Why One of Melbourne's Oldest Chinese Restaurants Will Always Serve Lemon Chicken

This is a film about a Chinese family restaurant in Boronia, Melbourne serving Australian Chinese food which includes lemon chicken, fried rice, Mongolian beef. And it all begin with a Vietnamese refugee story leading to a multi generational family run restaurant legacy.

For more than 40 years, Kingsland Chinese Restaurant has quietly served the Boronia community with the same menu, the same flavours, and the same family behind the counter.

This film tells the story of one of Melbourne’s oldest Chinese restaurants — and the Chinese family who helped to buid it. From fleeing Vietnam as refugees, to starting over in Australia, to serving lemon chicken, fried rice, and Mongolian beef to generations of locals, this is a story about survival, resilience, and legacy.

At the heart of Kingsland is food that has never changed. Lemon chicken that tastes exactly the same as it did decades ago. Fried rice cooked the same way, night after night. Dishes that represent a specific era of Australian Chinese cuisine — and why this family still chooses to serve them after 40 years.

The film follows Graham as he reflects on growing up in the restaurant, obeying his parents to pursue a "better life" in corporate, and ultimately realising that his place was always here. As his parents slow down, he faces the weight of deciding whether to sell — or to carry forward the family business that began with nothing but hope.

We are deeply grateful to Elle, Graeme’s wife, for reaching out and opening the door for us to tell this story. Her trust, generosity, and support helped bridge the connection that allowed us to spend time with the family, earn their confidence, and document a legacy that means so much to their community.

This film is ultimately about more than a restaurant. It’s about a family who left Vietnam, rebuilt their lives in Australia, and chose consistency over change. It’s about preserving a style of Australian Chinese food that has fed a community for decades — and why, after 40 years, some traditions are worth keeping exactly the same.

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