Admit it. Sometimes you really do want to order sweet and sour pork ($8.80), Mongolian beef ($9.80) and the so-sweet-it-may-as-well-be-a-dessert honey king prawns ($14.50). There’s no judgement at Kingsford Chinese, where university students flock for budget-friendly low prices and legendarily large portions without any frills. The double-sided laminated menu has all your guilty pleasures listed alongside more traditional dishes, like stir-fried beef with bitter melon ($9.80) and sampan congee rice porridge ($6.20). Deep-fried salt’n’pepper calamari ($9.80) are coated in a light and crunchy batter showered with slivers of green onion and deep fried shallots. At almost every table you’ll find a plate of the shantung chicken ($11), the signature dish at this restaurant and with good reason. It’s a celebration of crisp golden skin covering juicy white flesh, drenched in a tangy vinegar dressing studded with shallots, chilli and fiery raw garlic. If you don’t want to share, or if you’re dining alone, the rice combination dishes provide the best value. Hong Kong-style pork chop, Grandma’s bean curd and braised beef brisket each come with rice for only $6.60. Order the pig blood jelly ($5.50) if you have the guts for it, cooked cubes of pigs blood garnished with garlic chives.
