Enter through the red door in Market Lane and take a short ride in the elevator to the first floor and you will find one of the true icons of Melbourne dining – The Flower Drum.

The internationally acclaimed restaurant has been a beacon of Chinatown for some 30 years, owing much of its success to its signature dish, Peking duck. The succulent roast duck is prepared daily and wrapped in a thin handmade pancake at your table, by your immaculately dressed waiter. Coupled with smaller plates such as sung choi bao, steamed dim sum and lamb spring rolls, or more sophisticated and adventurous dishes like the baked jade tiger abalone, mud crab and drunken squab, this dining experience seems straight out of Canton.

Although a visit to this high-end restaurant is sure to give your wallet a work out, it’s high up on the list of Melbourne’s best dining experiences. Its low-lit, seductive ambience and consistently impeccable food and service standards are worth the visit.