TASTE OF SHANGHAI - SYDNEY CBD

Taste of Shanghai
World Square
Sydney CBD

Taste of Shanghai is in World Square Sydney. This area of Sydney is busy with an array of different shops. Taste of Shanghai is deceptively big - you walk in and turn to the right and it keeps going - you wouldn't know this from just standing outside. It is so spacious and you can also watch the talented chefs making their delicious food.

Sir and Mlady LOVE dumplings! The menu is so diverse and the variety that you can order is amazing. The Pan Fried Pork bun is a classic. It was lovely pork wrapped in a soft and fluffy hot roll. So Nice! Then we had the pork and chive dumplings - how tasty and soft were these! They are one of the most traditional dumpling types and we really enjoyed them.


Xiao Long Bao is is a type of steamed bun (baozi) from the Jiangnan region of China, especially associated with Shanghai and Wuxi.

Traditionally it is  prepared in xiaolong, small bamboo steaming baskets, which give them their name. This was another tasty dish that we both enjoyed.

We moved on to the colourful wontons in a red chili oil sauce.

We have had plenty of wontons over all the years.

The combination of these savoury wontons accompanied by the heat of the chili oil - you have a winner!

Our next dish was an old favourite - spring rolls.

These Shanghai Crispy Spring Rolls certainly lived up to their name.

They had a beautifully crisp-crackly skin and inside was a tender-tasting filling.

We then moved on to some delicious grilled spring onion pancakes.

These are a tasty flatbread-like side traditional Chinese savoury pancake.


Our spring onion pancake was warm, flaky, chewy and incredibly more-ish.

Then it was on to the tofu with preserved egg. Tofu, also known as bean curd, is an unusual type of food. Most people either like tofu or don't.  Mlady loves it in it's natural state or cooked - Sir prefers it cooked. It can be combined with lots of other things but we had it with preserved egg. It was an unusual combination that was a really yummy dish.

Described as Peking style shredded pork and golden buns - we weren't really sure what to expect - but if we'd guessed we'd have been wrong. 

How nice was this! Yum Yum and triple yum. 

Tender, tasty pork coated in such a flavoursome sauce and served in thin pancakes - a lovely pork version of Peking duck pancakes. 

This was the Nanjing style salty duck. The history of the dish goes back hundreds of years, perhaps to the 14th century. 

Sir is particularly fond of duck. Even though he usually has his duck crisp - he simply adored this oh so tender version. This juicy and rich duck meat dish ticked all the boxes for him.

The chicken with red chili oil was both colourful and tasty.

This combined plenty of wonderfully tender chicken, with the bite of a good coating of red chili oil. 

It was another winning combination. Mlady loves chicken and with the added "bite" of the Chili Oil - so nice!

It sounded fairly simple at first read - eggplant and pork mince is sweet chilli vinegar.

This really was a great dish.

It was a bowl filled with hot and amazing flavours. It was sweet and tender - Ahh.

The fish fillet in chilli and chilli oil was by far the most colourful dish in our rainbow of food for the evening. It literally popped. The tender juicy fish fillets had a kick from the chilli but the ladle drained much of the kick - unless you scooped out more like Sir did! This was a dish that would impress anyone on arrival - and it tasted just as good.  

Crispy noodles are another favourite of Sir so he enjoyed the pan fried noodles with shrimp and shredded Pork. 

The noodles were nicely crisp and they went so well with the shrimp and the soft shredded Pork. 

Great combinations and textures.

We also had some nice stir fried beans with pork mince - as well as some salty pork with green vegetable fried rice. Both went well with the dishes. 

Then it was on to a simpler dish - the spicy sliced pork with bamboo shoot.

This was a fragrant and a little bit spicy and a great tasting dish.

We do so love our spicy dishes and this satisfied those hot food cravings yet again.

More fish please - oh thank you!

The whole Barramundi in sweet and sour sauce was an impressive variation on Chinese sweet and sour recipes.

The Barra was delicious and tender - tick, and it went well with the tangy sweet and sour sauce - tick again! Mlady loved this!


And finally, when we could barely fit anything else in - the mud crab with salty egg yolk.

Seriously - we were so full and this was so good it was almost cruel as we couldn't resist it.

It was crisp - so crisp - and had great flavours. It went well on its own and also with our side dishes.

Taste of Shanghai has several restaurants around Sydney. This one has recently been refurbished - and it shows. Group tables around the back are perfect for those larger gatherings. There are plenty of smaller tables for everyone else though. The menu is massive so it will be hard to choose, but there are some amazing wow factor dishes there that will impress on arrival at the table and continue to impress as you eat them. This is a bustling place with character, great food and efficient service. 

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Taste of Shanghai. Special thanks to Vanessa Gregory of Wasamedia for the invitation and it was also great to chat with David Wasserman. 

 

THE TERNARY - PYRMONT, SYDNEY

The Ternary
(inside Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbour)
100 Murray St
Pyrmont, Sydney

The Ternary has parking underneath and it's also just across Pyrmont Bridge so access is extremely easy. Using the escalators to reach it - what strikes you is so impressive. It has a casual yet sophisticated atmosphere and the decor is light, modern and with awesome views of Sydney. Such a prime position!

Seeing the sights during daylight is spectacular and as the sun starts to set, the night time views of the city landscape with it's twinkling lights is absolutely magnificent. It really was relaxing, sitting there soaking up the wonderful views whilst enjoying a fabulous meal. You can even sit back, relax and enjoy your favourite beverage in their comfortable lounge area. The bar area too, is also great to have a drink or two.

What also strikes you as you enter The Ternary is just how spacious the area is with their wonderful displays and also the openness of the kitchens - you can see everything. It has a true open kitchen. They have a Wine and Cheese Bar, an Asian Kitchen (with tandoor oven) and a Grill Kitchen (Western food). These three things all combine well  and you can select something from each of them to make up your delicious meal or just stay with one theme - the choice is endless.

Sir & Mlady both started the evening with a refreshing rose. Mlady prefers her rose a tad more sweeter than Sir, as his tastes can pretty much handle any variety of drink.

We had the smoked yoghurt, green mango relish with Naan bread which was served attractively on a bread board. The Naan was steaming hot - and oh so good. Anything with mango - Mlady loves, so the green mango relish was a winner. The combination with the smoked yoghurt went incredibly well with the yummy hot Naan. This was a lovely start.

 Next was the house smoked flaked salmon, betel leaves, salmon pearls, nam jim dressing with fried shallots and half a lime wedge to squeeze on it all. This was such a divine dish. Sir and Mlady are quite partial to betel leaves and you can combine so much with these. This combination was fresh, flavoursome and pretty and we loved the different textures.

The soft shell crab followed with Indian spices, orange and saffron aioli. Well - again we both love our soft shell crab and Sir even commented with "Oh that is so good - this is beautiful". This was a really good dish. Fresh, crisp with a slight kick - not overpowering - just right with everything complimenting one another.

We then devoured the beef, slow cooked for 14 hours in master stock, pulled, mixed with coriander and water chestnut then wrapped in Thai pepper paste and crispy tusian  pasty with tamarid jam. This was a very tasty and artistic dish. The crispy tusian pasty was true to it's name. It was incredibly crispy  and not at all heavy and was an excellent combination with the 14 hour slow cooked beef. It was such a shame to eat it as it was truly a spectacular dish - from it's presentation to eating  - but we did and thoroughly enjoyed it!

Time for more seafood and it was had the prawn curry, coconut flavoured sauce and spices, basmati rice, cardamom and bay leaves.

This was light, fragrant and had a good kick. It was also fresh and vibrant. The basmati rice was so perfect with this dish - as was not a heavy type rice.

The sauce was great tasting and we loved the crispness of the capsicum.

Next was the scotch fillet with spinach and potato slivers. The scotch fillet was cooked just how Sir likes it. It was beautifully medium rare and was a lovely cut of meat - and cooked to perfection. 

Another glass of red came along too and he was a happy chappie! 

We then had the chicken surprise. 85 degrees cooked sous vide with pepper consomme, red wine jus and mushroom. This was incredibly juicy and tender and everything went so well together. Mlady loves a good tasty, tender, juicy chicken dish and this one ticked all the boxes and was also very appetisingly presented.

For dessert we had the dark chocolate tart with raspberry sorbet. There were also freeze dried raspberries. The dessert stood out wonderfully on the lovely  slate. The slate was like a canvas for the vibrant colours. Mlady being a "chocoholic" simply loved this - it was delicious. Raspberries and dark chocolate are a good combination that work well together.

We also had the mango crème brulee with popping candy on top served with mango sorbet. There was some fresh mango as well - yummo! This was a very refreshing dessert and the popping candy was an innovative addition. This was a fun but also a very enjoyable dessert.

Sir also sipped on a tasty dessert wine - a 2012 Frogmore Creek from Tasmania and a winery we've visited previously and enjoyed.

Executive Chef Anthony Flowers

The ternary is a quality place. It is inside a big hotel, but it's a restaurant you should visit and revisit. It has something for everyone and the service and decor were so impressive, as were the city light views.

We would like to thank Eric, Malin, Savanna, Josh and chef  Ken for looking after us. We would also like to thank Chef Robin Rana for taking time out to talk to us. A very special thank you to Executive Chef Anthony Flowers for looking after us and for taking time out from his busy schedule to sit down with us and explain his wonderful vision and each of the dishes.

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of The Ternary, Novotel Sydney on Darling Harbour and Accor. Special thanks to Scott Smith of Accor and Rachel Cameron of The Society Group.

 

MONKEY KING THAI - NEWPORT, SYDNEY

Monkey King Thai
335 Barrenjoey Rd
Newport, Sydney

This restaurant is not your average Thai place with the usual Thai dishes and décor. It’s more contemporary, with some enticing and interesting menu items as well as all your old favourites. The interior is stylish and modern with local artists’ work displayed on the walls. There is also outdoor dining at the front and rear of the premises if you prefer the seaside air.

The menu is well presented and the photos look so tempting it gets your mouth watering. There is a “make your own” section where you can choose the components of your dish, such as meat/seafood/veg, sauce and noodle type.

There are also signature dishes and chef’s recommendations and the variety is extensive but not overwhelming. This place also does some great Thai “street food”. They all sound amazing, so it’s hard to choose. What a nice problem to have!

We started with the steamed prawn and chicken dumplings with homemade sauce. They were light and soft in the middle and very good. Dame V loved these and stole one of Dame M's.

As we are seafood lovers, we also chose the crispy soft shell crab with sweet chilli sauce. It’s a popular dish and this one tasted as good as it looked. The coating was indeed crispy and not at all oily or heavy. Inside, the crab was still juicy and it was very tasty.

Next, something a bit astringent to freshen the palate – papaya salad (which can be ordered with a side of crispy pork belly if you like.) The combination was a winner. The tangy lemon-dressed salad was really good and so was the pork.

We chatted with part-owner Top, who explained that his aim is to provide a casual and friendly atmosphere where locals feel part of the family.


There are lots of regulars here and Top is keen to get their feedback and suggestions so he can continue to meet and exceed their expectations. He supports the community wherever possible which we think is a nice way to do business.
















For the mains, we started with king prawns with lime leaves and peppercorns. This was tasty and although there were only three prawns, they were giant ones so it was plenty. If you are a group sharing, you may like to consider the numbers and order extra servings as necessary. It was a delicious dish and you can adjust your intake of those punchy peppercorns to suit your taste.

Lovers of duck will love our next dish – duck with plum sauce and shitake mushrooms with star anise,
cinnamon and garlic.

This was such a tasty mixture and apparently a very popular choice here.

This was not surprising at all once we tasted it - it was simply beautiful.

The massaman lamb cutlets were a really nice twist on the usual old favourite. Barbecued tender pink cutlets Oz style accompanied by baby potatoes in a pool of the most delicious massaman sauce! What a hit this dish was, topped with cashews and crispy fried potato shreds. We would both go back for this dish! One of the best Dame M has ever had.

Dessert? Yes, Monkey Love please. That was the name of the amazing deep fried bananas in flaky pastry with green tea ice cream which we devoured next. These monkeys certainly loved it! We will go back for this too!

Monkey King Thai in Newport is now open for lunch and offers some great specials accompanied by steamed rice. The banquet menu looks fabulous and also great value. The dinner menu is also very reasonably priced and there is Singha beer on tap. You can even get a signature Monkey King craft Pale Ale which is a bitter style so it goes well with this style of food. For the wine lovers, there is a Monkey King Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 which we also tried. It was a very nice drop. Allover it was a great dining experience which we would highly recommend. We know we will both be back to try some more superb dishes.

Those Dames, who review for Sir and Mlady Dine Out, dined as guests of Monkey King Thai. Big thanks to co-owner Top for this invitation.

 

DEVON ON DANKS - WATERLOO, SYDNEY

Devon on Danks
2 Danks St
Waterloo, Sydney

The Devon brand in Sydney is well known from their original spot on Devonshire Street in Surry Hills.

Their newer venture - Devon on Danks - is already attracting the same attention. Innovative food and drinks is the order of the day at both places.

The fit out is warming - lots of timber combined with a minimalist industrial feel as well. It's certainly inviting and comfy.

We were there for a bloggers evening to taste their new Miyagi-San menu - a degustation of new Devon goodies that had us excited straight away. An added bonus was the pairings with both sakes from family business Sakenet as well as brews from the well known guns of brewing, Young Henry's. It was going to be a good night - no - a great night!

The scallops we started with was a light and fresh dish. The scallops were served raw and thinly sliced, lightly marinated with sambal and topped with a generous pile of crunchy vermicelli noodles. It was a dish with an abundance of both flavour and texture but not overly hot.

This was paired nicely with Young Henry's 

Lobster Thermidor anyone? How about in a spring roll with a yuzu aioli. The chunks of lobster and rich sauce was great. We had them with and without the sauce - either way they were divine! This was paired with a mix of Yamato No Dobu cloudy sake and Young Henry's Cloudy Cider. It combined well softening the sake's hit but not its taste.

A tasty serving of lightly spiced salmon tartare sitting on top of fried wantons was next to arrive.

The crunch of the wantons exploded when we bit into them and combined so well with the tasty fresh salmon.

These bite sized treats went down well and had great flavours.






















Possibly the dish of the night for Mlady was the agedashi tofu. It was light, delicate and had lovely flavours.

It was also a work of art in its own right - such beautiful plating making it almost a shame to eat.

The Young Henry's Real Ale went well with this and the next dishes.

Ever had pig tails??? We have a few times before but not lots.

These were done with a sticky sauce that takes four days to reduce.

They're served with deep fried bread and it was Sirs favourite for the night.

He ate way more than his fair share!

We then had a some tasty fried chicken done with belacan - a Malaysian shrimp paste that we've come to love over the last year or so after eating lots of Malaysian food. Some more sake again went well here!

The "mains" or bigger dishes then appeared - even though we'd had plenty of food already. The grilled ayam percik was delicious. The meat is marinated in a coconut sauce which softens and flavours it. This was paired with a rare and more acidic sake - Senzo-gaeri Goriki Uchida Rice. There are only 800 bottles made each year of this drop - so its worth trying!

Then the "melt in your mouth" short rib board arrived.

Sir again dug in as his inner carnivore appeared yet again. The meat was delicious and there was plenty of it too.

It was nicely paired with Young Henry's rich and dark hop ale - a favourite of Mlady's!

The dish was called "Treasure" and it was this and more.

Crab and egg white were beautifully mixed then topped with egg yolk and a sphere of black vinegar.

We then smashed and mixed the "spheres" into the light combination below. It was another winner. 

Dessert time and we started with "Truth" - a trilogy of cheesecake sponge, poached pear and ice cream - all doused in a generous pour of mirin. Delicious.

Then an even more unusual finale - baked eggplant topped with a crumble mix and all tasting like a caramel crunchy combo. The miso ice cream went well.  

Dessert was paired with Junmai Umeshu Nokyo - a sweet after-tasting plum wine that was clearly and fortunately not overly sweet.

The set menu's at Devon on Danks - at either $70 or $80 - are well worth every cent. You know the standards Devon delivers - and here they even exceed their normal lofty heights! The pairings from Young Henry's and Sakenet are a wonderful way to enhance the experience even further. It will be a meal you won't forget in a hurry!

Sir and Mlady dined as guests of Devon on Danks. Special thanks to Young Henry's and Sakenet for the great pairings. Big thanks also to Carla Monforte from Wasamedia for this invitation.

SIMMER HUANG - CHATSWOOD, SYDNEY

Simmer Huang
The District, Podium Level,
Chatswood Interchange
436 Victoria Ave
Chatswood, Sydney

We had heard  the Simmer Huang chain of restaurants have over 500 restaurants throughout Asia alone , so we were very excited about attending the opening  launch in Chatswood recently at the Interchange building Victoria Avenue.

They have a very good reputation, but we were completely blown away by the extravagant detail they had gone to in the décor of the new four week old restaurant.

As well as warm reds, timber furniture, birdcage light fittings and modern murals gracing the walls, the architecture was skillful with a gorgeous low lit ambiance which was instantly relaxing .

The feng shui seemed to breeze through the establishment, heightening  the senses and calming the mood.



Much to our delight they had enlisted their 1st ambassador, Alvin Quah of Master Chef fame who is on a mission to increase awareness of Asian food in the western world with his signature seasonal marinades, sauces and dishes. Simmer Huang wishes to capture these new exciting flavours into their already sensational menus.

Upon arrival we were greeted by Alvin Quah.  What  a charming and lovely guy. Alvin certainly is not just another pretty face. Not only is Alvin a fantastic cook but has a degree in science, which take him into other areas and interests. He told us he had prepared two dishes - one being the Asian duck and the other his signature hot pot. We couldn’t wait to taste them both.

Cocktails were presented at the door, Dame C was given a Bubbling Asian Plum Blossom, main ingredient being rice wine, while Dame J was given Under the Hawthorn Tree. This was a Hibiki 12 year old scotch with Chinese hawthorn sugar, hibiscus tea, crème de mure & sea salt sparking apple juice.

Both had a very different taste but both extremely delicious.

Once seated we were presented with lightly salted soy beans in the pod. Always a favourite and went extremely well with our Asian inspired cocktails. Our table exhibited the mandatory hotplate in the middle while the décor was colour matched with signature crockery, place mats and chopsticks.

First was the Hometown chicken, sliced with special sauce. We ate this delicious dish while savouring every mouthful. Sweet delicate flavours ignited our mouths. It was pure bliss.

The next dish was spicy tofu. This consisted of cold bean curd strips with spicy sauce.

Very different, very interesting and very very tasty.

Next was Alvin's special. Asian duck (smoked in 5 spice, star anise, cinnamon and honey) coupled with delicious marinade , chilli and vegetables. We were sorry when that was gone.

Throughout the evening Alvin was checking up on us.

What did we think of his creation. We told him the truth  - absolutely gorgeous.

The next signature dish inspired by Alvin then arrived at the table.

This was the hotpot he was proud of. Sliced and braised Barramundi, this included every part of the fish.

It was coupled with fresh vegetables and the winning special sauce.

We sat breathing in the tantalising aromas while it bubbled away cooking in the middle of the table. We could hardly wait to taste it.

Dame C ordered a pink lemonade,  and not ordinary as this one consisted of lychee lime bitters, lychee puree, lime juice and bitter lemonade. Very cleansing to the palate. Dame J ordered a wine. We were ready for the finale. It was ready. It did not disappoint. The fish was so tender it broke apart into bite size pieces and coupled with the vast array of vegetables and predominately Asian infused sauce, was definitely the star of the evening. A fabulous dish. Alvin again waited on our verdict. We gave him our seal of approval.

We told him it was a huge success and once word got out Simmer Huang would be inundated with hungry patrons wanting to visit the interchange restaurant.

This did not end there. After we had eaten as much as we were able.

Our lovely waitress turned the hotpot into a tasty noodle hotpot soup.

The egg noodles were rolled, cut and separated at the table and added to make the soup.

Not only did we have sensational food but were entertained all evening with the food being cooked at the table.

The evening was brilliant, We would definitely recommend to family and friends for both the food and the entertainment factor.  Watching the food being prepared at the table was an added attraction to the enjoyable experience.   Staff were extremely friendly and accommodating. All this and we got to meet one of our favourite Master Chef finalists, Alvin Quah.

Those Dames, who review for Sir and Mlady Dine Out, dined as guests of Simmer Huang. Thanks to Alana Garton and Katie Stow from Wasamedia for the invitation.