Moore Park Golden Century Seafood Restaurant: Chinese and Seafood, Moore Park (4 Jan 2012)

Cnr Errol Flynn Blvd and Lang Road, Moore Park NSW 2021

Phone: (02) 9358 4488

http://www.goldencentury.com.au

Love a good lobster

My generous brother took the family out for dinner to celebrate my birthday. He was keen to order the Salt & Pepper Lobster ($317.20, $168 per kg) so who was I to argue with that. The large lobster came at a premium price but provided large chunks of meat and was nicely flavoured which soon became a table favourite. I tend to prefer the ambience of the Golden Century in Haymarket but you'll find it much easier to park at the Moore Park restaurant. The acoustics of the restaurant was very noisy and having a large table of loud cricket fans well into their beers didn't help. Although because it's so noisy I guess it can make the place quite child and baby friendly because it's a lot harder to hear a crying baby once they awake as I soon found out. The disabled toilet on the ground floor via the lift had a table to help in changing a nappy so that was handy now that I have Baby Reviewer Isabelle on board to consider. This was her first restaurant visit.

You can't really go too wrong with the cheapest bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough which was Angel Cove ($32 bottle). That region seems to make consistent wines. The Seafood with snowpeas ($30) had decent sized scallops and a good mix of seafood although was a bit light on taste so some chilli sauce will probably come in handy. The Beef with Peking Style ($24) was fairly crispy although I thought it was more batter than beef taste and I preferred the Crispy Shredded Fillet Steak from Bambusia in Bondi Junction for this style of dish. For the mushroom fans you might consider the King mushroom with vegetables ($24.80) which were huge slivers of mushrooms — a bit like steaks for vegetarians. For afters we received the complimentary house desserts of Watermelon and biscuits and a big bowl of Black sesame soup which surprisingly tasted better than it looked with its slightly sweet palate notes.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Fresh seafood available, Lots of parking near by, Complimentary fruit and biscuits served at end of meal

CONS: Very noisy acoustics, Seafood is expensive, Service could be more attentive and friendly, Decor needs a face lift

MUST TRY: Salt & Pepper Lobster

BABY ON BOARD: Use lift access to level 1 for pram, Disabled toilet on ground floor had table for baby changing, Just enough space around tables to push pram around, Car park pretty close to restaurant

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Catch of the Day menu prices

Salt & Pepper Lobster ($317.20, $168 per kg)

SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Big chunks of lobster meat = happiness

Finger bowl is pretty small for five people

Seafood with snowpeas ($30)

Beef with Peking Style ($24)

King mushroom with vegetables ($24.80)

Watermelon and biscuits (complimentary)

Black sesame soup (complimentary) - definitely tastes better than it looks

Angel Cove Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough NZ ($32 bottle)

Bill $448 for five

Cross-promoting the Haymarket restaurant on the napkins

Enough space to fit the pram next to large table

Baby combat gear

Seating with a bit of a view

Seating

Three plasma screen tvs around the dining room — not sure if this is a bit tacky or whether the customers appreciate not missing their news

Lift available to level 1 — baby friendly

Disabled toilet located on ground floor has a table which can be used to change baby. Note to self, restock nappies.

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Dumpling and Noodle House: Chinese, Potts Point (11 Nov 2010)

165 Victoria Street,
Potts Point NSW 2011

Hole-in-the-wall dumplings

Prepare to wait for a table at this cheap and cheery hole-in-the-wall dumpling house during busy dinner time. The limited and slightly uncomfortable alfresco seating on the pathway amongst parked cars and pedestrians passing by may not be the most romantic way to spend a night but the bill won’t break the bank either. There’s a tiny bit of seating inside but on a nice night the lively atmosphere outside is well prized. Lamb fried dumpling ($11.50 for 12 pieces) come with a nice crispy netted base as too the Seafood fried dumpling ($14.50 for 12 pieces). I usually prefer the fried version of dumplings over the steamed or boiled style. There’s not a lot of broth in the ShangHai Xiao Long Bao ($9.50 for 8 pieces) but perhaps more flavour than the plainer yet perfectly made ones at Din Tai Fung.

The more expensive Shrimp steamed dumpling ($12.50 for 6 pieces) come with visible prawn inside. Boiled green vegetable serve with black soy sauce and hot oil ($9.50) has unfortunately more stalk than leaves and perhaps not at its best but adds some healthy greens to the diet. I found the soy sauce and chilli served at the table for the dumplings a bit flavourless for some reason as if watered down, perhaps for the Western palate? The kitchen is located downstairs so this can add to the delay of a timely service. They seemed to be understaffed so prepare to wait for your dumplings when busy and don't expect attentive service. Toilets are also located downstairs so expect a precarious journey to get to them via the steep narrow stairs and tiny busy kitchen. I'd probably try the noodles next time to see what they're like.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Fairly cheap, Dumplings are apparently made onsite, Very popular, Crispy base on the fried dumplings

CONS: Uncomfortable seating, Very limited table service, Prepare to waiting for a table when busy, Nightmare area for street parking, Need to walk down precarious stairs to toilet

WORTH TRYING: Fried dumplings

DAMAGE: $74 for five

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Lamb fried dumpling ($11.50 for 12 pieces)

Seafood fried dumpling ($14.50 for 12 pieces)

Vegetarian water boiled dumpling ($11.50 for 12 pieces)

Steamed Little Buns - ShangHai Xiao Long Bao ($9.50 for 8 pieces)

Shrimp steamed dumpling ($12.50 for 6 pieces)

Boiled green vegetable serve with black soy sauce and hot oil ($9.50)

Plastic holder picture menu listing ingredients used

Menu

Scary steep walk down the stairs through the tiny kitchen to get to the customer toilet, Bill $74 for five

Tiny seating area inside

Waiting for a table is not uncommon when busy


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Spicy Sichuan Restaurant: Sichuan Cuisine, Sydney (27 May 2011)

2 Cunningham Street, Sydney NSW 2000
http://www.spicyfood.com.au

Spicy dishes challenge the palate

Thanks to Ricky from Sichua for inviting me as a guest to sample dishes at their impressively sized flagship restaurant. One of the private rooms upstairs was organised for my family of five which could have comfortably seated eight. I loved how it had its own handy service buzzer although having one of the waiters also standing by in the room was just a bit too handy and close for comfort for us, so we politely excused her until needed by buzzing — probably more handy for larger groups. Upstairs dining is reserved for a la carte while downstairs is for the hot pot menu which apparently is very popular. The restaurant was pretty busy and full of mostly Asian customers so I guess that’s a good sign in my books. The somewhat oversized menu is filled with dish photos for easy reference.

A small false start of being told they’d run out of Sprite so a can of Fanta ($3) suffices — makes me wonder how did such a large restaurant run out of Sprite? The Cold bean jelly ($8.80) was larger than expected and well spiced with chilli. Having only a fork to serve the slippery noodles made it rather tricky. The Black fungus ($9.80) didn’t look the most appetising but surprisingly ended up being quite well-liked for its nice crunchy texture and spiced dressing. Cute looking Fried buns ($8, 6 pieces) were cooked to a crispy outer shell on one side. I liked the flavour addition of the sesame seeds and for extra flavour we dipped them in a Sesame oil with soy sauce, garlic, sugar and vinegar sauce. For crispy goodness the Pancakes fried with chopped shallot ($3.80) were about how much you’d expect to pay at any cheap and cheerful eatery. More shallot inside would have been appreciated for my liking.

The Ling fish fillet ($48.80) was served in a huge bowl — enough to share between eight I reckon. Definitely much bigger than expected from the menu photo and was missing the fish being presented on top. The abundance of sichuan pepper worked it’s magic on the palate providing a numbing sensation. I enjoyed the flavoursome dish although I wished it was easier to separate the fish from all the chilli and spices when eating with rice. I had high hopes for the Lamb ribs ($19.80) but unfortunately was rather disappointed. Definitely not a good match to the menu photo. For us it was too overly spiced and the expectation of picking up and eating the meat off the bone was not possible since it all had fallen off the bones. The flavoursome Kung bao chicken ($15.80) was one of our favourite dishes of the night except for the oily base. The dish I recently had at Spice Temple had larger pieces of chicken with less oil in the sauce.

Northern China dumplings with meat and vegetable ($9.80, 12 pieces) can be ordered with either leek or chinese vegetable — our preference ended up being the leek version which was more tasty. It didn’t seem to be served with a particular dipping sauce which I thought was unusual. I tend to prefer dumplings that are cooked more like a potsticker with a crispy base. The Rice fried with pork mince and mixed vegetable ($12.80) was as expected and for dessert the Glutinous rice balls filled with sesame paste ($4.80, 4 pieces) were a lot smaller than expected. We didn’t really enjoy the consistency and flavour of the rice balls, perhaps we were just expecting something sweeter. I was hoping there would have been more dessert options on the menu to choose from.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Spicy dishes for those who enjoy their chilli kick, Some reasonably priced dishes, Interesting décor, Plenty of seating, Private rooms available for more intimate setting, Many of the customers were Asian, Another restaurant located in Glebe

CONS: Dishes can be challenging to those that aren't used to spicy food, Some dishes didn’t quite match the menu photos creating false expectations, Location is a bit hidden to pedestrian traffic

MUST TRY: The hot pot menu downstairs next time

WORTH TRYING: Ling fish fillet with vegetable in chilli oil for the numbing sensation, Black fungus with coriander, Kung bao chick

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Chinese green tea ($1 per person)

Cold bean jelly in spiced flavor ($8.80)

A little difficult to serve with a single serving fork. Had to ask for a spoon as well to make it easier to serve.

Black fungus with coriander ($9.80)

WORTH TRYING :-)

Fried buns with sesame on top ($8, 6 pieces)

Sesame oil with soy sauce, garlic, sugar and vinegar sauce, Chilli sauce

Pancakes fried with chopped shallot ($3.80)

Ling fish fillet with vegetable in chilli oil ($48.80)

WORTH TRYING :-) for the numbing factor

Menu photo of what I was expecting

Lamb ribs with spicy sauce ($19.80)

Menu photo of what I was expecting

Kung bao chicken with red pepper and peanuts

WORTH TRYING :-)

Had a bit of oil in the dish

Northern China dumplings with meat and vegetable (choose leek or chinese vegetable) ($9.80, 12 pieces)

Rice fried with pork mince and mixed vegetable ($12.80)

Lots of spicy flavours from all the other dishes left in the bowl

Glutinous rice balls filled with seasme paste ($4.80, 4 pieces)

Fanta ($3) — they ran out of lemonade which is a little strange for such a huge restaurant

Enormous sized picture menu

The hottest looking dish on the menu

Private room

Service call button

Outside private rooms

Interesting toilet wash basin and mirror

Upstairs dining for a la carte menu

Downstairs dining for hot pot menu

Waiting area with tv?

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