Silks

The first thing you’ll notice about Silks, Crown Casino’s in-house Cantonese restaurant, is the sophisticated atmosphere. The space resembles a Chinese mansion, with antiques through the main dining room and five private dining rooms, as well as that eponymous silk in the form of a Mongolian tent. The ceilings are high, the walls are panelled with expensive sandstone, and the cutlery (gold) rests on perfectly starched and ironed white tablecloths.

Things get even more opulent on the menu, where green lip abalone, crayfish, black truffle and full-blood Wagyu appear alongside iconic Australian wines such as Penfolds Grange, Henschke Hill of Grace and Mount Mary Quintet.

You don’t have to be an international high roller to dine here. The à la carte and set menus are pitched at several different price points, with the cheapest set menu offering eight courses for around half of what you’d pay at Flower Drum or almost any of Melbourne’s big name degustation restaurants. Those on smaller budgets can enjoy crispy chicken ribs, various handmade dumplings, fried rice and other Cantonese staples, as good or better than what you’ll find elsewhere in town.

If you’re here for a special occasion, the private dining room is a cracker, located in a luxurious Mongolian-style yurt with low lighting and intricate embroidered walls.