Fortune Well

Fortune Well is the famous south side Chinese restaurant specializes in Sichuan cuisine. The brightly lit establishment showcases a mix of traditional Chinese and modern design with a large indoor and alfresco dining area. A family gathering was required and we were fortunate to secure one of the four private dining rooms. A view of the menu revealed primarily traditional Sichuan offerings with a few interesting fusions. 

After a quick discussion and recommendations from manageress Becky, we decided: Sichuan green bean noodles, shredded jellyfish salad and pork & chive dumplings as appetisers. Mains: stir fried green bean & pork, shredded pork with chilli & garlic sauce, smoked pork with bamboo shoots, sweet & sour crispy beef, fried chicken dice in dried chillies and chef special fish fillets. To conclude our meal a serving of pumpkin fried pancakes and glutinous rice ball soup will do. The usual Chinese chrysanthemum tea, Tsingtao beer and small bottle of special occasion baijiu (sorghum wine) were ordered to complement the feast.

Sichuan green bean noodles: with roasted peanuts, garlic & spring onions all mixed in a sour and spicy sauce. The cold dish displays an appetising chilli oil and peanut scent with hints of garlic. Perfectly seasoned chilli oil/sauce presents fragrant chilli, garlic and black vinegar flavours. Paired with the delicate and refreshing Green bean noodles, you have a perfect dish to start the meal. Bravo! 4.5/5

Shredded jellyfish salad: with cumber, garlic and white sesame. Present a refreshing dish to balance out the oily stir-fries to come. The salad was well flavoured with big garlic and cucumber taste. Paired with the crunchy jellyfish, you have a must order dish designed to cleanse the palate. 4/5

Pork & chive dumplings: comes in a generous 12pc serving. The dumplings are house made & boiled to order (not frozen factory made ones) with black vinegar dipping sauce on the side. The filling presents fragrant pork with hints of chives. A classic combination done well. 4/5

Shredded pork with chilli & garlic sauce: is one of the most popular Sichuan dish in China. The plate of goodies contains finely shredded lean pork, cloud ear fungus, capsicum & shredded bamboo shoots all stir fried in a chilli and garlic based sauce. Meat was tender and flavourful. Veggies, crispy and sweet. Paired with the house made chilli and garlic sauce you have: sweet, sour, spicy and salty on the palate. What a treat! 4.5/5

Stir fried green bean & pork mince: with a touch of preserved potherb mustard is another classic Sichuan offering regularly seen in Chinese restaurants. The green beans present an almost caramelized outer skin with a soft and flavourful centre suggesting high wok heat when cooking. The mince was porky with hints of garlic. We ordered this dish for the young ones without the chillies. Although well executed lacked the wow factor and a tad salty. 3.5/5

Smoked pork & bamboo shoots: contains thinly sliced cured pork belly, shredded bamboo shoots, scallions and fermented green beans. The meat presents concentrated porky taste, bold smokiness, Chinese mix spice, soy and hints of sweetness flavour with a chewy but delicate texture. Paired with the crunch and sweet bamboo shoots and the sourness of fermented green beans, my palate was taken to comfort food territory. The cured pork belly in this dish was braised, dried, smoked and hang cured in house. It is a slow and painstaking process where temperature control and humidity must be spot on (like an Italian pancetta but more smoke and Chinese spice). I can’t think of any other restaurant in Australia which has gone to such extent to produce in house cured pork belly. Perfection! 5/5

Sweet & sour crispy beef: garnished with chopped scallions and sesame. Thin cut beef was first flash fried then glazed with sweet & sour based sauce. The end result was a beautifully made dish with a crunchy flavourful outer crust and tender meaty centre. The balance of flavour overall was dead set perfect. 5/5!

Fried chicken dice in dried chillies: with Sichuan pepper and a touch of scallions. The fragrant fried chilli scent attracted everyone’s attention. A bite into the meat revealed pre-marinated chicken with big Sichuan pepper taste. Note: the large amount of chillies included is only used to fragrance the meat. The key is to eat around it and target only chicken bites. 3.5/5

Chef special fish fillets: is another popular Sichuan dish with fish fillet, bean sprouts, Sichuan pepper and huge amount of dried chillies all simmered in chilli oil. First impression: omg the amount of chillies! Dig deep will reveal the beautifully cooked fish fillets and bean sprouts. The fish was buttery tender with fragrant chilli and hints of numbing Sichuan pepper. Paired with the crunchy bean sprouts you have a bowl of goodies which makes you reach for seconds and thirds. Note: don’t drink the oil, work around the chillies and Sichuan pepper. Once you done that, it’s only mildly spicy. Delicious! 4.5/5

Glutinous rice balls: in fermented rice wine soup comes in a 6pc serve. The glutinous rice balls were steaming hot with a sweet runny black sesame centre. Fermented rice wine soup presents big rice and a touch of alcohol flavours. Don’t worry, the boiling process eliminated all alcohol contents. 4/5

Pumpkin fried pancakes: with a touch of sesame. The cute bite sized pancakes are flash fried to order. A crunchy outer crush was paired with a soft and sticky centre. Delicate pumpkin and sesame scent with a mildly sweet flavour made this a good way to conclude our meal. 4/5

Service: for a very busy weekend dinner was friendly and attentive. Manageress Becky made several great recommendations based on preferred tastes and able to adjust spiciness for each dish as required. High chair and kids cutlery’s were provided without follow up. 5/5

Post meal, I gathered everyone’s opinions and realized all was surprised by how good the dinner was. Some even said the flavours were on par with top Sichuan restaurants in China. The establishment has been under new management since 2016 and my last visit in 2015 was not a positive one. A big well done to Manageress Becky.

People always ask me to recommend good Chinese restaurants in south side. My typical response is “all fairly average”. After this meal, I can finally recommend a great Chinese eatery which can cater for young and old.

Overal Rating: 4.5/5

Hint: Strongly recommend all their >4/5 dishes listed above. Don’t let the overwhelming amount of chillies discourage you, it’s actually not that spicy if you adopt Tomcat’s recommendations. Their weekday rotation $6.80 dishes presents great value for money.