Tags
Australia, canberra, Dickson, dining with friends, Eggplant, steamed bao, Superbao restaurant, Tofu
A visit to a newly opened restaurant
Earlier this week, I asked my friends Ray and Natalie to come with me to a new restaurant near my home. It’s located in the ‘Chinatown’ of Canberra and inside is bright with nice decor; all clean and fresh with amazing artwork on the main wall.
The restaurant is owned by Paul and Angel who both grew up in China and have been selling their bao at local markets in Canberra before they opened this restaurant.
Our waiter had a great sense of humour and he and Angel made our visit a really lovely experience. We were told that the shop closes on Mondays and it’s this day they make hundreds of steamed buns for the week ahead. I guess no rest days for owners of a new restaurant!
Of course the main food on the menu is bao. If you don’t know what a bao is…well they are those fluffy, folded-over steamed buns usually filled with pork belly, pickles and crushed nuts but this restaurant has all different types of filling. There was one I really wanted to try; the Panko Tofu Bao; tofu crumbed with panko flour, white and black sesame seeds and then fried. There are also rice and noodle dishes along with vegetable and meat dishes on the menu; so a good range of food.
Our waiter kindly let me know that the steamed buns are not vegan which was a bit of a shame as I really felt like eating the panko tofu. So instead I ordered lightly fried tofu which was so fresh and tasty and an eggplant dish. It wasn’t the style of eggplant I am used to (Sichuan style with oil) but more chargrilled I think. Both dishes were beautifully presented.
Ray and Nat ordered several of the bao to taste and both said they were very good.
Their choices were the Pork Belly Bao where the pork belly is cooked traditional Taiwan style and served with crushed peanuts, pickled cabbage and coriander leaves. Their second choice was the Shanghai Duck Bao; the duck stewed in soy sauce and Chinese spices with a slice or orange which we were told amplifies the rich and decadent taste and their third choice was the Crispy Fried Chicken Bao where a chicken thigh is marinated overnight then coated with a secret flour recipe and deep fried and comes with a drizzle of saffron mayonnaise.
Also ordered were the beef skewers which Ray and Nat shared and sparkling water and a glass of wine each.
When we called over our waiter to ask for the bill, he told us that we definitely had to try the Oreo Bao [not vegan unfortunately), but shared by my friends who said it was absolutely delicious. Rather decadent I think!
I am sure I will return as it’s a good place to pop in for a quick meal and glass of wine albeit a little expensive!
Peter’s family home is an apartment in a beautiful and very large complex complete with lake and lovely gardens. 
It only took us a short time to reach the restaurant which was quite small with plastic chairs and little wooden tables. Peter’s dad said it was his favourite restaurant and that the cuisine was Chongqing hot pot. (Chongqing used to be under the administration of Sichuan Province but now is separated and is under the direct administration of the central government similar to Beijing and Shanghai). Chongqing hot pot is spicier than Sichuan hot pot – I was a bit scared of my mouth burning!!!
I do like my food a little spicy but certainly not lip-tingling hot. Peter’s dad and Jon love spicy food so they both put an additional packet of oily chilli into their dipping sauce. (my blogging friend Gary would love the spicy food I am sure). 
Now for this dipping sauce – the cooked food is eaten with the sauce which is a combination of spices and herbs and made by the customer from a wide range of ingredients. Peter’s mum made mine and it was absolutely delicious with oil, garlic, tahini, chives, chopped peanuts and chilli.
As for the actual hot pot – each table has a two sided simmering pot of soup stock. On our table, one of the pots contained meat stock and chilli and mine of course contained no meat but delicious spices, tomatoes, goji berries and vegetable stock. 
We were seated at our little table and then the process is you walk up to the kitchen area and select what you want to eat, bring it back to the table and cook! I selected some fresh tofu, noodles, cabbage, mushrooms, thinly sliced potato and sprouts. These were also to be shared by others not just me. Another large fridge had shelves and shelves of meat and seafood which Peter’s dad selected for the table.
We returned to the table with our uncooked food and found the waitress had turned on the stove to heat the stock and ensure the hot pot is kept simmering. All ingredients are firstly placed on bamboo skewers and then placed into the pot. In true Chinese tradition both Jon and I were served by our hosts all night. Peter’s mum was so lovely ensuring that no meat was placed into my pot and kept the heat at a simmer rather than a boil to make sure the meat water did not bubble into my pot. 
Peter translated throughout the meal but Peter’s mum who speaks mainly Sichuanese can also speak some Mandarin so this enabled me to converse with her rather than have Peter translate all of our conversations which I know was very tiring for him.
The boys enjoyed some local beers which were bought from the restaurant.
One thing I did think was particularly cute about this restaurant was the small drawer in the table which contained our paper napkins – lots were needed. 
Dessert and snacks are also available from the kitchen area but we were all way too full to eat anything else.
I must say I genuinely enjoyed this evening and the food was really really good.
But back to our dinner… Bicicletta Restaurant serves locally sourced food and its menu has several vegetarian and vegan options. In this location, there are several restaurants and a few residential complexes who share a communal vegetable and herb garden. I loved this little area; so beautifully maintained also with an ‘interesting’ statue and small gardens and pathways for local residents to enjoy.
We sat outside in the courtyard with a view inside the restaurant through large windows.
The courtyard is great for the warmer months with lush greenery and coloured chairs and umbrellas. In late Autumn and Winter, blankets are supplied to keep your legs warm.
I loved the look of two vegan items on the menu so decided to try both an entree and main course. I chose the eggplant dish for entree which was deep fried with a balsamic glaze, polenta chips and a small amount of rocket. This was an incredibly delicious meal…really too big for an entree but I was not complaining. I loved it!
My friends shared the Pane, Olio E Balsamico which was a selection of breads; sourdough, baguette and brioche served with butter, aged balsamic reduction and extra virgin olive oil [forgot to take a photo].
One of my friends also ordered the gnocchi but hers included a topping of crumbed goats cheese.
Also the Ravioli Di Maiale Arrosto; house made ravioli stuffed with roast pork, apple, potato and thyme in a creamy apple, rhubarb and white wine sauce finished with rocket, toasted walnuts and aged balsamic. 
And finally the daily risotto dish with wild mushrooms, heirloom tomatoes, rocket and freshly shaved parmesan. 
I thought all the meals looked so appetising and were beautifully displayed. But in relation to our friendship, no matter how different our lives are now, this group of friends is still very special to me and I always enjoy catching up with them over a meal.
I have known my Hong Kong friend Irene and her family since 2008 so when I visited in April this year, I gave her notice and she arranged a full day and evening out so we could spend as much time as possible together.
Our first stop was the lovely little Stanley Post Office, a small temple then a walk through the markets which are an array of small indoor shops selling absolutely anything you might want. I find them rather commercial now and a little bit expensive [for markets] but I did buy some lovely linen napkins.
Stanley Main Street was our next port of call which is located on the waterfront with some great restaurants, bars and pubs and great views of Stanley Main Beach. 
Lots of people were out and about walking with their families which included their furry children; some paws I think have never touched the paths.
The waterfront is pretty special both from Stanley Main Street or from Ma Hong Park side.
Murray House is definitely worth a visit. It’s a lovely 160-year old restored three-storey colonial building which was originally located in Central and reassembled to Stanley in early 2000’s. It is one of Hong Kong’s longest surviving buildings and has become an iconic landmark in Hong Kong which now houses a range of restaurants and shops. Nice views from the archways too. out over the water.
We then took a walk through Ma Hong Park and up to a small temple before heading back to Stanley Main Street. We chose The Boathouse; a bright yellow three storey building overlooking Stanley Bay where we sat upstairs and enjoyed a plate of chips, calamari and glasses of wine. Irene and Ben’s eldest daughter joined us and ordered a great looking chocolate dessert.
By this time it was getting late so we left to make our way back to Wan Chai for a late dinner.
Great day with so many laughs and lovely memories to bring back to Australia.