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“That’s not being patriotic or parochial,” Tan says. “I have been to the best Cantonese restaurant in Hong Kong, Lung King Heen with three Michelin stars, and Flower Drum is better. Everything is uncompromisingly brilliant, from the food to the service to the 35-page wine list.” Breheny says that maintaining such high standards over decades is rarely seen in fine dining. “It’s an enormous accomplishment, especially when we’ve just lived through one of the rockiest periods for restaurants in recent memory.” Flower Drum changed Australia’s understanding of Chinese cuisine. When it opened, Chinese food meant chop suey, sweet and sour pork, and deep-fried ice-cream to many people. “What it has done since is put Melbourne’s reputation for Chinese food on its back and carried it across the globe,” Frank Sweet, co-editor of the Guide, says. “It celebrates Victoria’s Chinese history and connects us to Chinese culture.” Jason Lui is the son of chef Anthony Pui Lui who, together with two other staff members Patricia Fung and William Shek, bought the restaurant from Lau in 2002. At 78, chef Lui still oversees the Cantonese-speaking kitchen.
