Lunar New Year

delicious.
Lunar New Year
To kick off Chinese Year of the Horse, we asked some of Sydney and Melbourne’s top Asian chefs
to name their favourite dining spots in their cities and to engage in a little friendly interstate rivalry.
142 delicious.
words Shannon HArley, lara zilibowitz & heidi finnane photography mark roper & nigel lough
delicious.
delicious. 143
melbourne
delicious.
1
3
2
4
1. Brothers Jason and Michael Lau. 2. Coda’s Hervey
Bay scallops. 3. Late-night dining at Supper Inn.
4. Flower Drum. Previous page (clockwise from
far left): Sydney’s Mr. Wong; Paddy’s Market; Coda’s
crab, chilli & lime betel leaf; Melbourne’s Chinatown;
Chow Bar & Eating House; The Century; tempura
udon at Nama Nama; Emperor’s Garden butcher.
Jason & Michael Lau
While they’ve gained a following for their ma po tofu since
opening Lau’s Family Kitchen (4 Acland St, St Kilda, (03) 8598
9880) seven years ago, brothers Jason and Michael have
restaurant pedigree in their blood. “My father, Gilbert, opened
Flower Drum (17 Market Ln, Melbourne,
(03) 9662 3655) in 1975,” says Michael. And
even though he sold the restaurant in 2003,
it’s still where the Lau family head for
special occasions. “It’s great for parties and
has good food and service,” he says. “I love
the Peking duck, I would go just for that.”
For a quick bite that’s more traditional,
the brothers head to Crystal Jade
(154 Little Bourke St, Melbourne, (03) 9639
2633), a Hong Kong-style eatery. “They do good barbecue pork,
noodles, seafood and all the Chinese classics,” says Jason.
One of their former waiters recently opened EC Kitchen
(1 Sir John Monash Dr, Caulfield East, (03) 9571 7665), which
has a casual student vibe. “It’s simple and cheap with a focus
on noodle bowls,” says Jason, who recommends the wonton
soup. I Love Pho (264 Victoria St, Richmond, (03) 9427 7749)
is another favourite for noodles (Victor Liong, see opposite,
agrees). “The family who own it is well known and have a
cult following,” says Michael. “It’s fast and fresh, and there’s
always a line, but you only wait for about 15 minutes. I order
the combination pho, and they also have really good chilli
sauce,” says Jason. Also worth queuing for are the dumplings
at Shanghai Street Dumpling (342 Little Bourke St, Melbourne,
(03) 9600 2250). “They have every kind of dumpling and bun
you can imagine.” Victor is also a regular here, naming the
pan-fried dumplings “the best in the city”.
Stephen Lo, who has also worked with
the Lau family, has recently taken over
and reinvented Ants Bistro (7 Corrs Ln,
Melbourne, (03) 9639 2908). “Stephen
learnt a lot from our father and he’s taken
on a lot of what we do, especially with his
use of fresh produce to create good clean
food. It’s a great hidden gem.”
The brothers recommend Coda
(141 Flinders Ln, Melbourne, (03) 9650 3155) for a crowd
because chef Adam D’Sylva’s French-Vietnamese menu of
mostly small bites “offers something different,” says Jason.
“The signature dish – roasted yellow duck curry – is amazing.”
Supper Inn (15 Celestial Ave, Melbourne, (03) 9663 4759)
in Chinatown may be hard to find, but the brothers say it’s a
Melbourne institution for late-night dining. “We go with a group
after work and order the salt and pepper squab,” says Michael.
“Supper Inn is
a Melbourne
institution for
late-night dining.”
1
2
5
3
melbourne
locavore.
1. Nama Nama. 2. Chef Victor Liong. 3. Neil Perry’s Spice Temple
at The Crown. 4. Japanese restaurant Izakaya Den. 5. Lee Ho Fook’s
elegant raw ocean trout and jellyfish salad.
3
Victor Liong
After working at Marque and Mr. Wong in Sydney, 28-year
old Victor recently moved to Melbourne to open “new-style
Chinese” diner Lee Ho Fook (92 Smith St, Collingwood,
(03) 9077 6261). When he’s not busy in his own kitchen
he’s exploring the best Asian eats in his new hometown.
“I go to Izakaya Den (114 Russell St, Melbourne,
(03) 9654 2977) at least once a month,” says Victor,
whose go-to dishes include grilled ox
tongue, stir-fried eel with water spinach
and mushrooms, scallops with garlic soy
butter, duck liver pâté with wonton skins
and Japanese omelette with cod roe.
For a taste of home, Victor – whose
grandparents are Chinese and parents
were born in Malaysia – heads to Mamak
(366 Lonsdale St, Melbourne, (03) 9670
3137). “The roti and thin curry gravies will always remind me
of my childhood in Southeast Asia, the formica tables and the
waiters wearing Crocs make it authentic. Get the teh tarik,
a frothy milk-based tea, or Milo made with condensed milk.”
Pacific Seafood BBQ House (210 Toorak Rd, South Yarra,
(03) 9826 3838) offers a huge variety of seafood and roasted
meats. Victor says their roast duck, char siu and roasted pork
belly are “off the chain”. He also recommends the chicken ribs
with salted egg yolk sauce from the a la carte menu. “Chinese
4
barbecue has got to be one of the best in the world. The unique
cooking techniques add tremendous depth of flavour,” he says.
For refined Cantonese cooking, Victor’s pick is Flower Drum.
“It’s hands down the best Chinese restaurant experience
in Australia,” he says. “Their stir-fried
pearl meat with spring onions and white
garlic chives is an example of perfection
lying in simplicity, but my favourite dish
is not actually on the menu and made on
request. It’s crabmeat soup dumplings
– they kill and cook the crab to order.”
According to Victor, the ramen game
in Melbourne is still early days, but
udon is perfected at Nama Nama (31 Spring St, Melbourne,
(03) 9649 9500). “Their noodles are silky and their broths
clean and flavoursome. Small pony glasses of tap beers
for $5 accompanying great noodles, what’s not to love?”
When he’s heading out for a big night, Victor’s choice
is Neil Perry’s Melbourne outpost of Spice Temple (The Crown,
Southbank, (03) 8679 1888). “It’s a slick restaurant with a large
menu offering great variety and a fantastic drinks list. I could
drink their Rickshaw cocktails all day long,” says Victor.
“Chinese barbecue
has got to be the
best in the world.”
delicious. 145
sydney
1
4
2
3
1. Chef Dan Hong. 2. The
sophisticated atmosphere
of The Century at The Star.
3. Arisun’s fried chicken and
beer. 4. Eric Koh’s fresh-steamed
dumplings at Mr. Wong. Opposite:
Momofuku Seiobo at The Star.
Dan Hong
The hipster chef, who grew up in a restaurateur family, has
helped reinvent Chinese dining in Sydney. When he clocks
off from his roles as executive chef at
Mr. Wong (3 Bridge Ln, Sydney, (02) 9240
3000), Manly’s new Papi Chulo, Ms. G’s and
El Loco, he heads to Korean restaurant
Arisun (1 Dixon St, Sydney, (02) 9264 1588),
known for its fried chicken, beer jugs, soju
shots and K-pop. “They make their own
noodles, but the real attraction is the fried
chicken” says Dan. Another top late-night
spot is quaint Eaton Chinese Restaurant
(313 Liverpool Rd, Ashfield, (02) 9798 2332). “I come here
to escape the hustle of Chinatown. They do really good
live seafood and crispy-skinned fried pigeon,” says Dan.
“I call it the poor man’s Golden Century.”
Speaking of which, Golden Century (393 Sussex St,
Haymarket, (02) 9212 3901), is a hop from Dan’s CBD home, and
his pick for traditional Cantonese. “Owners Eric and his wife
Linda have been doing the same food for the past 24 years and
it’s still the best place to have live seafood,” says Dan. “Their
steamed lobster with XO sauce is one of my top dishes, and
their salt and pepper mud crab the best I’ve ever had. Golden
Century is one of the biggest influences for Mr. Wong.” Eric
and Linda’s son Billy opened The Century (The Star, Pyrmont,
(02) 9566 2328), which has a similar menu to the original, but
with a more sophisticated atmosphere. “The best dish is
stir-fried lobster with ginger and spring onion,” says Dan.
While the rest of us are buying our morning latte, Dan is at
Happy Chef (Sussex Centre Food Court,
Haymarket), which specialises in noodle
soups. His order: ‘Number 1’ ($8), a
Cambodian noodle soup with pork, beef,
prawns, blood jelly, pig’s liver, choy sum
and spring onion in a clear broth. “This
place is always buzzing. Their laksa
is one of the best in town,” says Dan.
When it comes to specialty dishes,
Dan has a “soft spot” for the Peking duck
at Lao Zhou Good Luck Chinese Restaurant (180 Liverpool Rd,
Enfield, (02) 9747 4625). “You have to pre-order the duck and let
the chef know what time you’re coming in, as he will only serve
it fresh from the oven,” says Dan. Mr. Wong’s dumpling chef Eric
Koh steams everything to order. “Eric is a dim sum master. He’s
worked at Hakkasan in London and Lei Garden in Singapore,
and continually comes up with the best flavour combinations.”
“Golden Century
is one of the
biggest influences
for Mr. Wong.”
146 delicious.
delicious.
locavore.
delicious. 147
3
locavore.
2
sydney
4
1
1. Chef Chui Lee Luk. 2. Tsuke-men – deconstructed ramen – from
Ramen Ikkyu. 3. Fresh produce at Paddy’s Market. 4. Sydney’s new
restaurant Chow Bar & Eating House. 5. Thai restaurant @ Bangkok.
5
4
Chui Lee Luk
Despite swapping her fine-diner Claude’s for the more relaxed
Chow Bar & Eating House (320 Crown St, Surry Hills,
(02) 8095 9058), Chui Lee Luk, who grew
up in Sabah, Malaysia, still appreciates
a big ticket dinner at Momofuku Seiobo
(The Star, Sydney, (02) 9777 9000).
“The food and service are consistently
wonderful, and they have a great wine list,”
says Chui, whose favourite dish is wagyu
with Korean-style black bean sauce and
radish. “I like sitting at the bar watching
the chefs calmly preparing each dish.”
When she’s in the mood for the classics, Emperor’s Garden
(96 Hay St, Haymarket, (02) 9211 2135) is the old-style Chinese
restaurant that Chui always returns to. “I like the roasted meats,
such as pork with crackling, as only the Chinese know how to
make, char siu and roast duck.” Their butcher next door, is also
Dan Hong’s go-to place for good-quality pork at bargain prices.
Another favourite she shares with Dan is Chinese Noodle
House (8 Quay St, Haymarket, (02) 9281 4508) for their
zha jiang mian, the northern-Chinese answer to spaghetti
bolognese – thick noodles topped with stir-fried pork mince.
For a taste of home, Chui likes Alice’s Makan (580, George
St, Sydney, (02) 9262 7771) for their assortment of kuihs (sweet
Malaysian steamed rice cakes), which you have to reserve before
ordering your main meal. “I really like the char kway teow,
which is famous Malaysian hawker fare of stir-fried rice noodles
with a selection of toppings including prawns, Chinese sausage,
eggs and bean sprouts.” Another specialty that reminds Chui
of Southeast Asia are the moreish peanut pancakes at
Bakso House (341 Anzac Parade, Kingsford, (02) 9662 3706).
Ramen Ikkyu (401 Sussex St, Haymarket,
(02) 9281 0998) in Chinatown is best
for noodles. “Tsuke-men (a deconstructed
ramen, where the noodles and toppings
are served in a separate bowl to the soup)
is my favourite style as it’s light but filling,
and has an intense acidity to it.” And
when noodles won’t cut it, Chui heads to
@ Bangkok (730 George St, Haymarket,
(02) 9211 5232). “They serve fantastic
deep-fried fish and deep-fried chicken. Plus there’s a band
playing until close. I’m slowly learning the Thai Top 40!”
For ingredients, Chui likes Jasmine Asian Supermarket
(194 Burwood Rd, Burwood, (02) 9715 6868) with staff who
have an “encyclopaedic knowledge” of the items they stock;
Dong Nam A & Co (14 Campbell St, Sydney, (02) 9212 6673)
where she can practice her Cantonese; and for inspiration,
she peruses the produce at Paddy’s Markets in Haymarket. d.
“Chinese Noodle
House serves the
Chinese answer
to bolognese.”
148 delicious.