Flower Drum
Flower Drum | |
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Restaurant information | |
Established | 26 May 1975 |
Owner(s) | Anthony Lui, William Shek, Patricia Fung |
Previous owner(s) | Gilbert Lau |
Head chef | Anthony Lui |
Food type | Chinese |
Street address | 17 Market Lane |
City | Melbourne |
Postal/ZIP Code | 3000 |
Country | Australia |
Website | flowerdrum |
The Flower Drum is a Chinese restaurant in Melbourne, Australia, which is widely regarded as a Melbourne institution.[1][2] It is frequently booked months in advance.[3][4] It is located just off Bourke Street in Market Lane in the Chinatown precinct of the Melbourne CBD.
Overview
[edit]The Flower Drum was established by Gilbert Lau and opened on 26 May 1975.[5] The restaurant originally opened in a converted car park at 103 Little Bourke Street and took its name from the 1961 film, Flower Drum Song, a Rogers and Hammersein musical about expatriate Chinese and their life in America.[6]
In 1980 the restaurant scoring two chef's hats in The Age's Good Food Guide's first edition.[7] Since then the Good Food Guide has named it 'Restaurant of the Year' on numerous occasions.[8] In 1985 the restaurant moved around the corner to its current site.[5] In 2003 Lau sold the restaurant to his employees: executive chef Anthony Lui, William Shek and Patricia Fung.[9]
In 2019, Anthony's son, Jason, who is now the restaurant's operational manager, has ushered the restaurant into the digital age by refreshing its menu and creating a recognisable social media presence for it.[citation needed]
See also
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- Erlich, Rita (2012). Melbourne by Menu: The Story of Melbourne's Restaurant Revolution. Slattery Publishing Group. ISBN 9781921778582.
- Apple, R. W. Jr. (2010). Far Flung and Well Fed: The Food Writing of R.W. Apple, Jr. McMillian. ISBN 9781429929028.
- The Age (1985)
- The Age (1985)
- The Age (1976)
References
[edit]- ^ "The Bulletin". The Bulletin : Incorporating the Australian Financial Times : With Newsweek: 22. 16 January 2000. ISSN 1440-7485.
- ^ Jackson, Andra (30 December 2003). "Local Flower a NY Jewel". The Age. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
- ^ Faulkner, Jane (9 April 2005). "Rise to the Occasion". The Age. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
- ^ Plant, Simon (2 November 2013). "Matt Preston names Melbourne's Top 10 most influential restaurants". Herald Sun. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
- ^ a b Carbone, Suzanne (26 January 2015). "Australia Day honours: Flower Drum founder Gilbert Lau awarded AM". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
- ^ Preston, Matt (3 August 2004). "A long way to the top". The Age. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
- ^ Barrett, Peter (6 June 2015). "Flower Drum celebrates 40 years". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
- ^ Wells, Rachel (31 August 2004). "Flower Drum beats them all - again". The Age. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
- ^ Lethlean, John (29 March 2003). "The tables have turned at the Flower Drum". The Age. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
External links
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