Category: Chinese

One of the most common food in the world, but it can be ultra perfect. Chinese can also be considered one of the cheapest restaurants you can get in a suburb.

Cafe Mix

Rating:

7 / 10

Taste: 7 / 10

Price: $75 buffet dinner

Place: 7.5 / 10

Review:

Prior to this review, I’ve been to Cafe Mix at Shangri-La Hotel a couple of times before for both its buffet and a la carte dinner. However, we decided to write on their buffet dinner. Available only on weekends, they have a buffet dinner called Spectacular Seafood Buffet at Cafe Mix Shangri-La, a big and catchy name for sure. So, how was it?

The buffet was divided into four sections with the first one strategically located just after the entrance. It was a crepe station with a fondue fountain filled with loads of goodies: strawberries, churros, marshmallow, and lollies. It would definitely grab instant attention for kids and adults alike.

The second one was its centrepiece: seafood buffet bar. There were a lot of chilled seafood dishes, like Balmain bugs, crabs, oysters and prawns. There was also whole poached salmon. Squid, octopus, scallops, and white baits were made into different kinds of salad. There was also a selection of salads for vegetarians. There were two Japanese dishes (sushi plates and miso soup) fitted awkwardly next to the seafood buffet. I didn’t like the sushi and didn’t even try the soup.

The third section comprises of a mixture of hot dishes, mostly of Asian influence, like roasted pork belly, BBQ pork, and noodles. There were also some European dishes, including Arancini mushrooms, carbonara pasta and mussels in white wine. At the other end of the table, there were several Indian dishes, like Mango Chicken and basmati rice with pappadums (love the pappadums!). However, I skipped most of them (including some vegetable dishes I didn’t bother to check) to reserve my tummy space for its dessert.

Lastly, we have the dessert section. As I am a big fan of macarons, my eyes were fixated on them. They still couldn’t beat Baroque’s in terms of taste, but were more than okay for ‘free’ ones! I am also a big fan of crème brûlée, but I could only taste my wife’s crème brûlée as they weren’t available when I tried to get it! Other notable desserts include: apple crumble, some chocolate desserts, meringue and jelly.There was also a selection of cheese if you fancy them.

The final verdict for Cafe Mix at Shangri-La

There was definitely abundance of choices when you dined at Cafe Mix. However, these dishes were simply too ordinary for the listed price. I did hog on the Balmain bugs as they were pretty uncommon and quite similar to lobster.

Details:

Level 1, Shangri-La Hotel

176 Cumberland Street, The Rocks, Sydney, NSW 2000

02 9250 6000

http://www.shangri-la.com/sydney/shangrila/dining/restaurants/cafe-mix/

Jan 20, 2014
Kingsford Chinese Restaurant

Rating:

7 / 10

7.5 for the trinity!
Taste: 7/10

Price: $8.5 – $12 per person

Place: 5.5/10

Review:

This week’s review was arguably the hardest review I have ever done in my life. Kingsford Chinese Restaurant is iconic in many ways and I might be risking the wrath of hundred thousand UNSW students who had no doubt tasted the food in this restaurant during their uni years and beyond. This might be the cheapest restaurant you could ever get in Sydney! For the price, the food was arguably the best amongst the rest of ‘cheap’ restaurants in town.

So what’s the catch: Service! In this place, the owner is the queen. If you ever expressed your discontent to her, the most she’d reply would be ‘Meh’. I guess she doesn’t need snobbish customers when people still line up for her food. So, anyone from owner to waiters/waitresses doesn’t really care about you.

Anything else you need to know? The restaurant is tightly spaced on the first floor. If you come with seven or more people, the second floor is pretty spacious. You might also want to dry/clean up your cutleries as they might not be properly dried.

Let’s get down to business. Why do people want to come to this restaurant are they still willing to queue outside? It’s because of the trinity; the three dishes that 90% of visitors would at least have one of them.

The first one was the infamous Sang Tung Chicken ($11). I particularly liked this one because of the portion and also the sweet taste. They were seriously overabundant and tasty. The top part of the dish was actually boneless meats and the bones spread out under them.

We called the next one Long Bean Belacan ($11). On the menu it was called Braised Green Bean with Malaysian Chilli Sauce. Don’t worry; it’s not a spicy dish! Belacan is a fermented shrimp paste that usually comes with chilli and garlic. This was one od the few vegetable dishes I didn’t mind eating.

My favourite would be the Salt and Pepper Calamari. It is officially named Deep Fried Calamari with Pepper Salt ($11). It was the most awesome(est!) Calamari I have ever tasted. They were incredibly crunchy but still soft in the middle. Hint: Don’t eat this without rice!

Since we had a bit more people, we ordered two more dishes: Chicken and Sweet Corn Soup and Stir Fried Rice Noodles with Beef. The soup was so-so but it only costed us $3.5. The stir-fried noodles dish was acceptable for a dish under $10.

The final verdict for Kingsford Chinese Restaurant

Kingsford Chinese Restaurant provided the best tasting food for its price. There are three staple foods: Salt and Pepper calamari, Sang Tung chicken and Long Bean belacan. If you want very fast service, order those three and nothing else! Oh, and try not to complaint too much…

Why do I give a seven?

I feel that I need to justify my scoring system here.

Kingsford Chinese Restaurant might not give you the perfect dining experience. It might on the other be your worst nightmare if you were a difficult and picky customer. However in terms of quality and what you get for your dollars, it was an exceptional value.

Details:

426 Anzac Parade, Kingsford NSW 2032

+61 2 9663 1728

Mar 7, 2013
Sky Phoenix

Rating:

7 / 10 Taste: 7/10

Price: $20-30 per person

Place: 7.5/10

Review:

If you read my review on Kam Fook restaurant, this review is almost too similar to it. Just like Kam Fook, Sky Phoenix also serves Yum Cha, is located in one of the best shopping centres in Sydney, has identical price structures, and (most importantly!) friendly service.

We always start our Yum Cha session with prawns: prawn dumplings (har gow), prawn siomay (shu mai, shaomai – however you want to pronounce it) and prawn rice noodles. They are the three not-to-be-missed dishes when I tried a new yum cha restaurant.

I also liked to order Beef Sticky Rice. The sticky rice was wrapped in lotus leaf. It was one of the dishes that could fill up my tummy pretty quickly. From the outside, it might not look appetising. However, it was very dense and heavy with egg yolk, mushroom and meat wrapped inside the sticky rice.

If you like deep fried stuff, there are lots of options in Sky Phoenix, including whitebait. This time, tho, we ordered Taro Dumpling and the all-too-standard Spring Rolls. Taro dumpling is an interesting little dish. It was mashed taro deep fried with mushrooms, egg yolk and meat fillings.

Our only green of the day came from Steamed Gai Lan with Oyster Sauce. As a matter of fact, I could not find any other green vegetables other than this one.

If you still need more carbs after all those dishes, these next three would guarantee you leave with full tummy. Fried noodles are the obvious fast choice or you can also try carrot / turnip cake. However, my most favourite is Fried Rice Noodles with peanut, sesame and hoi sin sauce.

The next two dishes you would most likely need to order (or skip altogether). They were chicken feet and beef tripe. The good thing about it was the dishes were made to order, so more often than not you get nice tasting chicken feet. They were soft with a hint of sweet and chilli sauce.

In addition to the usual suspects (Mango Pancake and Mango Pudding), our desserts also consisted of Dou fu fa. Indonesians have different names for this dish, with the most common being Kembang Tahu or Tahu Tauwa. They are layers of silken tofu, served warm with sweet ginger syrup.

The final verdict for Sky Phoenix

If you want to eat Yum Cha without having a sense of rushed, Sky Phoenix is the place to be.

Did you know?

Yum Cha, directly translated from Cantonese, means ‘drink tea’. According to Wikipedia, this ritual of morning or afternoon tea is usually accompanied by eating dim sum dishes.

Details:

Level 6, Shop 6001 Westfield Sydney, 188 Pitt Street, Sydney 2000

+61 2 9223 8822

http://www.phoenixrestaurants.com.au/sky-phoenix/about

Jan 31, 2013
Kensington Peking Restaurant

Rating:

7 / 10

Taste: 7.5/10

Price: $25 per person

Place: 6.5/10

Review:

I have heard about this legendary Peking duck restaurant for ages but I haven’t got the chance to visit. I can proudly say that I have now visited Kensington Peking restaurant twice after my initial visit almost a month ago!

Without further ado, I present you the indescribable Peking duck. For the whole duck, we got three-course meal out of it – not bad for a $41 price tag! First course of the duck was Peking duck with side dishes of pancake, cucumber, spring onion, and hoisin sauce. I really couldn’t stop enjoying the crispiness of its skin and the juicy meat.

San choy bow was the second duck course. It was not really my favourite dish since there were a lot more vegetables involved than I would like to. The third course was Noodles with shredded duck. This one was actually a distant last in the actual order of appearance, as with any noodles in a Chinese restaurant.

My group and I had a different opinion about the next dish, drunken chicken. Most of them didn’t like it since it was cold and looked unappetising. On the other hand, I found that the chicken was really great with the rice wine and it was the cheapest dish of the day! I also liked our next dish, Shredded beef, and this time I wasn’t alone. The beef was extra crunchy, fried to perfection and a lot less oily.

Just when you thought you had enough of anything fried, we also ordered salt and pepper white bait. It’s just like the better tasting white baits all over town. The white baits here were slightly fatter, thus meatier, than normal. I kinda like the crunchy one, but the taste was still better than the average. Steamed fish ginger and shallot had a bit more than average shallots but the fish fillets.

I wouldn’t comment the last two dishes since they were just stir-fried vegetables. One was all greens and the other had tofu and beansprouts.

The final verdict: Kensington Peking really lived up to my expectations! They have (in cost-benefit term) the most cost effective Peking duck compared to its taste.

Did you know?

There were plenty of Easter shows happening around Sydney. We went to the one in Entertainment Quarter. It was a free event with a lot less goody bags, but it was still heaps of fun.

Details:

172 Anzac Parade, Kensington NSW 2033

+61 2 9313 7100

Apr 16, 2012
New Shanghai

Rating:

5.5 / 10

5 for its service!

Taste: 6/10

Price: $16per person

Place: 6.5/10

Review:

My first impression of New Shanghai was a very positive one. There were plenty of people willing to queue up, given the restaurant status of only residing in a food court. The décor inside was equally brilliant. It was made to resemble a street-side restaurant with an open kitchen theme. It reminded me of the other Chinese Restaurant I’ve reviewed, Din Tai Fung, mixed with authentic dining experience.

My good impression was short-lived. The waitress was pretty impatient and she actually walked out on us in the middle of order. She might have assumed we wouldn’t order any drinks or other food. We ordered hot tea from a different waiter.

The first dish arrived was Stir-fried Spinach with Garlic. It was a very plain water spinach dish with garlic. The second dish also followed suit of being plain. It was the Lamb and Leek Dumpling. It’s kind of reminded me of the frozen dumpling from Coles, with the additional vinegar and soy sauce (which can be obtained from the supermarket as well!).

Their hints of excellence came in the form of Deep Fried Calamari in Salted Egg Yolk. I would recommend you to enjoy this dish with a bowl of rice since it can be salty. Despite the egg yolk, the calamari was still crunchy and easy to chew. They also did ok in terms of its presentation.

Next dish to come was their specialty, Pan Fried Bun. This was the first time I enjoyed a bun, half fried at the bottom with meat filling and tasty broth inside. You might want to take it easy in enjoying the bun since the broth was quite hot when it was first served. You can also add soy sauce, chilli sauce and/or vinegar according to your taste. It was a mixture of sweet and crunchy bun with savoury filling.

We had to ask for the next dish (twice) before it eventually arrived. It was Drunken Chicken. It is a classic Chinese Dish served chilled and is supposed to be served as an entrée. However, this particular dish was bland and did not look appealing (and most certainly not an entrée). Furthermore, it turned out to be our last dish of the day since another waiter told us that our Deep fried chicken with special garlic & chilli sauce was not on the list of things we ordered.

The final verdict: They might have a nice Calamari and Pan Fried Bun, but their service was one of the worst I have ever experienced in my life. Not only the waitress left us before I finished ordering, she actually forgot one of my orders. Considering the queue, I was astonished that it wasn’t met with at least a decent service.

Did you know?

There are several branches of New Shanghai all around Sydney. The one in Bondi Junction is more of a food court stall rather than a fully-fledged restaurant. I think this setting actually works better for them at least they don’t use the terrible service. I’m sure I would’ve given 0.5 or 1 point more.

Details:

Shop B-038, Chatswood Chase, Chatswood, NSW 2067

02 9412 3358

http://www.newshanghai.com.au/

Oct 2, 2011
Kam Fook

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message color=”alert-info”]

Unfortunately, Kam Fook has closed its doors for good. In its place, there is another Yum cha place called Zilver.

[/vc_message][vc_column_text]
Rating:

7 / 10

Taste: 7 /10

Price: $25++ pp

Place: 7/10

Review:

This is one of the hardest reviews I’ve ever made and also one of the toughest to predict in terms of the price. I present you Kam Fook. I will review their Yum Cha, which literally means drinking tea (with the accompaniment of Dim Sum dishes). Just like any good yum cha places, be prepared to wait for quite a while if you are not early enough.

In a Yum Cha session, there is a little piece of paper on the table for the waitresses to stamp your orders. Waitresses will come with their trolley to your table offering you little dim sum plates. There are a lot you can choose from and unfortunately they only provided brief description in English. So you would need to be really familiar with the dishes you really wanted or it might be a challenge for you. I will try to cover as many dishes as possible in this review, but most importantly, none of these were bad.

Starting from the basic availability in Yumcha, we ordered Steamed Prawn Dim Sum and Siomay (Shu Mai). These dishes are always available in any restaurants and if you tasted a hint of disappointment, I suggest you pack up straight away. These are the dishes that shouldn’t go wrong.

These next two might rather be unusual for Westerners, Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf and Chicken Feet. It was one pretty messy dish in sticky rice. This one was kinda like Bakcang (or Rouzong) or sweet sticky rice with stewed meat and egg yolk. I’ll skip the chicken feet explanation and only say ‘Yummy’.

From the deep fried department, we ordered Whitebait and Prawn Dumpling. I always need some crunchy stuff when eating, thus this completed our experience.

For the staple food, we normally ordered Fried Rice Noodles with Peanut (and possibly Hoi Sin) sauce and Green Vegetables. Rice noodles were my personal favourite, lightly fried and went really well with the sauce.

There are also special dishes trolleys. On this occasion we ordered Pipis in XO Sauce. You might especially want to skip these dishes (including Peking Duck, Oysters, etc) if you don’t want your bill to skyrocket. I suggest you ordered one or two as a highlight for the day.

One thing that we never miss is the dessert. It has always been Mango Pudding and Pancake. They could’ve done better than just to put the pudding on a plastic cup, but nevertheless that’s the common ‘practice’ in a Yum Cha place.

The final verdict for Kam Fook:

Granted that the price might be a little bit more expensive for some of you, but Kam Fook presented the best thing a Yum Cha place is seriously lacking, Great Service – i.e. u don’t get kicked out as soon as you chew your last bite. I would also contest the term ‘pricey’ since I believe most Yum Cha places charge that amount with significantly less quality and crappy service.

Did you know?

Little did we know that Kam Fook obtained one hat chef for the SMH’s Good Food Guide in 2004. I guess that explained why they charged above average meal.

Location:

Shop 6010, Level 6, Westfield Shopping Centre, Bondi Junction, NSW 2022

May 19, 2011