Recently in Chinese Category

I wasn't going to blog about this but as soon as I reviewed the photos taken on my point & shoot, I couldn't wait to share the excitement, the sweetness and the fun.

So here are a few snapshots of how these two crazy kids (Suze, The Biscuit Tree baker who doesn't seem to have a limit on the amount of Mother or sugar she consumes, and Noods, my fellow DesCompie who is obsessed with footy) celebrated:

Hehehe... I know that was more than "a few" snapshots, but come on, how can I summarize giant gummi bears, a Wonka themed wedding and a superb Asian seafood banquet into just "a few" pictures?

Sugar high + food coma!

Dearest Suze & Noods, it was such an honour to celebrate this special day with you guys! Congratulations ;)

Jen
xoxo

Childhood memories of Chinese New Year have always featured elaborate homemade banquets on the eve of the New Year followed by a day witnessing the roaring of firecrackers and drums as the lion dance parades through masses of crowds in Sydney's Chinatown.

This year however was different. I had taken on an ambitious project with Asian Home Gourmet at the City Of Sydney Chinese New Year festival markets (12 - 14 February 2010), to present a line-up of delicious kitchen demonstrations on a live stage, and hence wasn't home when families across the globe were reuniting with a feast.

Lots of love goes out to all the friends and fans who stopped by. If you missed it, you can check out a snippet of the action at the kitchen demonstrations here:

So my lovely parents agreed to celebrate a week in advance and decided that we take a year off from our usual banquet of seafood delicacies.

Instead, we would have a simple kind of Chinese New Year, celebrating with a decent sized suckling pig, served Vietnamese DIY style which I think brilliantly showcases the cultural background of my family (both my parents were born & raised in Vietnam with a Chinese Teochew heritage - while my siblings and I were all born & raised here, in Sydney).

Whole roasted suckling pig from Good Luck BBQ House

The delicate crunch of crackling on a whole roasted suckling pig

While I adore a slow braised abalone or a rich lobster stir-fry, nothing quite gets my heart pumping and my mouth drooling as much as the glossy delicate crisp layer of crackling on a juicy tender suckling pig.

Suckling pigs often need to be pre-ordered from local Siu Mei establishments (Asian BBQ Houses) weeks in advance if required during popular celebratory occasions such as Chinese New Year. Otherwise, I think three days is the general rule of thumb. The suckling pig is 2 - 6 weeks of age and are roasted whole with a generous rub of five spice powder, red and white vinegar, Chinese rice wine, garlic and maltose. The cost of a suckling pig is only confirmed once it has been cooked and weighed and will generally cost between $200 - $300.

Pieces of suckling pig - crunchy thin glossy crackling with juicy bites of meat

Deep-fried buns are the perfect accompaniment with suckling pig

Ours was ordered from Good Luck BBQ this year as they were much more flexible on our last minute timings than Emperor's Garden.

We served this with deep-fried buns which are crunchy on the outside and fluffy within, a crisp jelly fish salad fragrant with sesame oil, a zesty fresh lotus root salad, lettuce leaves, an array of garden mints, banh hoi (woven rice vermicelli noodle sheets), hoisin sauce and nuoc mam (fish sauce).

Our simple feast, a fusion of Vietnamese and Chinese

Traditional Chinese New Year treats: candied fruits in a circular tray and dried abalone

While a whole suckling pig is usually reserved for the main course of a celebratory banquet, you don't really need an excuse to buy just a cut to treat yourself today. So here are two of my preferred Asian BBQ houses where you can buy/order the best roasted suckling pig in Sydney:

Emperor's Garden
213-215 Thomas St
Haymarket NSW 2000
Phone (02) 9281 9899

Good Luck BBQ House
Shop 18, 24-28 Hughes St
Cabramatta NSW 2166
Phone (02) 9724 0661

In celebration of the new year, I thought it would be suitable to look back at all of my best eats in 2009. Here, I've included some of my most frequently visited restaurants as well as a few memorable favourites.

Most Visited Casual Restaurant: Dong Ba Bun Bo Hue, Bankstown, NSW
I think I have honestly dined at Dong Ba at least once every fortnight in 2009 - joining the regular local slurpers of Bun Bo Hue, a Hue-style spicy noodle soup. It is only $7 and the food (they also serve plenty of other traditional Vietnamese eats such as my second most ordered dish here, the Cambodian Rice Noodle Soup) is served at lightening fast speed. Dining at Dong Ba in Bankstown is always a guaranteed fuss-free cheap and cheerful eat. Another bonus is that the menu caters for all possible cravings of anything Vietnamese so is sure to satisfy everyone. But the best part would probably be their drinks menu which includes the iced black coffee and the avocado milkshake.

Dong Ba
296 Chapel Rd South, Bankstown, NSW

Bun bo hue (Hue-style spicy noodle soup) at Dong Ba, Bankstown - My most visited casual restaurant of 2009

Most Expensive: Le Cinq, Paris
In May 2009, I left home for my first eating extravaganza in Europe. Let me just start off by confessing that I have a really bad habit of not checking prices whether it be shopping or food. My boyfriend almost passed out when he browsed through the 'host' menu at Le Cinq, which I had booked many months in advance. Thankfully I had the 'guest' menu which didn't have the prices so he was able to break the shock to me slowly. We soon justified to ourselves that because we had travelled all the way from Sydney to Paris, it would only be right if we allowed this one splurge and promised to be sensible throughout the rest of the trip. Le Cinq sits within Paris' most luxurious hotel - Four Seasons George V, and is the most elegant space I've ever dined in. Something like 440€ (AU$900 at the exchange rate during that time) excluding drinks and service charge and almost six hours later, we left gleefully with a massive dent on my credit card.

Le Cinq
Four Seasons Hotel George V
31, Avenue George V, Paris, France
www.fourseasons.com/paris/dining

Best Surprise: Wiseman Park Wollongong City Bowling Club
My boyfriend was transferred to Wollongong for six months for work, a few years ago. During a visit to some of his old workmates earlier in 2009, we were introduced to Wiseman Park Bowling Club. Tucked within a senior's bowling club bistro is this spectacular down-to-earth yet slightly fancy restaurant. Think traditional Mediterranean and remember to make a reservation if dining on a Friday or Saturday night as the secret is out, and this place is hawt!

Wiseman Park Wollongong City Bowling Club
Gipps Road, Wollongong, NSW

Favourite City Travelled To: Barcelona
My time in Barcelona can easily be summarized with daily visits to the Boqueria Market - the best market I have ever been to. The vivid display of fruits, seafood and jamon was an amazing sight and simply drool-worthy. The friendliness of locals shouting "hola" and the buzz in eating paella after paella, oh, and the shoes made Barcelona my favourite city visited in 2009. Hopefully I'll get a chance to visit it again soon.

Boqueria Market
www.boqueria.info

Fruit drinks display at Boqueria Markets, close up of paella and tapas in Barcelona

Most Visited Seafood Outlet: Ocean Foods, Drummoyne, NSW
Almost every drive on Lyons Road in Drummoyne has resulted in me stopping by at Ocean Foods. Their floor to ceiling glass walls means there's no running away from the grand display of fresh and ready to cook seafood and salads.

Ocean Foods
154 Lyons Rd, Drummoyne, NSW

Most Visited For Dessert: Mamak, Sydney, NSW
Roti and condensed milk are just made for each other. After countless dinners at other restaurants across the city, Sydney food bloggers, myself included, seem to always end up at Mamak for dessert. The roti tisu is a golden cone encrusted with butter and sugar that tastes heavenly with a swirl of condensed milk and sometimes, even ice-cream. If that doesn't have you drooling, the roti pisang will - with freshly sliced banana that caramelizes within a thin buttery roti. Oh, so good.

Mamak
15 Goulburn St, Haymarket, NSW

Favourite Late Night Dining: Wagaya, Haymarket, NSW
With ridiculous trading hours (Wagaya opens until 2am on most nights), private booths and a quirky touch screen ordering system, late night dining at Wagaya is perfect for those night owls (like me) who want a decent feed. I can't get enough of their soft-shell crab hand rolls, lotus root chips or takoyaki gratin. Unfortunately, all this late night dining has contributed greatly to my growing waistline... Hmm... Did someone say New Years Resolution?

Wagaya
Level 1, 78-86 Harbour St, Haymarket, NSW

Dining at Wagaya - Most Visited Late Night Dining Restaurant of 2009

Best Discovery of a Hidden Gem: Uchi Lounge, Surry Hills, NSW
Uchi Lounge is only a street behind the chaotic Oxford Street but upon stepping inside, you're in a whole new world. It is soothing and peaceful, offering a selection of Japanese sake cocktails and some scrumptious food such as their grilled eggplant with miso and a sprinkle of parmesan.

Uchi Lounge
15 Brisbane St, Surry Hills, NSW

Favourite Bar: Water Bar at Blue, Woolloomooloo
I was introduced to Water Bar after my 25th birthday dinner in 2009. It's the fine dining of bars. As well as offering all the traditional cocktail favourites, Water Bar also features a range of new concept drinks that utilises some surprising and experimental techniques. Elderflower martini with a cucumber air, the kaffir lime dacquiri with coconut foam or the spiced fig whisky sour are just a few to name. The only downside here are their trading hours, closing at midnight on most nights and 10pm on Sundays and Mondays.

Water Bar
6 Cowper Wharf Rd, Woolloomooloo, NSW

Favourite Brunch: Rhodes Phoenix, Rhodes, NSW
Yum-Cha, Dim-Sum, whatever two words you use to call the fine art of eating dumplings and other Chinese delicacies over tea with friends or family, is a weekend hobby of mine. Having discovered the Phoenix group in 2007 - there's four of them: Sky Phoenix, Hilltop Phoenix, Manly Phoenix and Rhodes Phoenix, I quickly became a regular at the Rhodes restaurant which is only a short drive from my place. 2009 saw me dining at Rhodes Phoenix more than ever before. I have such a weakness for their prawn toast!

Rhodes Phoenix
1/5 Rider Blvd, Rhodes, NSW

Vincent's Noodle House has long been serving Lidcombe locals affordable Asian cuisine. While they no longer appear to be a small family-run business, having moved in to Dooleys Catholic Club, they're still bloody popular.

Their pho dac biet (special beef noodle soup) at $10 costs more than your average Vietnamese cheap eat, but for the extra few dollars comes quality, reliability and consistency. The blanched noodles are slippery and soft and mix freely with tendon, tripe, beef meatballs, thin slices of rare beef and its garnish of sliced onion, shallots, coriander, basil and bean sprouts.

The slowly simmered beef broth is aromatic with star anise, cinnamon and ginger and is a brilliant example of the classic dish.

Pho dac biet (special beef noodle soup)

There's no sauce better to accompany pho than a bit of sate chilli sauce mixed with hoisin sauce.

Vietnamese condiments including hoisin sauce, chilli sauce, fresh cut chillis, soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar and chilli sate sauce

Another favourite I adore is this simple hu tieu (combination rice noodle soup, $9.50) which is poached chicken, beef, prawn and bok choy with thin rice noodles in a cleansing stock soup. I think this has been westernized as there are no signs of pork liver, Chinese celery, fried shallots or garlic chives. I always add on two banh tom don (crispy prawn cakes, $1 each). The shrimps when eaten whole are crunchy and flavoursome, adding oomph to the noodle soup.

Combination rice noodle soup with crispy prawn cakes

On this particular day, the crispy skin chicken in my mi ga da don (crispy chicken with egg noodle soup, $10) is disappointingly dry. It is the first time from about twenty other occasions where I've ordered this same dish. The skin is usually golden, glossy and crispy, hiding piping hot tender chicken meat beneath.

Egg noodle soup with crispy skin chicken

Vincent's Noodle House also does a mean crunchy noodle ($12.50) which is an off-the-menu special you can request for. It is essentially a beef stir fry with a big slab of deep-fried noodles. They're naughty but moreish.

Beef stir fried with crunchy noodles

I can never leave a Vietnamese restaurant without ordering a traditional iced drink. At Vincent's, they range from $3 - 4. Here we have the nhan nhuc da (dried longans in a rock sugar syrup with shaved ice), che dau xanh (mung bean with shaved ice) and the nuoc dua (coconut). They're refreshing but are pricey at half the cost of a meal.

Icy Vietnamese drinks

Vincent's Noodle House
Level 1, Dooleys Lidcombe Catholic Club
24 John Street, Lidcombe, NSW
Phone: (02) 8745 6100
Web: www.dooleys.com/joomla/images/stories/documents/vincents_menu.pdf

With a name like this, how can anyone not like them?

Smiling doughnuts are also commonly known as smiling mouth cookies, happy mouth cookie balls, deep-fried sesame cookie balls or from it's direct Cantonese translation, 笑口枣 means smiling mouth dates.

These little gems are usually served during Chinese New Year celebrations because the natural cracks on the balls resemble a smile and hence brings happiness to the home.

You must not confuse these with the yum-cha favourite: glutinous sesame seed balls (jin deui or 麻团) which are larger but hollow (sometimes filled with lotus paste, black bean paste or red bean paste) and have a soft chewy texture.

Smiling doughnuts are easy to make which is why I decided to give them a go when my little brother's school was holding an international food fair.

Step by step guide to homemade smiling doughnuts

This recipe makes about 60 tiny balls (and by tiny, I mean the size of a golf ball or smaller). Special thanks to my Mum for sharing :)

Ingredients
2 cups self raising flour
2 cups plain flour
1 tablespoon oil
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup water
500 grams of sesame seeds

Directions
1. Pre-heat enough oil for deep-frying.
2. Combine all dry ingredients (except for sesame seeds) then add remaining wet ingredients and mix thoroughly.
2. When the dough is smooth and sticky, using a spoon, scoop out tiny balls and roll it around your palms.
3. Drop the ball into a bowl of sesame seeds and coat it well. Repeat the process until you have enough balls to fill a frying pan.
4. Deep-fry the balls a handful at a time. You should notice cracks appearing around the balls.
5. Drain the deep-fried balls on a baking rack then transfer onto paper towels.

Boxes of smiling doughnuts, ready for a school international food fair

These doughnut balls are slightly sweet, crunchy and like anything golden and deep-fried... They're extremely addictive. Om nom nom nom...

I don't care what you call it (or how you spell it): slushee, slushy, slushie, slurpee or granita. But this has to be the world's best tasting and looking slush.

Served on large martini glasses, LNC Dessert House offer over 20 variations of slushees. My personal favourite is this mango and lychee slush with mini sticky balls and mango gelato. Despite not being able to see much of the slush on first impression, they do serve the perfect amount -I found myself finishing it off just as I was beginning to shiver and get a brain freeze ;)

The colourful things you see on top are glutinous sticky rice balls. They have a light chewy texture which balances the smooth slush quite well. Also scattered beneath the scoop of mango gelato are whole pieces of crisp and juicy lychee, green mango and jackfruit.

The whole combination is sweet but not overpowering. It is fruity and refreshing.

Mango and lychee slushee with mini sticky balls and gelato

Dianne, my dining companion, had her usual repeat order of the mango slush with fresh grapefruit and sago. I think any dessert with sago is usually a winner.

Mango, grapefruit slush with sago

Other slushee combinations include mango slush with cendol, mini sticky balls and mango gelato; red bean slush with sticky rice and coconut gelato; lychee and strawberry slush with strawberry gelato and black sesame slush with green tea gelato. Click on the menu below to for others.

Click the menu to zoom in

LNC Dessert House is the closest thing to Hong Kong's legendary desserts without having to step on a plane. These slushees totally beat anything from a convenient store.

Mmmm, I could do with another one now.

LNC Dessert House
Shop 12, 339 Sussex Street, Sydney
Phone: (02) 9283 3832

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I'm a big fan of Time Out. I would never visit a city without first consulting the local Time Out guide.

Time Out Sydney's Food Awards 09 winners were announced this week, so let's see who made the cut:

People's Choice
Winner: Glebe Point Diner, Glebe
Runners-up: Bodega, Surry Hills; Quay, The Rocks; Marque, Surry Hills; Longrain, Surry Hills

I'm a bit ashamed that I haven't yet dined at Glebe Point Diner. There are all round positive reviews from other food bloggers, namely, The Unbearable Lightness of Being Hungry, Double Cooked, Lemonade Land and Steph's Food Journey and along with mountain loads of press and editorial reviews, Glebe Point Diner is an obvious people's choice.

Best New Restaurant
Winner: Rockpool Bar and Grill, Sydney
Runners-up: Sepia, Sydney; Spice Temple, Sydney; Etch, Sydney; The Beresford, Darlinghurst

Rockpool Bar & Grill in Melbourne is an absolute favourite. While I haven't been to its Sydney sister, can anyone tell me if it's any different?

Etch is simply full of pretty spaces and their macaroni is to-die-for. The revamped Beresford trattoria is also a clear winner (runner-up in this case) with the locals.

Best Cafe
Winner: Cafe Sopra, Waterloo
Runners-up: Deus ex Machina, Camperdown; Wall, Surry Hills; Ruby's Diner, Waverley; Kazbah, Balmain

Anyone who has been to Kazbah's breakfast banquet will be an advocate. Hmmm, why isn't Dank Street Depot a runner-up?

Best Desserts
Winner: Universal, Darlinghurst
Runners-up: Pier, Rosebay; Quay, The Rocks; Longrain, Surry Hills; Rockpool, The Rocks

I haven't been to Universal, nor Pier or Longrain. But if Quay is any benchmark for the winner, I have to get myself to Universal. I adore Quay's eight texture chocolate cake and their pear creme caramel, sauterne jelly, pear icecream and caramel cream!

Best Steak
Winner: Fix St James, Sydney
Runners-up: Bistro Moncur, Woolahra; Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney; Tabou, Surry Hills; Mad Cow, Sydney

Wow, I haven't been to any of these places. What about Prime? Chophouse?

Best Fixed Price Menu
Winner: Bentley Restaurant and Bar, Surry Hills
Runners-up: Assiette, Surry Hills, Atelier, Glebe; Vini, Surry Hills; Marque, Surry Hills

Best Seafood
Winner: Sepia, Sydney
Runners-up: Tetsuya's, Sydney; Manta, Woolloomooloo; Fish Face, Darlinghurst; Pier, Rose Bay

Am I the only one who hearts Flying Fish, Masuya and Ocean Room?

Best Burgers
Winner: Rockpool Bar & Grill, Sydney
Runners-Up: Plan B by Becasse, Sydney; Ruby's Diner, Waverley; The Burger Joint, Darlinghurst; Paul's Burgers, Sylvania

You will have no doubt seen my recent list of where to find the best burgers in Sydney. I still stand by it -although from reading the comments, I need to get myself to Rockpool Bar & Grill and Counter Burger!

Best Cheap Eat
Winner: Black Star Pastry, Newtown
Runners-up: Din Tai Fung, Haymarket; Guzman y Gomez, Newtown; Mamak, Haymarket; Gumshara Ramen, Haymarket

Seriously, how can anything beat Mamak? OK, maybe #chronic ramen is close, but a pastry shop? It must be bloody good, and I have yet to try. But the bigger issue here, is how 6 xiao long bao (soup dumplings) for $8.80 can be considered a cheap eat!

Best Sandwiches
Winner: Malibu, Surry Hills
Runners-up: Pilu Kiosk, 'On the Beach', Freshwater; Big Bite, Sydney; Hong Ha, Hurstville; Plan B by Becasse, Sydney

Best Patisseries
Winner: Adriano Zumbo, Balmain
Runners-up: Croissant D'Or, Potts Point; Yellow, Potts Point; Bourke Street Bakery, Surry Hills; Sweet Belem, Petersham

Ah, Zumbo. Post-Masterchef, Zumbo appears to be the real winner with endless queues and requests for his macarons, croquembouche and the chocolate mousse cake.

Best Noodles
Winner: Gumshara, Haymarket
Runners-up: Pho An, Bankstown; Twisted Noodle Bar, Sydney; Menya Noodle Bar, Sydney, Tan Viet, Cabramatta

I think ramen should be in its own category. But regardless, you'll still find me every fortnight slurping up $7 noodles at Dong Ba in Bankstown.

Best Thai
Winner: Spice I Am, Surry Hills
Runners-up: Longrain, Surry Hills; Sailor's Thai, The Rocks; Chat Thai, Sydney; Crocodile Senior, Sydney

Best Yum Cha
Winner: Fisherman's Wharf, Pyrmont
Runners-up: Marigold, Sydney, Sunny Harbour Seafood Restaurant, Hurstville; Sky Phoenix, Sydney; Golden Unicorn, Maroubra

Best Tapas
Winner: Bodega, Surry Hills
Runners-up: Ash St Cellar, Sydney; Delicado, McMahons Point; Sean's Kitchen, Pyrmont, Catalonia, Kirribilli

Bodega, can anything beat it? I think Spanish Terrazas, Velero and Cantina may be close contenders for runners-up.

Best Pizza
Winner: Lucio Pizzeria, Darlinghurst
Runners-up: Pompei's, Bondi Beach; Rosso Pomodoro, Balmain; La Disfida, Haberfield; Pizza Mario, Surry Hills

Errr, Pizza e Birra anyone?

So what do you think? Are these the winners or losers?

While many are drawn to the Crown Complex at Melbourne for its gaming floor, I kept coming back for the food.

It was New Years Eve 2008 and amidst the loud crowd building up outside, Sho Noodle Bar was busy serving up plates of traditional Chinese cuisine and refilling pot after pot of really good tea.

There was a queue for proper tables so we took up the opportunity to sit at the bar which allowed me to witness the efficiency behind its open kitchen.

I was a little unsure of their four page tea menu, so the waiter talked me into trying the $6 pot of Qi Xian Nv Jasmine bloom tea which was as delicious as it was fascinating to watch. It was infused with soothing aromas of green tea and the perfect accompaniment to such a big meal! Yes, as usual, we over-ordered and over-ate, but the tea supported me well.

Jasmine blossoming tea, $6

Chinese condiments

Open kitchen

We shared a variety of Sho's specialty dishes including a spicy Assam fish curry with okra, tomatoes, onion and mint. We also had a selection of braised fungus and mushrooms which were cooked in a fragrant wine and garlic sauce. The earthy flavours were simply delectable. We followed with a staple plate of Singaporean stir-fried beehoon noodles which helped balance the rich dishes. Then I noticed the crayfish getting flash fried and tossed with honey, chilli and spring onions.As we shifted the dishes and teapots around to make room, the glistening dish arrived and we were hypnotized like munching machines.

Assam fish curry with okra, tomatoes, onion and mint, $16.80

Selection of braised fungus and mushrooms, $15.80

Singapore style noodles, $17.80

Wok-fried crayfish with honey, chilli and spring onion, $39.50

New Years Eve crowd at Melbourne

Come here for the extensive tea list and the well executed Chinese, Malaysian and Singaporean dishes.

Sho Noodle Bar
Main gaming floor, Crown Entertainment Complex
8 Whiteman Street Southbank VIC
Phone: (03) 9292 6885

My family isn't big on tradition and without any relatives in Australia, Chinese New Year celebrations usually consist of a home-made banquet with plenty of leftovers. This year, my Mum thoughtfully cooked up this modern Chinese dinner, some inspired by custom and others adapted by our changing taste.

We started with peking duck, a favourite amongst many. The pancake wrap pastry were homemade a few days in advance and steamed on the night. They were the result of one of my Mum's midnight experiments which proved to be successful.

Peking duck

The soft shell crab was deep-fried in a thick batter and lightly tossed in salt and pepper. It was a little rich for my liking, but much loved by my siblings.

Salt & pepper soft shell crab

A symbol of wealth, these huge abalones had been flavour-potting for days. It was slow cooked in a casserole full of ginger, garlic, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce and chicken stock. They were succulent and velvety.

Braised abalone in oyster sauce

There was also this cold salad of prawns with honeydew, rockmelon and jellyfish; simple flavours and very refreshing.

Salad of honeydew, rockmelon, jellyfish and prawns

Helen has referred to this as the basket of prosperity. I simply know it as my beloved yam nest. Finely shredded yam was deep-fried into the shape of a bowl and topped with a tasty stir-fry of scallops, mushrooms, sugar snap peas and carrots. Watching the yam nest crack under the moisture of the stir-fry and fighting over the crisp pieces was all part of the fun.

Yam nest with stir-fry of sugar snap peas, carrots and mushrooms

Crab claws

A whole fish is a must at any Chinese feast. I'm used to it steamed but this night, we were surprised with it deep-fried with a sweet and sour sauce. And of course we had a few huge lobsters braised in a fiery combination of ginger, chilli and shallots.

Deep-fried whole fish with sweet and sour sauce

Lobster braised with ginger, chilli and shallots

This is one tradition we have maintained over the years. My grandmother made it best; the broth consisted of a whole chicken, shitake mushrooms, fish balls, pork belly and lots of Chinese cabbage. It's so cleansing and flavoursome, I love it! I think this may be a Teochew classic. Enlighten me if otherwise!

Traditional Chinese cabbage soup with fish balls, shitake mushrooms, pork belly and chicken

While I'm sure we were already full at this stage, we continued into the night with extra large longans and lychees. Happy Chinese New Year!

After being away from home-cooking for over a week, I found myself hunting down a Chinese restaurant. Claypot King sits on Swanston Street and immediately grabbed my attention because... well, how often would you find a Chinese restaurant with alfresco dining?

Alfresco dining

With appetites which had been expanding over the duration of the flight down from Sydney, we decided to start with plenty of entrees. The xiao long bao (steamed mini pork bun) was enormous and meaty. No sight of soup at all though! The har gow (prawn dumpling) were pretty average as well and I was fooled into thinking the pandan dumpling was a savoury entree! The pandan essence and sweet mung bean filling were delectable, nonetheless.

Then out came the peking duck; crisp skin on a thin slice of meat, cucumber, hoisin sauce and a shallot stick were wrapped inside steaming hot pastry sheets.

Xiao long bao a.k.a. steamed mini pork buns a.k.a. soup dumplings

Hargow a.k.a prawn dumpling

Pandan leaf dumpling

Peking duck

Its pretty hard to find traditional herbal soups in Summer so we were thrilled to find a whole menu full of authentic variations.

Herbal soup of dried scallop with watercress and duck kidney

I decided to play it safe and had the chicken and mushroom claypot rice which seemed to be their hero product. If you've never had claypot rice, it's a bit like getting a warm Korean bimbimbab or eating overcooked rice (but this is somehow more pleasant). The soy and ginger based marinate was so hearty and comforting.

Chicken and mushroom claypot rice

Combination seafood claypot rice

We finished off with a ice kacang. There was plenty of peanuts, corn kernels, grass jelly, rose syrup, red beans, condensed milk, lime jelly and a mountain of shaved ice.

Ice kacang

Inside the ice kacang

The small damage :)

Then off we went to discover the back streets of Melbourne.

View of street from our table

Claypot King
209 Swanston St, Melbourne, VIC
Phone: (03) 9662 3222
Trading Days: 7 days, 10 am - 11 pm

One of the perks of working in the service industry is free food (and booze, but I like to focus more on the food). Last night, we took one of our clients out to The Malaya.... I had pre-booked the Set Menu 2 which was $52 per person. It was scrumptious and fiery hot but did not include dessert! Doh!

We started off with some drinks... I had these 2 mocktails which were both refreshing and amazingly delicious. The apple mojito had a lovely taste of palm sugar which was intertwined with crushed limes and mint leaves. The Adam & Steve drink acquired a more mature taste, with hints of ginger ale, ginger beer, fresh cut apples and mints.

Apple mojito

Adam and Steve

Soon enough, a plate of miniature salmon rolls and king prawns arrived. They sat on a bed of cute micro green salad (including my favourite shiso aka perilla) leaves. The chilli lime sauce was reminiscent of ordinary sweet chilli sauce and overpowered the what otherwise would have been delicate flavours of salmon sashimi, dill and English spinach, but it was somehow still enjoyable. The prawns on the other hand were served chilled and drowned with delectable creamy flavour.

Steamed king prawns, shelled and served with a chilli tartar sauce, sashimi salmon rolls and micro green salad

The remaining starters continued to arrive shortly after. They were all reflective of their traditional Asian roots, using plentiful chilli and pungent spices. There were scallops steamed with fresh ginger, shallots, chilli and soy which were a little bland and BBQ Singaporean satay beef skewers with an amazing hypnotic sauce made from fresh ground peanuts and chilli.

Scallops in the shell steamed with fresh ginger, shallots, chilli and soy sauce

Singaporean style BBQ beef skewers with satay sauce

The journey through Asia continued into the main course with flavours from Indonesia, China and Malaysia. My favourite was the Szechuan chicken which was a dry stir-fry with uber hot chillies, shallots and cashew nuts. It was everything I wanted to be... rich and powerful. Ha! The king prawns surprised me as well, I loved that they were battered before being coated with a Penang style curry sauce. The lamb curry must have been every game-eater's heaven as I only dipped my roti into a bit of the sauce and already, the stench was too strong for my liking. The greens were executed well with a classic oriental toss in chilli, soy and garlic.

Kapitan King Prawn, Penang style curry sauce made with fresh chilli and coconut milk served with lightly battered king prawns

Szechuan Chicken, marinated pieces of chicken thigh fillet stir-fried dry style with shallots, cashew nuts and dry chillies

Lamb Bali - Indonesian style red curry lamb cooked with a tomato base

Roti Canai

Fresh seasonal Asian greens stir-fried with garlic, soy sauce and fresh chilli

After this yummy banquet, we went bowling. There were automated cameras which took pics of us all in awkward poses in mid-action... hehe... lots of fun!

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The Malaya
39 Lime Street, King Street Wharf, Sydney
Web: www.themalaya.com.au

It has been 2 years since my first and last meet-up with other Sydney food bloggers so I was thrilled to receive the email invitation to a yum cha meet and greet at East Ocean.

Who was there? Suze from chocolatesuze, Helen from Grab Your Fork, Kathryn from Limes & Lycopene, Lisa from spicyicecream, Lorraine from Not Quite Nigella, Howard and Qing from eatshow&tell, Belle and William from Ooh, Look..., Reem from I Am Obsessed With Food and a big thank you goes out to Christie from Fig & Cherry for organising this lovely lunch.

I had such a great time... conversation flowed continuously from discovering that a few of us loved to treat on avocado with condensed milk, to learning that Vegemite made good stock. We also discussed our varied experiences with the sometimes negative response of restaurants, magazines and celebrity chefs, and of course swapped lists of our favourite places to dine and produce to buy.

Each dish made its way around the table, ensuring each of us had the opportunity to photograph the food before it was touched. We ooohed and aahed at the thousand layer cake which Suze had spent 10 years hunting for... and racked up a $220 bill which was not bad for a table of 12 hungry foodies!

All in all, I've been introduced to some fantastic new food blogs, which I have already become a fan of, and have been pleased to have had the opportunity of putting faces to some of the blogs that I've been reading for years. This time, I'll have to make sure it isn't a 2 year gap til my next meet-up.

Here are bits and pieces of what we munched down:

I've never had the thousand layer cake before. It was soft and sponge-like... the top layer was similar to the typical steamed bun but the layers beneath it were rich with lotus seed paste (the kind in moon cakes) and egg yolk.

Thanks for the wonderful company guys! Hope to see you soon... and in the meantime, happy photographing, blogging and eating.

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East Ocean Restaurant
421 - 429 Sussex St, Haymarket, Sydney
Web: www.eastocean.com.au

I love nothing more than stumbling across a great restaurant. And that's exactly what happened within the first few hours of arriving in Hobart!

Shu Yuan is a tiny Chinese vegetarian restaurant, hidden within the Bank Arcade. It's probably the only one in this small sleepy town.

At lunch time, hungry workers flocked to the few tables and others crowded over the bain marie. Zen and I were lucky to grab the first available table without too much hassle... and for $23.50, we tried the curry puffs, which were unusually served with a pleasant sweet honey dressing, a scrumptious spicy Hakka basil noodle soup and rice with green bean delight & lemongrass and mixed veg.

It was a tasty feed and a fantastic start to the trip!

Shu Yuan
Shop 7, 64 Liverpool St
Hobart City, TAS
Phone: (03) 6231 1270

Talk of Din Tai Fung's perfect xiao long bao aka soup dumplings (or steamed mini pork buns) has been all over town. And as a result, it has been reviewed by almost every food blog and lifestyle magazine in the last 2 months since the official opening at Sydney's World Square.

I finally took my camera along and joined the queue.

Outside, on a wet Friday evening, over 50 people hungrily waited for their ticket number to be called. I'm not sure how it works in the other 41 branches worldwide, but they've implemented a rather efficient ordering system here which keeps the big crowds happy.

Firstly, when you request for a table, the number of seats you require is scribbled down against a ticket number. The staff present you with a paper menu which has the corresponding ticket number on the top right. Hence while you wait, you're able to debate over your order and hopefully, by the time your table is ready, the paper menu would have quantity numbers next to each of the dishes you're ordering. (You're able to add to the order once you've seated)

To help customers get even more excited after they've mapped out their orders, there are ceiling high windows which reveal a team of masked and white lab coat dressed cooks, busily mixing, kneeding and wrapping dumpling after dumpling. Such care was given to each task. At one time, a woman took out what looked to be a pre-prepared symmetrical cube of wonton wrappers... she folded the top sheet into a triangular half and proceeded to slice off the spare millimeters of pastry to ensure that the wontons would be wrapped in accuracy.

Beside the dumpling kitchen was a massive full benchtop steamer. The picture below shows just how high they were stacked!

Steamer stacked high with dumplings

After waiting for just a little less than an hour, I impatiently asked the waitress how much longer I'd have to wait, considering several people who had arrived after me were seated already. She asked if a share-table was OK and without too much though, I agreed. If I had been aware that it was a round communal table, I probably would have thought twice. Lesson learnt.

Once seated, the waiters and waitresses confirmed our order and within minutes, dishes start popping up on the table. First off were their signature soup dumplings, six for $8.80. The pastry skin was admirably paper-thin and so delicate. The recommended method to eating them was to dip it with soy and vinegar, place it on a spoon while stabbing a little hole into the top to let the hot steam out, and after adding a few bits of shredded ginger, you slurp it whole, allowing the soup to burst in your mouth.

I really appreciated the perfection of each tiny morsel. Din Tai Fung claims that each of the xiao long bao have at least 18 pleats in them, and by the looks of things, it's most likely true. The casing was almost translucent and flawless in appearance but was also strong enough not to break when picked up with chopsticks.

Available for a limited time were these special steamed crab meat with crab roe and pork soup dumplings. They looked the same as the original pork variety... additionally hinting a light tender crab flavour... not quite worth the $15.80 I'd paid for the serving of six.

I also had this fruity green slurpee looking drink which was a delectable blend of lychee and mint.

The shrimp and pork shao mai didn't resemble the yum cha kind. They were flavoursome and reflective of the house specialty's soup dumpling filling. It was quite simply better than any shao mai I have ever tasted.

Steering away from Din Tai Fung's specialty dumplings, we tried the noodles with stir-fried pork and broad beans which were nice but pretty ordinary.

The wonton soup wasn't overly exciting either, although i did notice the perfect alignment of the casing's edges.

As soon as the waiter noticed we had finished our savoury dishes, he checked our order and signaled to the kitchen that we were ready for the dessert to be brought out. These golden taro rolls looked simple but tasted great. And it wasn't a tough choice either, considering a significant section of the dessert menu was 'unavailable'.

For 2 people, we paid $76 and left wanting a little bit more.

Din Tai Fung
Shop 11.04, Level 1, World Square Shopping Centre
(walk up the stairs near Bay Swiss)
644 George St, Sydney
www.dintaifung.com.au

I accepted a very last minute invitation last week, to Zen's sister-in-law's 27th birthday party. It was going to be a small one with just her husband & kids, housemates, Zen, my baby brother and me.

It started off well with a scrumptious steamboat. There were prawns, salmon, tripe, fish balls, enoki mushrooms, sashimi, squid, slice beef, beef balls and mussels.

But then, what started with a cheeky dab of cream on someone's face turned into the biggest cake fight I have ever witnessed. The apartment was painted with left over slices of taro cake and fresh cream. Evidence below.

Good times...

I'm not sure there are many restaurants out there with a Facebook page of more than 700 fans. Chinese Noodle Restaurant is a cheap and cheery place, popular with students, grads and just about everyone else... and has 719 fans & counting!

Over the years, Chinese Noodle Restaurant has fine-tuned its process to meet its peak hour demands such that by the time a table is available for you, the order you had placed outside is served almost immediately. The service is as quick as fast food and rather quirky. Cans of soft drinks are stored in eskies and like most Northern Chinese and Uighur restaurants, there are grape vines hanging from the ceiling and wall tapestries on all sides.

At Chinese Noodle Restaurant, there's even a tiny squared window for customers to view the kneading, whacking and stretching of handmade noodles.

One of my favourite dishes here, is the eggplant special. Chunky pieces of eggplant are fried and coated in a light crisp glaze... thankfully, they have never been overbearingly soaked in oil.

I was in a classic kind of mood, so we also order these steamed pork and chive dumplings which are scrumptious with a dash of chilli and vinegar. The serving size was plentiful with a 12 serve only costing us $8.50. Other variations include egg & chives, pork & Chinese cabbage, pork & seafood, lamb & celery, lamb & onion and lamb & carrot. The dumplings can also be boiled or tossed in a light pan-fry.

These pan-fried mini pork buns were piping hot and so filling! The crunchy base was addictive so I found myself finishing off more than I should have! But I think I'd still prefer the crab filling from Shanghai Night / New Shanghai in Ashfield.

Today, the signature Xinjiang handmade noodle stir-fry was heavier than usual but the combination of Chinese cabbage, tomatoes and capsicum provided relief.

Nothing beats a tasty, authentic and highly addictive midweek dinner at Chinese Noodle Restaurant.

Chinese Noodle Restaurant
Prince Centre, Shop 7 / 8 Quay St, Chinatown
(02) 9281 9051

As I'm making my way to Shanghai Night (confusingly, the dumpling / noodle house next door), a woman fiercely slides open the door of New Shanghai and beckons us to sit down.

The menu was practically identical to its rival except this place was cleaner, brighter and dare I say better?

Replacing the torn fluoro menu posters were LCD TV's... and the corner table and chair was transformed into a modern open kitchen. Throughout the night, I watched as the cook effortlessly kneaded the dough and wrapped trays after trays of dumplings and buns.

These are my absolute favourite. They're steamed mini pork buns, which are also known as 'xiao long bao'. I love how they're steamed to perfection... the first bite always lets out a squirt of steam and soup which is ofcourse full in pork, ginger and soy flavour. They were delish!

Soon after, these uber crispy dumplings arrive. They're exactly what we wanted. Piping hot pastry with tender juicy morsels of pork mince and coriander inside.

The Shanghai-style spicy noodle soup with bamboo, pork and beancurd was good too. Although I still preferred the handmade noodles at Northern Noodle House in Haymarket.

The bill came to $25. A bargain for 2 full bellies!

New Shanghai Chinese Restaurant
273 Liverpool Road Ashfield
Call (02) 9797 7284

On the weekend... I found myself at the Buddha's Birthday festival in Darling Harbour. I was there for the vegetarian food fair ofcourse!

The Chinese Garden Forecourt was filled with hungry families and volunteers from BLIA (Buddha's Light International Association) and IBAA (Fo Guang Shan Nan Tien Temple).

Here are some of my snapshots -

Buddha's Birthday Festival 2008
Saturday 10 - Sunday 11 May 2008
Darling Harbour

For more information, visit the official Nan Tien Temple events page: http://nantien.org.au/en/news/News_View.asp?NewsID=13

I have found it.

Fresh and cheap seafood that doesn't compromise on taste! Okay, so the service can be a hit and miss at times, but the food is casual Chinese at its best.

On a good service day, you'll be greeted with these salted peanuts as an appetiser. On a bad service day, expect to walk into the kitchen yourself to grab additional utensils or even to refill your own bucket of rice.

Live mud crab can be cooked to your desire for $45 per kilo. From my experience, this is completely below the market price of most decent Chinese restaurants in Sydney! Tantalize your taste buds with a fierce XO sauce or go for the traditional ginger, shallots and garlic.

The best thing about this restaurant is probably the genuineness. You get what you pay for. There's no worrying about the chef cheating you by keeping a crab leg to himself, or by cooking a smaller crab than the one you were showed.

During my recent two visits (funnily enough, they were 3 days apart), the crab was 0.850kg and 0.630kg... this was perfect for 2 people, keeping in mind the e-fu noodles were a must to soak up all the gorgeous live crab flavours. I haven't stopped raving about it since. A seafood dinner for two, for less than $50 in total!

The crab was delectable. The flesh was sweet, definitely fresh (we were shown the live crawling creature and weight) and simply divine. Chunks of shallots, ginger and garlic were braised through a thickened stock sauce.

It doesn't stop there. They have live tanks of barramundi, huge lobsters, king crabs, pipis and oysters... don't let the murky tanks, crowded tables or colourful foreign posters fool you. To be honest, I don't speak or read Chinese either... but have recently been most impressed with the waitress' and restaurant owner's improvement in English.

My other favourite dishes at Auburn Chinese Restaurant include the pork ribs in spicy salt, combination hotpot with tofu (below) and steamed oysters with soy, coriander and shallots.

You know what? You might even find me back there tonight...

Auburn Chinese Restaurant
138 South Parade, Auburn
(Opposite Auburn Station)
Closed on Tuesdays

Read about my previous entry on Auburn Chinese Restaurant.

I have just discovered a local Yum Cha that is comparable to those in the City. Rhodes Phoenix is neatly tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Rhodes Shopping Centre (also home to giant outlet Ikea). It is the 4th child of the Phoenix Restaurants family, the other siblings being Sky Phoenix, Hilltop Phoenix and Manly Phoenix; so I suppose it's success isn't really that surprising.

Marketed to Westerners, among the 500 seats are projector screens of cartoons and sport matches... these are entertaining yet frustrating since the chatter around the restaurant means the shows have to be played mute. The furnishings aren't the usual chandelier with masses of gold and red either... there were dark mahogany cabinets, spotlight lighting and dark drapes. English speaking staff helped a lot also.

First up was the classic Har Gow. These were prepared the traditional way with whole prawns, wrapped in a perfect -not too thick or sticky rice flour sheet.

Another traditional item was the Ham Sui Gok... not as big or crisp as I've previously had, but still it was sublimely filled with a mixture of pork mince, shitake mushrooms, bamboo and black fungus.

The Fung Jeow was absolutely divine. It was so tender and smooth... I think this absolutely exceeded standards... it's the best i've had :-)

Sui Mai... what can I say? It's the usual meaty dumpling... I ordered this dish for the man, as he likes his meats... haha! The prawn toast was a childhood delicacy. Fried on top of toast, I loveee everything about it -the crunch, the prawn paste, the sesame bits... mMmMm...

The desserts at yum cha have evolved in the recent years. Thumbs up to the fusion inspired Green Tea and Coconut Jelly, and the Mango Pudding.

Be sure to go early on weekends as it queues up.

Rhodes Phoenix
Level 5, Rhodes Shopping Centre

Web: www.phoenixrestaurants.com.au

I've been working across the street from Mother Chu's Vegetarian Kitchen the last 9 months. So I jumped at the opportunity of finally lunching there when 2 workmates mentioned that they were planning on trying something new. The elderly Chinese have a respect for this place, and I can totally understand why. They serve delicious vegetarian alternatives and the Buddhist culture is truley brought out in the casual decor, genuine service and hearty menu. Catering for strict Buddhists means that there's no alcohol consumption on the premises. Sparkling juices are prepared in replacement of wine and beer. And tofu or soybean of all shapes and textures are served looking and sometimes even tasting like the meaty variation.

Mother Chu's also do vegetarian peking duck! But considering our limited hour, we only had the San Choi Bao. There were bits of bamboo shoots, shitake mushrooms and water chestnut. I didn't really take notice of the other ingrdients but each bite was full of flavour. You could barely tell that it didn't consistent of meat!

Next was the honey glazed pumpkin and apples. The photo talks for itself. A thick yet light crisp batter coated the sweet pieces of pumpkin and apple. The glazed honey was perfect and wasn't one bit too sticky nor sweet. I'm coming back here for the dessert fritters... available in pineapple, banana and more.

The hot pot was meant to add greenery to our meal. But instead we were served white vegetables (cauliflower, potatoes & Chinese cabbage) in a glutinous curry sauce. The soybean and nori rolls were fried to a golden brown and tasted a lot like fish!

Mother Chu's Vegetarian Kitchen was warm & cosy. The generous serving sizes and yummy food makes it one of the must visit places along Pitt Street :)

Mother Chu's Vegetarian Kitchen
367 Pitt St Sydney
Mon-Fri 12:00pm- 3:00pm
Mon-Sat 5:00pm-10:00pm
Tel: (02) 9283-2828
Web: http://sydney.citysearch.com.au/E/V/SYDNE/0020/16/08/1.html

Way back on the 9th of February, the Chinese New Year festival was officially launched...

Cheers to a great start! What I love about being an ABC (Australian-born Chinese) is that I get to celebrate New Year twice. Nothing is better than getting that extra boost of motivation to fulfil the year's resolutions.

On another note... As we were lazing on the grounds of Belmore Park like hobos, I was introduced to a website that was totally dedicated to TeoChew people! For those who don't know what it is... simply put -it is a Chinese dialect. I've never been exposed to much of the history or culture, so now that I'm a member, there's so much to be learnt! Check it out www.gaginang.org.

More info on the 2007 Chinese New Year Festival

Last Thursday night, Eyeblaster AU had their Christmas party...

Port Orient Restaurant transforms into a karaoke bar after 9pm. So while we were really here to embarrass ourselves, the food was surprisingly impressive. For $59.90 per person, we had the 'Special Christmas Banquet' with two entrees (four pieces for $10). And what a great night it was -there was plenty of laughter, great entertainment and fablulous views which overlooked the harbour.

Inside the Scallop Seafood Case were fresh vegetables -onion and capsicum, enveloped within a creamy curry-scented paste...

The Crispy Skin Chicken was perfect! The skin was glossy and crisp, and the flesh inside was tender and sweet. MmMmm...

Another outstanding dish was the salt and pepper calamari, which reminded me of giant onion rings... The calarmari was coated with a thin batter, beaming with fragrant salt and pepper seasoning.

And after we all lay down our chopsticks with satisfaction, the greens arrived.

Port Orient Restaurant
Harbourside Shopping Centre
Level 2, Shop 449-451
Phone (02) 9282 9922

The Nan Tien Temple is the largest Buddhist temple in the southern hemisphere... so it has kind of become a tourist attraction for any visiting relatives. And depite the rain yesterday, it was no exception for my great aunt. The temple is gloriously tranquil, filled with the grandeur of giant monuments, fancy landscapes and rich chandeliers.

The dining hall, too, maintained the airy and peaceful ambience, with Buddha statues, soothing chants in the background and staff whom were extremely quiet and courteous. The vegetarian lunch set menu is available on Tuesdays to Fridays, 11am - 2pm, and on weekends from 11:30am until 2:30pm. For $8, we get two main dishes, today's being a curry stir-fry and a soy-based vegetable dish with tofu, another green veggie dish, a few pieces of veggie tempura, fresh fruit, and a side order of either hokkien noodles, steamed jasmine rice or fried rice. Spring rolls made with rice vermicelli, cabbage and carrot were also available for an additional dollar. What a bargain!

Iron Chef Chinese Seafood Restaurant is meant to be a part of the new breed. Along side it's sister restaurant, Zilver, they clearly stand out from the traditional Chinese restaurants, in terms of menu range, ambience and furnishing.

Next up was the Morwong, also known as the Deep Sea Bream, or Rubber Lips; and its lips truely lived up to it's name. Its soft flesh was steamed with shallots, coriander and soy. This dish was actually prepared wrong, but my lovely parents decided to not make a fuss and accepted it anyway. What sane-minded person would order such a large fish steamed? I don't know what the chefs were thinking? There was an apology -but no discount.. hehe...

Furthermore, this is how unthoughful the restaurant was... THEY DIDN'T SERVE THE CRAB FIRST! Being served in between dishes meant that we weren't able to fully savor this $180 dish. Snow Crabs are a little less meaty than other crabs, but it is meant to be sweeter in flavour. Ours was somewhat dull and tasteless. Doh!

Another of my absolute favourite dishes would have to be this crispy taro duck... deboned duck, deep-fried with creamy taro paste on the inside... and served with a thick shitake mushroom sauce.

Then we had the Wasabi Beef which hardly tasted of the unbearably hot kick I can desired for.

Beauty is obviously skin-deep. Beneath the classy makeover, were waiters whom spoke while chewing gum and food which took over an hour to be prepared and served...

Iron Chef Chinese Seafood Restaurant
84 Broomfield St Cabramatta
Phone (02) 9723 6228

Mother Chu's isn't a place you go to for service or cleanliness... The seating is crowded, but nonetheless, we ordered, and paid upfront. The food was fairly cheap, and as expected, very greasy.

Mother Chu's Taiwanese Gourmet
Shop 1, 8688 Dixon St Chinatown / Haymarket
Tel: (02) 9211 0288

What a nice ending to a very hectic week. The Eyeblaster AU team switched on our Outlook out-of-office assistants, and diverted our direct lines for what we hoped to be a peaceful Friday afternoon... Lunch was served at the Moore Park Golden Century Seafood Restaurant. The ceiling to floor windows exposed us to the lovely landscaped streets of the Entertainment Quarter. The interior was spacious and airy... also unexpectedly quiet.

A little disappointed that this seafood restaurant didn't have any soft-shelled crab, we ordered two servings of the salt & pepper squid.

The wasabi beef was one of this restaurant's specialties, but I found it a little too sweet, and was missing that little extra kick of hotness from the wasabi. I've had this dish before at TingHa Restaurant at Parramatta, where the beef was actually green. Overall, it was quite nice and tender.

Moore Park Golden Century Seafood Restaurant
Shop 1/F, 220/888 Bent Street
Entertainment Quater, Cnr Lang Road & Driver Avenue, Moore Park
Tel: 9358 4488
Web: http://www.goldencentury.com.au/

Early Sunday morning, crowds gather amongst the steps of this restaurant to wait for a seat. Towards the busier afternoon, numbered tickets are handed out to ensure that it's a smooth process (yes, hungry yum-cha goers can sometimes make a scene if the queue is unjustified). Once our number is called, we feel a sense of pride... as though we've just won exclusive entrance to a celebrity fested event. I felt everyone's envy as we were hushed into the busy restaurant.

Immediately, we begun pointing at dishes we'd like order. Today, my yum-cha companion is Zen. With both of us speaking poor Chinese, we naturally order in English. I found that the majority of waitresses were able to describe the dishes with 2 words or less. I was often told that the food was "different" or "very nice".

Overall, we were charged a little over $40... which I thought was pretty pricey for the quality and quantity! I'll be sure to post up the over-due entry on Emperor's Garden - Yum Cha soon...

Crystal Seafood Restaurant, Strathfield
Shop 29/11 The Boulevarde, Strathfield.

Opens for Yum cha from 11am - 3pm on weekdays and from 11am - 3pm on weekends.

My family has been regulars at Auburn Chinese Restaurant for almost a year now. Before that, we never really tried any local restaurants. But this place has restored our trust! Now, it has become our alternative to home cooking. The Auburn Chinese Restaurant offers simple hearty Chinese food, with BYO. It is great casual dining for those lazy days. Be sure to turn up early though, because it gets packed by 7pm. This night... I went with Zen.

Auburn Chinese Restaurant
138 South Parade, Auburn
(Opposite Auburn Station)
Closed on Tuesdays.

Zen's constant craving for Peking Duck drove him into taking me to Sydney Beijing Restaurant, at Ashfield. We chose the Sydney Beijing Restaurant because after a quick search in Google, we couldn't help but notice the number of Chinese bloggers commenting at this restaurant's similarity to the authentic flavours in Beijing.

Sydney Beijing Restaurant
333 Liverpool Road, Ashfield

Phone: (02) 9716 5523