Crispy Duck like Beijing duck style

Wok King restaurant features Hunan, Shanghai and Beijing cuisines. The set meal with a choice of soup, noodle, dian xin (dim sum) is good value at $10 per person. However, the meal has to be shared in even numbers.

The soft and crispy pork rib signature dish is passable. A good alternative to Beijing duck is the crispy duck which comes in half portions especially suitable for smaller dining group. It is served like the Peking duck dish with steamed pancake, spring onion, cucumber and hoi sin sauce.

While most of the chef recommendations were delectable, there are some noodle dishes that are really a rip off, such as the rice noodle fried in dark soy sauce which is literally just noodle with sauce and a sprinkling of bean sprouts, nothing more than that.

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Ashfield - Shanghai food haven

When you're spoilt for choice and do not know which is the best restaurant, head for the ones with the longest queue.

Steaming hot dumplings with unusual stuffing - glutinous fried rice with mushroom rather than meat, vegetables or seafood. It is named "shao mai" because the shape of this morsel resembles the Cantonese version of siu mai.

The all time favourite guo tie. Yes, the servings all come in eights, more than enough to feed a family and a big gathering of friends.

The sheng jian bao or fresh pan fried dumplings with water is the most popular pick of Shanghainese restaurant. They come in just pork or pork with crab roe (as seen above). However, we find this dish overrated and not very tasty.

The crispy pumpkin bun with red bean paste filling is chewy but not heavy, a satisfying dessert to end the meal.

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Multicultural Marrickville - Vietnamese noodles

There are bountiful Vietnamese restaurants, groceries and exotic fruit and vegetables stores along Illawara Road and the cross street Marrickville. After checking out several online reviews and visually exploring the vicinity, we decided to settle on Nhat Tan noodle house.

This eatery has no frills and is well known for its noodles and one-dish meals though the dinner menu offers more stir fry dishes.

Beef Pho : the two criteria I look for in good pho are the soup must be flavoursome (boiled in bone marrow for more than 10 hours without the help of MSG and it must be piping hot to scald the noodle to a smooth but firm texture. They are generous with basil leaves, bean sprouts, spring onions, chilli slices and lemon.

The lady owner recommended the pork chop broken rice with egg combination. It certainly did not disappoint. However, the layered pork could have been sliced more finely. The crispy pork chop is coated with more batter than the typical fried pork chop dish but it was not greasy and contain mostly lean meat.

The rice rolls are thin and smooth with lean minced meat enveloped and steamed. The steamed bean sprout and mixed vegetables however were not properly prepared by the kitchen hand. The crispy shallot, batter and wanton skin goes well with the ham and steamed rolls. Unlike the dish served at one Cabramatta restaurant, this place does not include crispy cake. I can testify that the dipping fish sauce mixed with chilli is authentic. A Vietnamese teacher once confided that freshly pounded chilli and shredded carrot must be added to the fish sauce and sugar mixture that has not been diluted with too much water.

This was a delicious and filling lunch that cost us only $25 for three mains.


The dessert "three coloured ice" and "cheng poh leung" are from another restaurant down the street - Old Thanh Huong.

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You may wish to check out my other records of Vietnamese food tour by following the links :

http://ausletters.blogspot.com/2009/03/summer-vietnamese-soups.html

http://ausletters.blogspot.com/2009/01/vietnamese-enclave-cabramatta.html

http://ausletters.blogspot.com/2009/07/special-vietnamese-rice-noodle-bit-of.html

Asian Cakes and Pastries available in Aussie Land

Less than 20 years back, Southeast Asian restaurants were hard to come by and rarer were Asian cakes which were usually only sold during weekends at popular grocers or restaurants. Nowadays, one could order assorted cakes at a day's notice and purchase selected types of kueh at more outlets in the city and suburbs.

Sago pudding coated with fresh shredded coconut.


Kueh Talam - layered pandan mung bean and coconut rice cake

Bingka Ubi Kayu - baked tapioca / cassava cake

Curry puffs that are made from blending oil pastry with water based pastry (not frozen puff pastry or short crust) and are deep fried in oil (not baked).

Delicious and good value European Cuisine in Balmain

La Bohemia

The management and staff are mostly Czechs but the menu is diversely continental European. Though the lunch menu is limited to two pages - one for entree and one for mains, there are enough good choices even for the fussy and hungry diners.

To start off with the drinks, the dark kozel lager was the recommended drink for those who want something sweet and light. The alcohol content is only 3.8 per cent and there is no hint of bitterness.

This apple drink contains some alcoholic topping which looks like some blue copper sulphate solution in a chemistry laboratory but it isn't. The taste is pleasant and refreshing.

Check out the serviette!

Here comes the food. This main size vegetable platter is appealing in looks and taste. The serving is sufficient for up to four persons to share as an entree or appetizer. The crumbed and fried camembert cheese melts in the mouth. The cauliflowers and mushrooms are not overcooked and has no taste of greasiness though they are deep fried. With the pan sizzled potatoes, the warm vegetables blend very well with the fresh and crisp garden salad greens , carrots and tomatoes with the ranch dressing at the side.

The roast duck is the signature dish. The half duck portion is reasonably priced and there's a choice of quarter of a duck for those who prefer a lighter main meal. All the mains are served with stuffing and sauerkraut. The duck skin is crispy and the juicy and tender meat is tasty. It is like tasting confit which less salty. The picture speaks for itself and needs no elaboration.

The grilled pork belly is tasty and tender drizzled with a tangy sauce. It is easy to manage compared to the grilled pork knuckles served on a chopping board, another signature dish of this place.

Coming up next is the smoked pork prepared from whole leg and not overly seasoned.

Verdict : a classic and delicious meal that is good value for money.

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Special Vietnamese Rice Vermicelli Noodle - a bit of the everything makes the best dish

Most Vietnamese restaurants name this "special rice vermicelli salad". This would be a good choice if you are indecisive over the choice of a one-dish meal and would like to try a bit of everything, that is, some of the best specialities in Vietnamese cuisine. You normally get a combination of sugar cane prawn, spring roll, grilled pork and a medley of pickled vegetables, fresh herbs and beansprouts.

The thin rice stick noodles are best steamed so that they are soft and pliable but not too wet. However, most restaurants would blanch them. Just hope that the cooks are not in a such a hurry that they omit draining the water away and dilute the taste of all the other ingredients and condiments. This place in the northern district is not often crowded and the kitchen staff usually takes care that the food is properly cooked.

The Chinese description on the menu 撈檬 literally means tossed lemon? Indeed the dressing of Vietnamese fish sauce, shredded carrot and a hint of pound chilli and brown sugar brings out the extraordinary taste of this dish. You could always ask for another serve of the dressing sauce if you like to make the dish more savoury and sour. If you're not allergic to nuts, the crunchy crushed peanuts are absolutely delicious.

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