Restaurant specialising in traditional and contemporary Sichuan cuisine using sustainable and seasonal produce from local suppliers, organic where possible. 10-course vegan degustation available, with or without complementary wine and cocktails. Fully licensed. Transitioned to fully vegan January 2022. Open Tue-Thu 6:00pm-9:30pm, Fri-Sat 6:00pm-10:30pm, Sat-Sun 12:00pm-3:00pm. Closed Mon.
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147 Johnston St (at Wellington St), Collingwood, Victoria, Australia, 3066
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Last update on 06 Jul 2023 by villain
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Added by vegan mikal on 29 Nov 2013
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34 Reviews
First Review by nomnomveg
Yona
Points +386
Delicious degustation - Edit
We had the 10 course degustation. It as delectable washed down with a bottle of wine and some cocktails.
Read moreSo delicious. And lovely atmosphere good place for a fancy night out
Pros: Okra potato with crispy tofu wrap, Pickled kohlrabi with ginger pearls, Charred Chinese broccoli
Cons: Grilled Asian mushrooms were delicious but spicy, Spicy courses and no way to cool the mouth down
Guest
PotatoesTho
Points +13576
5 stars for the excellent staff - Edit
November 2024
Read moreAfter some years between visits, I finally used a voucher I had been gifted a while ago towards the 2024 version of the vegan degustation.
The positives: From the moment we arrived, the staff were super attentive and personable, and remained consistenly so throughout the 2 or so hours we were there. Each course was brought out at exactly the right time and we didn't feel at all rushed, despite it being a very busy night.
The negatives: Out of the 10 courses, I could honestly say I enjoyed half, with the remainder underwhelming, odd, or unpleasant in texture, with a few too many courses in a row quite heavily seasoned with chilli/pepper and nothing to cool the fire with. The finale, a dessert course, felt like an afterthought...a base of solidified coconut cream (no added flavouring) topped with a sweetened/jammy woodear fungus (or similar). At $95 per head, I expect more...but yay for vouchers 😅
August 2015
The Vegan Degustation would have to be one of the best value special occasion or "treat yourself" feasts around. It is well thought out, beautifully presented and delicious.
The decor is quirky industrial and the atmosphere friendly and relaxed. The service is excellent.
Would happily make a return visit.
Updated from previous review on 2024-11-17
Pros: Great staff, Ambiance, Creative presentation
Cons: Hit and miss degustation
Guest
KathyVee
Points +98
Just wonderful! - Edit
Fantastic food, beautifully presented, lovely staff. A wonderful experience.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-10-06
Pros: Delicious food, Great attention to presentation , Great ambience
Guest
jessicalovescows
Points +270
Yummy vegustation - Edit
Had the ten course vegustation and it was super yum and creative! Will definitely return.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-08-03
Guest
soyboy100
Points +163
Quite alright - Edit
We had the unlimited yum cha the other day and it was alright. Only liked a couple of the things such as the deep fried mushroom ball thing (this was very good) and the silken tofu on the cracker thing. Oh and the pumpkin cheese ball thing. The other things were just alright to me.
Read moreThe presentation was very good and the environment was so cozy and nice and green.
Guest
CabernetS
Points +374
Best yum cha I’ve tasted!! - Edit
Lifts yum cha and ‘all you can eat’ into fine dining. A peaceful, elegant atmosphere. Food is delicious and elegantly presented. Service is fast and attentive.
Read morePros: Great food , Atmosphere , Service
Guest
Lotuseater18
Points +28
Yummy lunch! - Edit
The food, funky atmosphere, good service.
Read morePros: Lunch time yum cha, Presentation, Cool vibe
Cons: No
Guest
sivvyb
Points +1117
Creative fine vegan dining - Edit
This place is really creative & really shows off vegan Szechuan cuisine. We went for the 10 course set menu and while I liked some of the dishes, there were others that were a little too ‘weird’ for my liking. Definitely worth a shot though! My non vegan friends really enjoyed it!
Read moreTiggy
Hopefully your non-vegan friends go vegan now 😊
Read moreGuest
Raspberries
Points +459
Divine! - Edit
Delicious, interesting, and well considered. Would absolutely recommend!
Read moreGuest
rymc
Points +506
Inventive yet faithful - Edit
Met friends here for the Sichuan tasting experience. Some of them aren’t vegan, but have high standards for the cuisine - they walked away raving about it.
Read moreThe only comment I’d probably leave is that the pacing on our night felt a bit off, but I gather that’s also Melbourne post New Years for a few days? Wasn’t the end of the world, good drinks to fill the space anyway.
From talking to the staff, the dishes get tweaked and modified sometimes for experimentation purposes. Don’t know to what extent but they all felt inventive yet still staying true to the cuisine. Really cool to see.
Pros: Inventive
Guest
Siconze
Points +120
Goo-d Enough - Edit
Fans of edible goo should flock to this fine purveyor of luxury Asian inspired goos. Of the 10 courses at least 8 were some form of interesting and uncommon goo, each one spicier than the last, till finally the unidentifiable dessert goo comes to round out your night.
Read morePros: Goo, Goo, Goo
Cons: Also goo
Guest
LeahShort
Points +104
Perfect for a date night - Edit
Amazing food and amazing drink pairings. I cannot fault this place. From the eclectic decoration to the incredibly friendly staff this is one of my fav places in Mel.
Read morePros: Friendly service , Tasty drink pairings , Incredible food
Cons: Some food pretty spicy (I’m a sook)
Guest
Lyndle
Points +489
Delicious! - Edit
Lovely 10 course degustation. Deliciously and well presented food!
Read morePros: Great value for money , Pretty dishes , Lovely flavours
Guest
ProfBob
Points +1231
Chinese influenced tasting experience - Edit
Wow!!! I mean really wow ….. absolutely amazing eating experience. We had the 10 course vegan tasting menu and it blew our taste buds away. Excellent wines and fabulous service too. If you’re in Melbourne then go 😊
Read morePros: Quiet laid back atmosphere , 10 course tasting menu , A modern version of Chinese food
Guest
Gluttonous-Gourmand
Points +294
Fabulous yum cha - Edit
Delicious all you can eat yum cha - very reasonably priced. Luckily I don't live too close or I'd be back far to often to ge good for my waist line 😂
Read moreGuest
pinkjjj
Points +114
Wonderful, awesome, delicious! - Edit
We came here to celebrate our birthdays, the four of us had a fantastic feast of 10 courses for unlimited yum cha. We were full after the courses but snuck in a few of our favourite courses because they were so good. So glad we went here. It was a perfect lunch. They do vegan well here. Played great music, cool decor and good selection of drinks. Will be back for for sure, maybe for dinner. And it was very reasonable- much cheaper than a fancier vegan place with creative tasty options. There was a Sunday surcharge, but the meals were so cheap that it didn’t matter.
Read morePros: Creative food, Great atmosphere , Tasty, well-balanced food
Cons: Sunday surcharge
Guest
fredphillips
Points +37
Impressive degustation - Edit
Had the 10-course degustation last night and it was very good. Probably a couple of courses weren’t so hot but 8 good ones. Just the right amount of food. Very interesting what they’re doing here. Would go again.
Read morePros: Interesting food, Value, Nice vibe
Guest
Tiggy
Points +13798
A few is-Shus - Edit
I was last here for an occasion just after the lockdown was lifted, and I enjoyed the funky and innovative approach to cuisine. This time we were similarly here for a special dinner and signed up for the 10-course degustation. From the time we are outer our sparkling lychee cider and served up the plate of starters (five or six of the 10 courses), which were a variety of beautifully conceived combinations of fruit or vegetable and nut or nut cheese. All of these were good or very good, with the least exciting bring the pickled cabbage combo involving a number of leafy things. The eggplant and shiitake steak were delicious, as were most of the later individual plates, although it must be remarked that, as with many degustations, there was an element of saminess to the flavors among dishes. Things started going downhill when we hit the roasted peppers, which were a bit lacklustre and planty. This also seemed to be the point at which the staff, who up to this point had been pleasant and reasonably attentive, started to rush the timing a bit, to the extent we each had three drinks on our table. While the restaurant had become busier, given that the recommended time for dining was two and a half hours, for this to be happening at the one-hour mark was not ideal. Dessert was also disappointing: a chewy panna cotta with an unexciting sauce. I’d seen much more interesting desserts on previous menus published on HC. I’d have to think about whether I’d be willing to come back again. An extra star for being completely vegan.
Read morePros: Largely nice food
Cons: Terrible dessert, Rushed timing of wine service
niki_nine
Great in depth review. The best thing about a 10 course degustation menu are the happy cow points you can farm with the pictures. Amazing!
Read moreGuest
Ruwi
Points +759
Superb vegan Degustation menu - Edit
We loved the cool ambience, attentive staff, and delicious food. Our group, which included a few non vegans, thoroughly enjoyed the 10 course degustation. The very innovative dishes were presented exquisitely. We are looking forward to returning back again to try their lunch yum cha and Shu Lanka degustation.
Read moreKittybiscuit
They create amazing flavours
Read moreGuest
Kittybiscuit
Points +8716
Another excellent meal - Edit
I came here today with a vegan group for vegan yum cha on a Sunday. There were 10 courses. I loved most of them. We sat towards the back of the restaurant. The stand out for me was the lentil and pumpkin soup with a Chinese donut. But all of the flavours were good and worked well. I loved the mapo tofu too.
Read more2021 I came here for the 10 course vegan degustation. We decided not to look at the menu and be surprised as each item came out. I really enjoyed every dish with my favourite being the plant prawn with the chilli sauce. But I actually liked everything. I thought the time between dishes was great, just right. I didn’t leave hungry but I also didn’t feel that I overate.
The decor of the restaurant was different as you moved through. We sat in a booth. The service was friendly and I would definitely go back.
I forgot to ask but I’ve noticed when I searched for their address it came up as a vegan restaurant so I will check if it is fully vegan now
Updated from previous review on 2021-11-06
Guest
0420583560
Points +16
Excellent - Edit
Great food
Read morePros: Flavours are great
Guest
Denman
Points +23
Look out for hidden costs - Edit
We pre-paid for the unlimited yum cha a week before dining. The food was average and not really unlimited as it's very slow to come out.
Read moreWhen we went to leave they hit us with an extra $27.95 surcharge.
We were never told about the surcharge until the very end when we were leaving. The owner said it was listed on the website but we couldn't find it when we looked after the event. And we didn't book through the website anyway. We booked over the phone with the owner directly. He knew which day we were booking for but never mentioned the surcharge.
It's fine to charge extra if you need to pay your staff extra for Sunday's or public holidays. But why not add it on originally when we pre-paid? To not even tell us when we book and to just spring it in is as we leave is just dishonest
$55 per head was pushing our limit for what we were getting anyway. If we knew about the surcharge we probably would have gone somewhere else. But the dishonesty of the owner, not telling is until we were leaving, robbed is of that option.
Pros: Average food
Cons: Hidden charges not revealed til after dining
LM
It's normal for restaurants to have surcharges on weekends and holidays in Australia. The charges are because staff have to be paid more on these days. This is common knowledge throughout Australia, though of course it may be an unpleasant surprise for an international traveler. The legally-required statement about these surcharges is indeed on this restaurant's homepage at this time.
Read moreGuest
Monoclover
Points +16
Be Prepared to Suffer after Dining (One Star) - Edit
Warning: Do not dine at this restaurant if you value quality food and an establishment run by someone with dignity and integrity.
Read moreIf you’re tempted to book either the Unlimited Dim Sum (1) or 10 Course Degustation (2), beware and please reconsider.
The first is so lacklustre that no respectable Asian (especially from Hong Kong) who appreciates Yum Cha/Dim Sum would ever be caught dead dining there.
The second is so pitiful that you will need sustenance after, while paying an exorbitant amount per person for a poor imitation of a “Degustation” experience.
If you want subpar, unimaginative food that requires a lot of chilli or other flavourings in order to be edible – then Shu Restaurant is the one for you.
Be prepared to pay unforeseen costs that are undeclared/not listed ie card surcharge & Sunday surcharges 10%, for a superficial “fusion” atmosphere and food that can make your belly curl (and not in a nice way).
In the experience of this reviewer/human behaviour specialist, the owner Shu was found to be unscrupulous, manipulative and a liar who only values money.
Forget about customer service, making customers aware of extra charges or even taking responsibility/accountability for his own mistakes.
You will be blamed and you will be unreasonably charged for the privilege of being served food, for it is your privilege for even going there at all.
Updated from previous review on 2023-03-14
Guest
Orangetoupee
Points +432
Solid date night - Edit
Had the 10 course degustation.
Read moreFirst and foremost the experience at Shu is overall extremely enjoyable. The decor is so amazingly unique and I love the overall feel of the restaurant. The food is equally unique and it definitely creates an experience you won't find anywhere else.
As for the taste of the food generally everything is pretty good. Some dishes are better than others but some highlights include the mushroom skewers and eggplant on the Chinese donut. The food overall is probably slightly less enjoyable than other comparable priced set menus around but I think the uniqueness and unbelievable variety of culinary techniques on display make Shu well worth it.
Only slight downside I have is it probably takes slightly too long to get through the degustation, roughly 2 hours and 15 minutes but if you enjoy not being rushed in the slightest this is the place for you.
I also would appreciate it if there was a couple non alcoholic drink options, especially a nice non alcoholic beer but to most people that won't matter too much.
Highly recommend Shu for a nice night out with an experience you won't get anywhere else
Guest
yvette.b
Points +95
The perfect date night - Edit
We went to Shu for our 1 year anniversary and had the 10 Course Vegan Degustation along with the matching wines and cocktails. The food was incredible and beautifully presented, each dish was like a work of art. The two girls who served us were friendly and helpful. Overall, a fantastic night out. Would highly recommend for a special occasion!
Read more(Note - there were a couple more dishes in addition to those included in this review that I didn’t get photos of)
Updated from previous review on 2022-02-20
Pros: Fully vegan options, Degustation has matching wine package, Great service
Cons: Expensive
Guest
HappyBullocks
Points +16
Impressive Food - Painfully Slow Coming Out Of The Kitchen - Edit
My wife and I tried the Vegan 10 course degustation menu for the 6pm sitting as it looked inventive and full of flavour which isn't a given with a Vegan menu. It was also nice to see a degustation menu available as we are true foodies and it's hard to find one that is appealing with the parameters of the dietary requirements. We don't drink alcohol so just opted for sparkling water refill option which was 10 dollars and fair when you are about to embark on 10 courses. The building is nice and a little bit of a mish mash and no air-conditioning that we could feel so it was slightly uncomfortable with it being 30 degrees outside. There were some cool options on the menu with punchy Asian flavours and the first few courses came out a reasonable pace. They were very enjoyable and the only thing that didn't really work was the cheap pre-packaged wasabi that you would get in any old sushi place. It didn't work very well with the aesthetic of something that is usually aligned with fine dining. Also, the salad leaves on one of the courses were old and I just felt like someone was choosing costs over quality and that was a letdown. Towards the end and on the latter courses, we waited for 45 mins between a course and eventually received our spinach noodles. When they are light courses, I think you can't go beyond a 20–25-minute wait in between and as soon as people arrived at the bar area near the open kitchen the standard dropped significantly. We ended up transitioning from a discussion about how good the food was to when is the next course coming and the babysitter has just racked up another few dollars. All told, everything took 3 hours and with the amount of food and the lack of any serious technical ability required it should have been done in half that. There was only one other couple in our area, and they were equally put out (if not more). We simply can't go back and the waitress highlighting the 'tip' option added insult to injury. There's a time and a place people and this is not the US, your employer pays you. Also, there is a surcharge on credit cards, but that is probably common. It was all a bit ironic as the restaurant warns you that you will have a max time allocated of 1 hr and 45 mins. The problem is that isn't possible with the kitchen being outrageously slow. A real shame as the menu and execution are close to perfection. Too big an issue for us and we won't be back.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-01-25
Pros: Great Food, Impressive Flavours, Great Variety
Cons: Way to slow , No Aircon, Woeful House Music
Tiggy
I think you have to be careful when making assumptions about the pay of hospitality staff.
Read moreHappyBullocks
I am going on what’s enforceable by law. It’s a review based on my experience and opinion. Not really interested in a debate. Do you tip a retail assistant when you buy shoes?
Read moreGuest
HeidiW
Points +502
Now fully vegan - Edit
This is now a fully vegan restaurant.
Read moreWe had the 10 Course Degustation and every dish was a delight.
I have been vegan so long it was hard to believe that it’s level of fine dining is now available for us in a full vegan restaurant.
Deserves 5 stars
Pros: Interesting and inventive food , Friendly and helpful staff , Funky atmosphere
Guest
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