Overview
Noodle-lovers, dumpling addicts and yum cha fiends, rejoice — Melbourne is on track to score a huge new Asian food precinct, which will, according to its developers, rival Chinatown. Making its home within a sprawling new development in Box Hill, the precinct, dubbed simply New Chinatown, is certainly going to be a big one.
Part of a $450 million project by developers Golden Age Group, which was founded by Jeff Xu and owns the Hu Tong restaurant group, the three-level 'Chinatown' is set to clock in at a mammoth 10,000 square metres.
While the location isn't exactly central, it's a fitting one given that figures suggest one third of Box Hill's residents were born in Hong Kong or China. The area is already known for its plethora of Japanese, Korean, Vietnam and Chinese eateries, too, including dessert bars, dim sum shops and hot pot joints.
Hu Tong, Prahran.
Pulling inspiration from New York's legendary Italian marketplace Eataly, New Chinatown will boast a 4000-square-metre hawker-style food hall, showcasing a broad lineup of street food vendors. There are also plans to include a new Chinese language school and bookshop, Chinese herbalists and a range of clinics specialising in both Western and Chinese medicine.
Fender Katsalidis Architects has been tasked with designing the new precinct, which will take cues from the impressive opulence of Beijing and the regions south of the Yangtze River. Expect floating walkways atop flowing water features, traditionally styled pagodas and intricate detailing in a nod to the past.
There's no word yet on which restaurants will call New Chinatown home, though we can only imagine Hu Tong's dumplings and peking duck will be making an appearance somewhere on the lineup.
New Chinatown will be located within Sky Village at 517–521 Station Street, Box Hill. It's slated for completion by the end of the year.