I’ve been to Ashfield, Burwood and Chinatown for dumplings during the winter months but I always seem to come back to Chinatown Noodle Restaurant. Having spent my Uni days near the Chinatown area, visits here were few and far between. We use to eat around UTS meaning apart from the UTS broadway campus food court, we would frequent Subway, KFC, McDonalds and Ogalos quite regularly. Little did we know that Bourke St Bakery had a sister store nearby. If we felt like Asian food, we would goto Market City food court for some Mongolian Lamb hot plate or dodgy Laksa. Little did we know that hidden away were several dumpling houses such as Chinatown Noodle Restaurant near by.

The restaurant is nestled between Menya and a few Taiwanese eateries. The place next door usually has massive queues, from Students to curious first timers who we noticed were giving the restaurant a go because the queues were long.

Special braised eggplant $10.80

Some of the guys weren’t too excited when I said I was ordering braised eggplant, their opinions changed quickly after their first few bites. The eggplant is braised, resulting in something fleshy and soft however the outside is slightly crispy. It’s a bit like a banana fritter where you get a nice country exterior but a warm and moist banana flesh inside. This is my favourite dish on the menu, one of the few which are on my must order list.

Steamed pork & chive dumplings ($8.50 for 12)

My favourite combination of all is pork and chive, despite the guaranteed ‘breath test fail’ which chives give. There really isn’t much to say about this dumpling, that it is light on dumpling skin and generous on filling is good enough for me.

Jellyfish salad ($9)

To break things up a bit we order the jelly fish salad which has an abundance of cabbage, cucumber and jellyfish. It’s a refreshing dish, plenty of crunch and a bit of a sour kick with the vinegar based sauce. It’s served cold and it is very refreshing.

Salt and pepper crispy pork $13.80

I love the fried varieties of pork and chicken, with my favourite being fried salt and pepper spare ribs. Unfortunately, the pork here is nothing special with the batter dominating the pork. The serving is generous though, we find ourselves snacking on the pork at the end of our meal while chatting about office politics and shenanigans over tea before heading back to work.

Chinatown Noodle Restaurant
8 Quay St
Haymarket NSW 2000

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As part of the Chinese New Year celebrations, Zensation in Surry Hills is holding a number of Chinese High Tea sessions, an enjoyable 2 hours which serves nicely as an introduction to a few of the different Asian varieties of tea. Starting with a ruby red Hibiscus Flower tea our Host (and store owner) Raymond Leung gave us a brief overview of the teas to be served and introduced his staff members (two of whom are incidentally  his daughters).  His passion for teas is clear in his voice and the store clearly reflects his background in interior design with wonderfully whimsical lanterns strewn about the store, fabrics and colours bringing the small store to life.

A total of 6 teas were served all with accompanying side dishes, the staff were kept busy moving around the store for the relatively large group of approximately 20 people. As each tea was served to the tables Raymond would relate a little about each tea and explain the history behind each. One of the staff members demonstrating was a qualified Tea Ceremony master and it was truly mesmerising watching her technique as she prepared each tea without hesitation, her hands moving with a swift precise motion.

I find that trying to describe the taste of tea to people is almost impossible for me. I can’t seem to describe the taste of tea as clear and defined with a musky scent without feeling a bit of a twat in the process! One of the things I love about tea is that it isn’t all about the taste, it’s the atmosphere it creates for me while I’m sipping at one of my favourite brews and that was very much what this High Tea experience tries to create for you.

Hibiscus Flower Tea

White Peony served with Assorted Chinese Almond Cakes

Eating these Almond cakes was a blast from the past! I haven’t eaten them for years and the first bite took me back to being a kid and prying open the tin box to get at these crumbly almond cookies. The almost drying sensation of the cakes made it a great match for the mild white tea.

Zensation Jade served with Edamame

Despite the Japanese snack, this particular green tea originated from the North West region of China.

Milky Oolong served with Custard Egg Tart

My favourite tea of the day! Following a rather elaborate preparation the tea is then poured into the taller cup (male cup). The round cup is then placed on top and the entire set up flipped over to be drunk out of the smaller cup. The tall cup retained a beautiful floral scent and the resulting tea was amazingly fragrant with a strong enough flavour to compliment the egg tart.

Pu-Erh served with Steamed Dim Sum

The Pu-Erh tea is fermented for a number of years and is stored in cake form. The resulting tea was a deeply dark brown colour with an almost earthy taste. The leaves which result from the cake can be steeped up to 10 times without any loss in flavour.

Bouquet Tea served with Rice Dumpling

Our final tea was a beauty! Also known as a blossoming tea, a tightly stitched together flower with needles of tea is placed in the pot and slowly unfolds as the heat starts to penetrate. Despite its visual appeal it was probably the weakest tea of the lot and apart from the sheer fun of watching it unfold found it rather forgettable.

As an overall introduction to asian teas I found the session a lot of fun. I’ve tried a lot of these varieties of teas before but getting a quick history behind the teas as well as just relaxing in the rather eclectic looking shop made the two hours almost fly by as I simply chatted to L as we enjoyed our tea. For people interested in something a little more in dept, Zensation are looking into starting a Chinese Tea Appreciation Course! Details are hopefully coming soon. 

Zensation are running the Chinese Tea Appreciation courses as part of the Sydney Chinese New Year festivities. Bookings are essential and sessions are $30 per person and include a 20% voucher at the end.

Zensation
656 Bourke St
Redfern, NSW, 2016
Ph: (02) 9319 2788

Chinese High Tea Details

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Sam one day sent me a link to the Mahjong Room, asking if I was interested in playing Mahjong whilst having lunch. For most of the time, anything involving food piques my interest, but it was the thought of playing Mahjong while eating (for some reason) that really intrigued me. Despite having a Chinese background, I have never played this age old game before (I don’t really see the tile-pairing matching game on the computer to be ‘true’ Mahjong).

I know, shocking, isn’t it?

It’s been a while since I went and have unfortunately forgotten our host’s name, but he gave us a brief introduction to the history of Mahjong, then proceeded to go over the main objectives and rules. We were to learn the very simplified version of Mahjong, as we only had two and a half short hours to learn and play it (and it’s less confusing what with not having to worry about the points system).

It was a bit hard to fully understand it a first, but both our host and Sam assured us that as once we started playing, we’d get the hang of it.

Oh noes! It/'s crooked!

We first played an open hand to get us used to the rules (and kind of have more of an idea of what the heck we were doing), which Ram won.

Our host would walk around to the tables, helping where confusion reigned and explained a lot of things, but we were rather glad that we had Sam – it was as if we had our own private tutor! Hehe, technically we did.

Absolutely love doing this! So much fun

We were served tea as soon as we were seated, but during the second (but now closed hand) game, we started to wonder when they were going to serve lunch – I, for one, was rather hungry (not having had breakfast and all).

It wasn’t until we were almost finished with our second game that our first dishes were served. We then realised that while the table was perfect for playing Mahjong, it wasn’t near big enough to eat at, at the same time. Our dishes were placed on any free space and, lacking that, on top of the tiles.

San Choi Bao (with Vegetables)

Our host had come around and asked us if we had any special dietary needs – Ruby raised her hand and said that she’d prefer not to eat meat, but seafood was okay. I thought it was nice that they remembered she was the aquatarian on our table, so all the special dishes were placed in front of her.

Ruby tells me that the vegetable San Choi Bao was quite delicious and I could quite help but be slightly envious by the generous portion size: she had two bao’s to our one-each.

San Choi Bao (with Chicken)

We were given bowls and chopsticks, but it was a bit awkward with the lack of room to put anything down. I’m quite sure I used the bowl to capture any errant saucy drops from the bao.

I loved how crisp the fried noodles were and how the sauce didn’t overwhelm the flavours of the moist chicken or fresh vegetables, but rather, it enhanced them. It was quite a joy to eat.

Or maybe it was so because we were quite hungry. Either or, we loved the San Choi Bao and ate it with much gusto.

Shallot Pancakes

Being not the biggest fan of shallots, I wasn’t expecting to like this dish – I love being proven wrong when it comes to food. The pancakes were made just right, so that it wasn’t over powered by the shallots, but it wasn’t hiding the flavour either – allowing the shallots to subtly add to the overall taste.

There was a tomato dipping sauce, but I didn’t think it added anything to the pancakes and was just as good eaten plain.

We got two slices each (I think one was eaten prior to the photo being taken *shake fist*).

Boiled Vegetarian Dumplings with Choy Sum, Black Fungus, and Pressed Tofu (I think)

These were lightly flavoured and while it was pretty decent, it wasn’t as memorable as say the San Choi Bao.

We got one each. There seems to be a trend of eating one of everything – in a way, it was such a teaser, kind of like an amuse bouche (hehe I’ve been watching Top Chef lately and just wanted to use it, my bad). If anything, it was making me more hungry rather than filling me up!

Tiger Prawn and Chicken Wontons - Minced Prawn and Chicken wrapped in Crispy Pastry

I personally adored how crunchy the wontons were, and they weren’t overly oily either. The slightly sweet-sour sauce nicely complimented the contents within, which tasted quite fresh and well-cooked (succulent, not rubbery).

Definitely wished I had more of these to eat.

Xiao Loong Bao - Shanghai style steamed Pork Dumplings

I can never get over how cute these always look (yes, even the mangled one on the right).

The broth inside was a little salty, but the meat wasn’t too bad though it wasn’t quite up to the standards of the bao from New Shanghai or Din Tai Fung.

I’m quite sure Ruby got something else since this was pork and she absolutely abhors the taste, but I must not have taken a photo of it… *gasp* Terrible! I’m not certain why I didn’t – I’m sure I had a good reason… I hope. Sorry!

Blue Swimmer Crab Gow Gee - Poached Dumplings served in Light Broth

More dumplings! These were okay, but sadly it was the last dish (I think we were a bit crest-fallen at the fact).

The dishes had consistently come out quickly once we started eating, but so involved in our game were we that we didn’t realise that they had stopped. We kind of looked at each other and wondered if that was it. Sadly it was.

(And sadly, we were still hungry).

We managed to squeeze in two more games (in which Ruby and I won respectively) before the end of the playlunch session.

The Mahjong Playlunch sessions run for 2.5-3 hours and cost $36 per person, which includes the dim sum “nibbles” (which I’m quite sure they’ve amended since last time I checked the website – if I had known, I would have eaten something beforehand!) above. Check the website for the dates of the sessions, as there are only 2 sessions held on every second Saturday of the month this year.

Booking is essential, where you must book in groups of 4, 8, or 12. I initially emailed them for a booking, but was politely requested that I call in, as they grab your credit card details in the event of a cancellation (full cost applies if cancellation is within 3 days of the session, or something like that).

Mahjong Playlunch
312 Crown St
Surry Hills, NSW, 2010
Ph: (02) 9361 3985
Web: http://www.mahjongroom.com.au/

Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday, 6pm to 10.30pm

© squishies for eatshowandtell, 2009. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: chicken, dumpling, pork, Seafood, Sydney, Sydney, Surry Hills

Seriously, I refuse to pay a premium price for my beloved dumplings. While Din Tai Fung has grace, class and attentive customer service, Ashfield’s small and dodgy looking establishments make it close enough to being the dumpling capital of Sydney, if not Australia. Keep in mind, it’s the great tasting dumplings at a fraction of the price of Din Tai Fung which makes me coming back for more at either Shanghai Night, or New Shanghai. 

This evening, we duck in for a quick dinner. It was 6.30pm on a Saturday evening and I was already moaning about the potential lining up we had to do. When we arrived, I was amazed that there were only two tables occupied throughout the entire restaurant. Credit crunch anyone ?

There is always a man in the corner sitting down hand making the dumplings. His routine is robotic, his dumplings are consistent. I’d be surprised if he couldn’t roll me a dumpling with his eyes closed.

Not long after we order, our first batch of dumplings arrive. The service at Shanghai Night is quick, even when it is packed to the rafters.

Steamed Shanghai style mini pork bun $6.50 (Xiu Long Bao)

These tiny packets of goodness retain the contents of their soup 99% of the time. The other 1% requires some delicate handling to ensure the dumpling isn’t seared by the carelessness of one’s chopstick handling. Our dumplings arrive looking incredibly fresh, still steaming out of it’s bamboo steamer.The soup is hot, so be careful. Think of it as trying a meat pie once it’s come out of then oven, the first bite always has to be delicate otherwise you’d burn your tongue. 

Fried pork dumplings

Very similiar to the xiu long bao’s above, but fried. We actually ordered the wrong one, I wanted the one with chives in it but beggars can’t be choosers right ? The skin on these dumplings is slightly crispy, and I actually quite like the burntness on the bottom of each dumpling. Once again, be careful with these dumplings as they are full of hot soup which is seriously addictive.  

BBQ Lamb skewers (6 for $7.80)

These skewers are a common sight in Shanghai and Beijing. Many street vendors line the streets and grill their meat freshly on the spot for the fraction of the price we pay here. I lived on these religiously in China, so I was curious to see how Shanghai Night compared. First of all, they had the right idea by cooking them over a charcoal bbq out the back of the restaurant. From where I was sitting, I snuck a quick photo of the waitress grilling my skewers. At the same time, she had a hand fan in her left hand fanning the charcoals. I felt like I was back in Beijing at that moment. 

The lamb skewers are tender and cooked perfectly. Copious amounts of spices are covered on each skewer, ensuring an ‘earthy’ type taste. I’m not exactly sure what the spices are, but I could definately taste some cumin and chilli powder. 

Crispy skin duck ($16 ish)

The duck was fantastic, despite tasting like it went for a bath in a tub of salt before it made it’s way onto our table. The skin is slightly crispy and the duck is moist and not overly dry. I did notice myself constantly reaching for our teapot because of the saltyness of this dish though. 

Perhaps there was a sale of tea pots in Yagoona ?

This will be our last post for 2008. Thanks for reading our blog, we hope to see you all again in 2009!!!

Shanghai Night

275 Liverpool Road, Ashfield, Sydney
Tel: (02) 9798 8437
Open : 7 days 10am -10pm
Cash only

© Howard for eatshowandtell, 2008. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Ashfield, dumpling

Howard’s aunty from Hong Kong annually makes a trip to Australia to visit the family. Therefore every year for a period of 2-3 weeks, lucky for me there’s eating out every day of the week. What makes each meal even better is that I don’t have to pay for any of it =D

After exploring just about every chinese restaurants in the Ashfield region, Howard suggested that we try Yummy restaurant in Beverley Hills. The chinese newspaper advertised a special deal on the crabs, provided you dined in on the weekdays.

Yummy restaurant has two branches, one on the Hume Highway in the Yagoona area, and the second in Beverley Hills. Having tried the one in Yagoona previously which resulted in utter dissapointment, I was a little apprehensive about Beverly Hill’s. However, upon arrival to the restaurant, witnessing the restaurant filled to full capacity albeit on a week night, the hustle and bustle from the waiters combined with the buzzing chatting from the patrons assured me that this would be a different experience.

Stir fried Mud crab with ginger and scallion

For me, what makes or breaks this dish is dependant on how fresh the crab is. In this instance, the crab was definitely fresh, with the flesh being sweet and springy. A light sauce coated each piece of crab meat, helping to enhance the flavours of the crab.

Stir fry of three mushrooms with baby bok choy

This is a very simple dish consisting of three types of mushrooms: Oyster, Shitake and Enoki, flash fried with baby bok choy. The flame radiating through from the frying pan licked each piece well, ensuring that each piece was cooked, yet still retain its natural form (rather than all wilted). As the previous dish, the sauce is very basic, thus allows the vegetables to be the star of the show.

Salt and Pepper pork

Pieces of pork ribs dipped in a thick batter and fired to crispy gold. The pieces are thin and quickly stir fried in a chilli, ginger and spring onion mixture and flavoured well with salt and pepper. At first sight, i was quite impressed at how this dish was presented, each piece of pork was separated and coated in the mixture, overall it was not drenched in oil.

Steamed egg tofu with seafood

A favourite of ours. The tofu combined with the egg to form a custard consistency, topped with thick and saucy prawns, scallop and mushroom mixture, was definitely the outstanding dish of the night. The freshness of the seafood together with creamy tofu just melts in your mouth with each spoonful.

Stir fried beans with dried shrimps

To balance out the meat dishes, another vegetable dish was mandatory. The beans were stir fried in crushed dried shrips, flavoured with garlic and plenty of chilli. I found the saltyness or the dried prawn/garlic mix too strong, thus overpowering the sweetness of the bean.

If you’re ever driving around Beverly Hills and at the same time famished, I’d recommend you give Yummy a go. The freshness of their seafood comined with traditional methods and flavours would for the Chinese people, be a reminder of mum’s home cooked meal; while for others, open up your tastebuds to a whole new world of flavours.

Yummy Seafood Chinese Restaurant

503 King Georges Rd
Beverly Hills, NSW 2209
(02) 9580 0788 
Open 7 days

© Linda for eatshowandtell, 2008. | Permalink | 4 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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