CHDS is not an acronym we invented — it is the initials of 吃荤搭素 (chī hūn dā sù), a phrase every Chinese grandmother has said at the table. Meat and vegetables together, in balance, every meal. It is the whole philosophy of the company in four characters.
吃 (chī) — eat. 荤 (hūn) — meat, or the rich dishes. 搭 (dā) — to pair, to match. 素 (sù) — vegetables, the plain dishes. Together: eat the rich with the plain. Not a diet, not a restriction; a way of composing a plate that Chinese home cooking has followed for centuries.
Every Meal Set is built on that rule: a protein, a generous serve of vegetables, rice. Main Dishes are cooked the same way — braised, steamed or stir-fried with restraint on oil and sugar — so two or three of them on a table make a balanced dinner without anyone counting.
We publish the nutrition per portion because balance should be visible, not taken on faith.
Good Chinese food in Melbourne is easy to find; Chinese food you can eat every night and feel good about is not. CHDS exists for the second thing — for people who grew up with this food and for people discovering it — cooked fresh in Hawthorn East and delivered across the city.
Several dishes are vegetable-led; look for the vegetarian mark on the menu. Vegetarian meal planning is being confirmed dish by dish.
The dishes are homestyle Chinese — the sort of thing cooked at home, not banquet food — made lighter with better technique rather than by removing what makes them taste right.
In our own kitchen at 243 Burwood Road, Hawthorn East, Victoria.