Brisbane Chinese restaurants: Maple Fusion review, Milton

This relatively new addition to Brisbane’s dining scene offers generous portions of authentic, flavoursome Northern Chinese cuisine with a sprinkle of dishes perfect for thrillseekers.

Perhaps best known for its mini Eiffel Tower, Park Road in inner-city Milton isn’t the first spot you’d think of when you’re craving Chinese cooking.

But Maple Fusion, which opened in November last year, is working hard to change that.

Don’t be bamboozled by the name.

Despite the use of the F word (fusion, that is), this place is distinctly Chinese, replete with frothing fish tanks, free-flowing green jasmine tea and a sprinkle of dishes perfect for thrillseekers – duck heads in Maggi sauce ($26.80), say, or pork intestines with pickled cabbage ($21.80).

Or, from the takeaway menu salt and pepper fish lips ($22.80).

Maple Fusion at Milton.

“How are we doing – have we got enough food?”

Our waiter has a headset and is entering our order on a tablet. I’m about to add pork and vegetable dumplings ($17.80) to an ever-lengthening list.

He smiles and says, “Too much – you need one, maybe two dishes less!”

The kitchen specialises in Northern Chinese fare and it’s easy to go overboard.

Signatures include classics such as Peking duck ($88), and bronzed roasted ducks dangle enticingly in the kitchen window.

There are also glossy menu shots of spikily crumbed, deep-fried king prawns ($24.80), rich looking chunks of red-braised pork belly ($28.80) and a pork meatball ($8.80) that’s sauced and conceals an egg, like a more indulgent version of scotch egg.

The stewed meatball at Maple Fusion.

But the server’s advice to pull back is on the money. Portions are generous.

Cold chicken in chilli oil ($11.80) sounds like a refreshing antidote to the humidity outside. The poached breast meat comes piled high, sliced for easy chopstick manoeuvring.

The flesh is flavoursome, tender and satisfyingly slippery. It’s tastily dressed in a nutty sauce, to rein in the fire-red chilli oil pooling at the base of the plate.

The airconditioning in this big, brightly lit room is set to stun, so no one overheats.

A second plate stacked with a simple cucumber and chopped garlic salad ($8.80) arrives.

The lightly bashed cucumber chunks are skinless to better absorb the vinegar-spiked dressing, providing more heat relief.

Fish fillet with pickled cabbage.

The fit-out feels quite stark. But it’s thoughtful. There’s a variety of seating options. Cosy booths down one wall for groups, with a more casual front section overlooking the street, good for singles.

A two-page drinks list is equally practical. It covers basic spirits and beers (including Tsing tao, $8) with half a dozen wines by the glass, skewed in favour of whites.

Sizeable dishes of mapo tofu ($18.80) and Xinjiang-style cumin-fragrant fried lamb ($26.80) land hot on the heels of the entrees.

The mapo tofu is a winner. The tofu plentiful; wobbly but firm, strewn with green onion rings and pork mince. It’s swimming in a red, bean-dotted sauce.

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Everything is fresh and spicy but surprisingly lacking the ma la or spicy numbing effect expected from the addition of Sichuan peppercorns.

The cumin lamb is also packing heat. Dark, slightly chewy lamb pieces are fanned across an oval platter, gussied up with batons of red and green capsicum, onion and diagonal-cut celery. Everything is liberally flecked with chilli and chilli seeds, burnished with oil.

Squishy Chinese mini breads served with a dipper of condensed milk ($12.80) for dessert are a northern specialty.

Chinese mini breads are a northern specialty for dessert. Pictures: Mark Cranitch.

There are eight buns, four are snowy white and steamed, four golden-hued and deep-fried. All are feather light, with marshmallow-textured interiors that benefit from a dunk in the sticky milk.

There’s much to like about Maple Fusion.

Staff are helpful and its arrival brings a crowd-pleasing mix of interesting regional dishes to a part of Brisbane not endowed with Chinese options.

To get the most out of what’s on offer, bring a crowd.

SCORES OUT OF 10

Food: 7.5

Drinks: 5

Vibe: 7

Service: 7.5

MAPLE FUSION

16 Park Rd, Milton

Ph: 3368 3777

Lunch and dinner, Mon-Sat