Vinh Phat, Cabramatta

As a kid, I used to go to Vinh Phat at its old location with the red curtains very often due to Mum's yum cha (also known as dim sum) cravings. There were times when my family and I went there every month or sometimes every two months but especially every single Mother's Day and Father's Day lunch. To be honest, I wasn't much of a yum cha fan when I was a kid, but then I was a fussy eater back then too - I didn't even like pho until I was around 12 years old! (true story). Plus I didn't like getting squashed between the crowds of hungry diners waiting to get a table inside the infamous red-draped, cramped restaurant. Late last year, Vinh Phat moved to a much bigger location across the street where Retravision used to be at (anyone remember that shop? lol). As I got older, my visits to Vinh Phat decreased due to my weekdays and weekends spent in the city but my own cravings for yum cha have certainly gone up. 

Since I have only been to the old, much smaller Vinh Phat, it was time to check out the revamped version. While the location has changed, my memories were still there with the trolleys, quick and fairly cheap service and the fish tanks at the back. While there were still moments of trolleys bumping into each other, the location itself was much bigger and spacious in comparison. When I got in, it was getting close to the end of lunch at 2pm but there were still lots of people inside the restaurant and trolleys roaming around asking keen diners if they want to try certain dishes.

Free tea!

One of my fave yum cha dishes are the dumplings especially Siu Mai dumplings wrapped in won ton and packed with pork mince. Vinh Phat's version definitely does not disappoint my taste buds. It was well-steamed to my liking and is often a hit at the table. Wouldn't mind getting another serving for myself hehe. 

Siu Mai dumplings

This is another favourite dish for me at Yum Cha. The prawns were succulent and the thin wrapping has a nice bite. Wouldn't mind ordering this again. 

Har Gow prawn dumplings

My parents loved eating chicken feet. I wasn't too keen on the other hand back then but this time I gave this a try. It was actually quite tasty. This version was braised and dipped in marinated spicy sauce. Very flavoursome and juicy. 

Fung Jow - chicken feet

This was the main reason why my parents often come back to this restaurant again and again back in my youth. They always rave on how Vinh Phat does an amazing job with this particular dish and it has never ceased to amaze us. The steamed rice noodles were cooked at the right texture (not too hard and not too soft) and the plump prawns were equally satisfying. The hero was of course the soy sauce which added loads of depth in flavour to the dish. 

Har Cheong Fun - steamed prawn rice noodle rolls

These were another childhood favourite of mine everytime I'm at Vinh Phat. I just adore biting into the spring roll and pouring the plum sauce over it. Piping hot but so tasty and quite crunchy. 

Seafood spring roll with plum sauce

After all those dishes, I was craving for something nourishing to take away from the heat and the oil. This salad contains shredded chicken, grated carrot and cucumber, coriander and jellyfish dosed in fish sauce. It has the crunch and the zesty tastes that was muchly needed after all those greasy dishes. Definitely recommended if you want something different.

Chicken and jellyfish salad

Soy sauce and chilli sauce for dips

Was getting full from those dishes but there is still room for dessert! Sure enough a trolley full of custard egg tarts arrived to our table. Needless to say, we cannot say no to this. The pastry was flakey and crispy while the custard filling has that soft and wobbly texture. I almost forgot that I was so full after getting my hands onto these treats.

Egg tarts

The atmosphere was still noisy when we left the restaurant. Bonus points for quick and efficient service and the prices aren't too bad especially if you are splitting with other people. We thought that it would be fairly pricey with the amount of dishes we ordered but it actually came down to about $35 altogether (sorry I didn't pay too much attention to the price but it was around that amount...definitely less than $40!). It's no wonder that my folks keep going back here after all these years especially with all the other yum cha options in Cabramatta. Great place to go with your family on special occasions or just for a catch up with your friends in the area. Just remember to head there during lunch if you want the yum cha menu. The dinner menu is much different but from what I can recall, they have a decent selection of Chinese and Asian specialties. Will definitely head back to Vinh Phat very soon to try more dishes as well as checking out the dinner menu.

Vinh Phat
Shop 8/7 Park Road, Cabramatta NSW 2166
(02) 9726 2720