Halfway down a Chinatown arcade, Ahma is much more than a simple fuel stop in the city.
There’s a lot of popcorn chicken around but is there any better than Ahma’s? For crunch and juiciness, lightly spiced fragrance, and an uncanny ability to stay hot to the last morsel, this is a snack to savour.
I snuck out with its secrets, too. Bite-sized pieces of chicken thigh are marinated in rice wine, making them extra plump. Next, they’re seasoned with five-spice and dusted with tapioca flour, which is especially good at finding nooks and crannies to cling to and turn into crisp edges when fried. Lastly, the flavour-amped chicken is sizzled in clean oil with Thai basil and garlic for brightness and punch.
Along the way, the fast-food staple becomes a low-key but lovely culinary event, and a signal that Ahma is more than a simple fuel stop in the city. There is backstory, painstaking dish development and ongoing care behind this affordable Taiwanese diner, open since January and halfway down an arcade connecting Bourke Street to Chinatown. The setting is stylish with booth seating: help yourself to free tea and order via QR code.
Owner Spring Chee grew up in Tianjin, China, where her Taiwanese “ahma” (grandmother) was often her main caregiver. “She was my first cooking teacher,” Chee told me.
After a few visits to Taiwan, and many night market adventures, Chee concluded that her grandmother’s food was the most delicious rendition of Taiwanese cuisine she could imagine. It’s those family recipes she’s curated for the Melbourne homage to her ahma.
Braised pork belly over rice (lu rou fan) is a Taiwanese signature and celebrating the texture, aroma and flavour of different renditions is a national obsession. The version at Ahma is a paragon, available in a main-sized hero dish or as part of a cute (and great value at $19.50) bento box alongside tomato omelette, cabbage stew, century egg and pickles.
The meat is pan-fried before braising in soy sauce and 13 ahma-approved spices for at least six hours, making it tender, sticky and deeply savoury. Rendered pork fat is used to cook the rice so each grain glistens.
There’s much joy in the street food section of the menu ($6-$15). Sausage wrapped in sticky rice and layered with pickles is a night market-style winner.
An original creation from Chee features little bits of braised pork tumbled with chopped Chinese doughnut and pickles (what a combo!).
Mochi are made using another grandma recipe, with a fine-tuned ratio of glutinous rice flour and water to get the perfect chewy-bouncy-soft texture known as QQ in Taiwan.
If you would rather finish with ice-cream, wander to nearby Big Comma, the new gelato shop from the same owner. It’s the only place in the city with gelato made and churned in the same tubs it’s scooped from: you can see them spinning in front of you as you try to choose between salted egg, matcha Mont Blanc, and lychee flavours.
Three more arcade eateries to try
Laksa Town
Simple but rightfully popular, this little eatery has seating inside and in the covered arcade. The Town Laksa is the classic, reminiscent of the owner’s home city of Ipoh, but the yong tofu is my favourite, studded with golden tofu-skin dumplings.
Clayton Shopping Plaza, 371-373 Clayton Road, Clayton
Otello Espresso
The bricked arcade has sheltered and sunny parts and a little fountain, giving this neighbourly cafe a European plaza feeling. There’s all-day breakfast and a selection of sweet and savoury baked goods. Later, you might be here for a glass of wine and sturdy pasta dishes.
101 Toorak Road, South Yarra, instagram.com/otello_espresso
Tochi Deli
You’ve probably only got till June to try this high-quality sushi spot, as the arcade is due to be demolished and redeveloped. As well as offering luxe lunching, Tochi is popping up for a special dinner at Nina’s wine bar in Brunswick on March 20. Want a birthday with a difference? Ask the Tochi team about their sushi cakes.
Brunswick Market, 655-661 Sydney Road, Brunswick, instagram.com/tochideli
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