Fortuna Village is, according to its website, "reputedly one of Melbourne's finest Chinese restaurants." It is somewhat un-Chinese to exalt oneself in this manner, even with the "reputedly" disclaimer, but rest assured that the place is indeed fine. The rich and famous seem to think so as well, judging by the collection of autographed plates at the entrance to the dining room.
Having experienced mostly southern-region and southeast-Asian influenced Chinese food here in Melbourne, I was very excited to find a northern Chinese menu loaded with all of the things I remember growing up with near San Francisco ("reputedly" home to some of the finest Chinese food in the world). There were way too many dishes for just the two of us to try, which bodes well for a return visit.
We settled on Pot Stickers, Fried WonTons, Kung Po Chicken and traditional Chinese Steamed Fish. Dave enjoyed everything and was quite keen on coming back. I struggled a little bit with the tendency to compare these dishes to the food I used to eat in California, even though Chinese food does tend to vary with the local influences around the world. I enjoyed the Pot Stickers most, as they were exactly the way I imagined (and craved) them. The other dishes were well-prepared and fresh (especially the fish, which was pulled live from a tank and presented to us for approval before cooking). I could be nitpicking here, or it could be the regional thing, or perhaps it has been too long since I've had this kind of food, but the overall meal didn't quite impress me as much as I had hoped it would. But I did enjoy it, and it was only representative of about two percent of the menu, so it's certainly nothing to get discouraged about.
The service was polite and efficient, except at the end when it took ages for someone to collect my credit card. The automatic-water-refill test was passed without excessive delay, as was the similar automatic-teapot-refill test. The decor was quite modern in a traditional Chinese sort of way (if that makes sense), and almost opulent in its detail, but thankfully not over the top. Included was the Chinese restaurant tradition of placing a fish and lobster tank at the entrance. The decorating budget must not have extended to the restrooms, however, because they were completely unrelated: old and worn, and full of awful colour combinations. At least they were clean.
In keeping with the "finest" tag, the prices were pretty high for Chinese food ($20 - $30 for mains, which are usually meant to be shared). This is not your local hole-in-the-wall Chinese joint. However, the quality of the food, service, and the atmosphere (minus the restrooms) was on par with the prices, the menu was extensive, and my mouth still waters at the thought of all the things we didn't try.
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Dave's summary: "Consider yourselves lucky." (directed at the lobsters in the tank as we exited)
Probability that we will return: 35 / 42
Note that the probability rating is affected by the fact that there are hundreds of places to eat around here.