Bennie and I enjoyed our visit to Tina’s Noodle Kitchen at Highpoint, but were a little surprised at the full-on nature of the food on offer.
It’s no surprise to find Tina’s has been re-badged under the Dainty Sichuan name and the food brought more into line with what may be commercially viable in a shopping centre.
But there’s good news, based on my mid-week lunch.
The menu now offers such more easily negotiated dishes, all very affordable and many in combos with rice or noodles.
There’s a tight range of dumpling offerings and things such as eggplant and tofu with rice, egg gravy fish fillet, beef omelette on rice and stewed pork belly with eggplant.
My beef noodle soup ($11.80) is a winner and a larger serve than I can handle – and strongly indicates that while compromises have been made here, this remains food quite a cut above shopping centre mediocrity.
All is very good – the noodles, bok choy chopped for ease of eating, pungent soup, beef not fall-apart tender but of gratifyingly high quality.
Truth to tell, though, this is at the upper limits of what even I can handle chilli-wise.
Still, even that must be counted as a plus in such a context.
consider the sauce 
love that bird cafe hanging sealing!
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As someone that hardly goes to Highpoint, when I finally did last Sunday, my first port of call was the DS for some lunch after reading this review.
To say that I was impressed, is a great understatement.
The look of the place was very upmarket and as such was expecting already to pay $25+ a meal but prices were perfect even bordering on Cheap.
We got a complimentary bowl of possibly the best Chicken Corn soup iv ever had. Subsequently I actually (oops) didn’t read your review word for word and due to the fact that im a massive eggplant fan, I got the Pork Belly with Eggplant. WHAT A WONDERFUL SURPRISE!!!! Massive amount of food, I didnt even touch the rice. The Eggplant was amazingly crispy outside and soft and gooey on the inside. How they did this I dont know. The pork belly was soft and well prepared. The little serving of refreshing salad was so good that I had to know what the ingredients were. Surprise! It was Radish!
My partner ordered the fried chicken. When he got it, it looked a little flat and not much meat on it, we weren’t very impressed. BUT that all changed when he actually started eating it. Wonderful amazing crunchy and succulent flavours with yes a little on the skinny side but was surprisingly filling and indeed was enough.
Thank you so much for doing the review, without it we would never have known and we shall be making a stop at HP just for Dainty Sichuan I recon from now on.
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Hi Shane! Great comment. It still makes my head spin a bit – Highpoint, eating destination.
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