The atmosphere at Lau's Family Kitchen restaurant in St Kilda is that of a Chinese tea house - cosy and chatty, with family style Chinese cooking and excellent seafood. Great for a casual mid-week meal or family outing, diners loving stopping by Lau's for its consistency and great-tasting Chinese classics. Smart Chinese restaurant with dark wood accents and an industrial vibe, plus streetside tables.
Lau's Family Kitchen is in a particularly foodie stretch of Acland Street, just near Circa and Il Fornaio. It's a smallish place, reminiscent of the tea houses of China. It's very simply furnished, the only real attempt at embellishment is the screen decorations on the walls. The tables are dark wood, square and without cloths; and in the general darkness of the restaurant each table sits in its own pool of light, the better to appreciate the food. Regarding Lau's family, yes, James and Michael are the sons of Gilbert Lau of Flower Drum renown. But don't expect this to be the same.
Actually, the food here is rather family-style. The menu is quite small and supplemented by daily specials, and is designed to enable people to eat well and happily and reasonably quickly. We loved the taro-stuffed eggplant and the fried calamari with spicy salt. This is a good place for fish-lovers and pretty good for vegetarians too. There are also hearty, meaty dishes such as beef fillet or venison, and some of the pork dishes are long-cooked and rich. The crispy skin chicken is just gorgeous, a small golden-brown bird with delicious, well, crispy skin. The wine list is Australian and New Zealand only, well chosen and fairly priced. Waiters are pleasantly smiling and attentive. There are two sittings for dinner, which means it's useful if you want to eat before or after a movie at the George cinemas. Just remember to book.
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