose Garden BBQ experience for example, it was a really hot day, every table inside was taken and the only one outside was in the sun. I asked the waitress if I could sit there, she said yes but as I walked over she looked around and saw that I wouldn't be undercover and came rushing over and said 'no, no, no, you no sit there, you sit with these people.' Then she proceeded to tell a large group of people to shuffle down and make room for me under the umbrella. I thought this was sweet - I'm strawberry blonde and I would have burned to a crisp in ten minutes.

Then, after I had ordered, the group departed and a man and his friend came and sat next to us. The same waitress came over to take their order. The gentleman to the left of Senor Gringo's asked for a wonton soup. She said, 'no, too hot, you order something else.' He said, 'that's okay, I'll order the soup.' She replied, 'no, you big man, too hot.' Slightly affronted, he ordered the fried chicken. Once it arrived I asked him if he was glad she told him not to order the soup, he said 'yeah, the chicken was fantastic.

In conclusion, if you are a sensitive type, maybe this place isn't for you but I feel they have your best interests at heart and want you to enjoy your experience. I'll be going back to this place whenever I'm on this side of town. At lunch it is really busy and there are long lines but people move in and out so quickly you won't be waiting long.

Pics of our food are below, all very tasty and slightly salty (exactly how I want my fast food, don't kid yourself that you're going here for health reasons)

:

 tofu stir fry, didn't realise it had chicken to avoid but well worth it, even with the conspicuous lack of vegetables

shredded duck and pickled veg fried rice. Mmm mm good