Lazy Su Restaurant (2nd visit) – Braddon – Canberra – ACT – Australia – August 2018

Tags

ACT, Australia, canberra, Cheezeburger, deep fried tofu, dinner with friends, Dumplings, jasmine tea smoked duck breast, Korean buffalo wings, Lazy Su restaurant, mapo doufu

A Canberra restaurant I love…

I find that no matter how many new restaurants open in Canberra, I always seems to return to the ones I love and one I particularly enjoy is Lazy Su voted the number 1 people’s choice restaurant in Canberra.  The interior is distinctly Asian with a Japanese-Korean pop culture theme…I love it!!On this occasion a few months ago I went with my friend Jon and a young Chinese friend we have become close to over the past year or so and who refers to us as his Aussie mum and dad – very sweet!  The menu is good for meat lovers, vegetarians and vegans and there is a good choice of wines and spirits.We started off with dumplings; vegan kimchi, tofu and shallots (more for me as neither Jon nor Peter ate any),  pork and cabbage Chinese style dumplings and Korean buffalo wings which the boys told me were spicy and delicious.The boys then ordered a soy braised pork dish with Korean pickles and shallots and a dish of jasmine tea smoked duck breast which was pan-seared with carrot and yuzu citrus purée and charred Asian greens.  Then they shared a Korean noodle soup which contained pork belly, egg and crispy noodles.

I ordered a cheezeburger which has vegan mince, black beans, mustard, vegan cheddar, cos lettuce, tomato sauce and charred leaks.  It was ‘really’ good but quite large so I need not have ordered Grandma’s Spicy Tofu (Ma Po Doufu 麻婆豆腐) with pickled mustard, eggplant, garlic, chilli and shallots.

I only like mildly spiced dishes and I forgot to ask the waiter how spicy this dish was…oh my goodness it made my tongue and lips go numb with the first big mouthful.  What a shame as it really was good but I couldn’t eat any more.Peter who was born in Sichuan in China and eats very spicy food regularly told us that to calm the tastebuds and numbness after a spicy dish you should eat sugar; haven’t tried this yet but I do know that milk, water and yoghurt do not work.  We did order some from the waiter but it took a little while to reach us and my mouth had calmed down by that stage.

We did order one more dish which was really tasty; deep friend tofu with an avocado sauce – wow so good.  I think even non-tofu lovers would enjoy this one.We were way too full for dessert so after an evening of good food and wine and lovely company it was time to say ‘goodbye’…until next time.

 

 

 

 

 

Sanya Bar – Braddon – Canberra – Australian Capital Territory – Australia – January 2018

Tags

ACT, Asian food, Australia, canberra, Dumplings, Friends, Jian Bing, pork bao, Sanya Bar, Sanya Restaurant

Return visit to a local Chinese bar and restaurant

Last month a friend of mine was departing Canberra to work in London so we met one day to enjoy some dumplings just days before she left Australia.  We were the only people in the restaurant as we arrived for an early lunch, so had the full attention of the waitress who was very friendly.  The walls are still adorned with colourful pictures and photos and there is a well stocked bar for evening drinks.I had been to this restaurant previously and had been told that the menu was going to become more extensive especially in relation to vegetarian food, so wanted to give it another go; glad I did.  There was a lot of choices for us vegetarians which was great.

I ordered the steamed tofu dumplings whilst my friend Jen ordered dumplings containing pork.  Mine were very good and came with a tasty chilli/vinegar sauce.  Jen’s were equally as good and came served with a soy based sauce.Jen also ordered the Peking duck bao and I was going to order the fried green beans but the waitress said she thought I would really enjoy the mini Jian Bing which is also known as a Chinese egg burrito.  The waitress was right; this was absolutely delicious.It’s a nice little restaurant where you can sit inside or out [we sat indoors on our visit as it was a bit warm outside] and the food is really really good.  Definitely worth a visit for anyone living in or visiting Canberra.

 

Dumpling House – Dickson – Canberra – ACT – Australia – 2010 – 2017

Tags

Chinese food, Dickson Dumpling House, Dumplings, Eggplant, Yu xiang qiezi

My absolute favourite Chinese restaurant

There is a small Chinese restaurant in Canberra (Dickson Dumpling House) about a thirty minute walk from my home that I absolutely love!  I eat there at least once a fortnight and always take visitors there as for me it reminds me so much of the food in Beijing especially the dumplings; vegetable for me and pork for my friends who also order the xiao long bao (Shanghai dumplings containing soup).

Every friend I have taken there loves the authentic Chinese dishes and always asks to reserve a table when they return to visit me; I am actually going there this Sunday night with a friend who is visiting from Cambodia. We usually also order the chive pancakes to start with – a little bit oily but delicious with Chinese vinegar.

The dried green bean dish with chilli is fabulous as, I am told, is the kung pao chicken which is regularly ordered by my friends.

The decor is basic but the service is great.  I have made friends with one of the waiters [Peter] and I practice my Chinese with him and develops his English with me – he is pretty good anyway as he goes to uni here in Canberra.  He recently returned to his home town in Sichaun Province and brought me back some lovely tea.   A very sweet young man who has now invited me and my friend Jon to his home for eggplant as he says he makes it really well and knows I order it always..looking forward to that!

So on the subject of my most favourite dish –  yu xiang qiezi (fish fragrant eggplant).  Ordered every single visit without fail but without the pork on the top and without the fish sauce.  Even my brother has changed his mind about eggplant now because of this dish.

And there are desserts but it’s rare that we order them…but last time my Goddaughter and her partner came to visit we did…very big dishes and oh so sweet!!

So there you have it…my most favourite Chinese restaurant – no MSG either!!

Yat Bun Tong Dumpling Restaurant – Canberra – ACT – Australia – April 2016

Tags

ACT, canberra, Chinese restaurant, Dumplings, Peking Duck, Yu xiang qiezi

Dinner at Canberra’s newest dumpling restaurant

This week, friends and I went to try out Canberra’s newest Chinese/dumpling restaurant.  I also invited the friend who came to China with me as I wanted him to see if these dumplings and the eggplant dish tasted anything like what we ate in China.

The restaurant was fully booked and bustling inside with both Chinese and Australians – always a good sign to see Chinese at a Chinese restaurant – shows me it has good food.  We sat down and ordered some wine before ordering our dishes; vegetable dumplings (boiled), my favourite eggplant dish (yuxiang qiezi), my other favourite bean curd dish (deep fried bean curd with spicy peppery salt), shallot pancakes and Peking duck.  Everything came out very quickly and looked extremely appetising.  Service was very good and I got to practice my Chinese skills.

The dumplings looked better than the ones I usually buy at a local dumpling restaurant near my home but in my opinion they were not as delicious.

The shallot pancakes were really good and my friends said the Peking duck was delicious.

 We enjoyed the evening very much and spoke about our recent travels to China including some amusing stories that my other friends could relate to having lived in Beijing for two years.

And my friend Jon did say the dumplings were good and the eggplant tasted like the dishes he had in China…it’s a restaurant I shall return to.

Dinner at CBD Dumpling Restaurant – Canberra – Australia – November 2015

Tags

Australia, canberra, Chinese restaurant, Dumplings

An evening with friends at a local Chinese dumpling restaurant

(this photo from http://www.goodfood.com.au)

Tonight I arranged an evening with some dear friends to eat at a local Chinese restaurant in Canberra that has very good reviews for its dumplings.  We were not disappointed.

Whilst I have to admit firstly I forgot to take photos of our dishes before we all tucked in; secondly my photos do not do justice to the meals which were so delicious.

Only one of my friends, Natalie, had been to the restaurant before but the rest of us were all waiting to compare the dumplings and other dishes to another Chinese dumpling restaurant we always go to in a local suburb near my home (which is very good).  I ordered the ‘yu xiang qie zi’ which is spicy [and oily] eggplant which was sensational.  It’s great with rice to mop up the delicious spicy oil.  This usually comes with pork on the top, but of course, being a vegetarian I asked for ‘mei you rou’ which means ‘no meat’.  My friend who I am travelling to China with next year, could not believe how delicious this dish was..he is used to grilled eggplant, which like me, he dislikes.  I said that the Chinese make eggplant into fabulous meals and to get used to me ordering it all the time.

My friends ordered some meat dishes; pan friend pork dumplings and another pork dish as well as kung pao chicken.  My lovely friend Evonne (who is Taiwanese) and I took the opportunity to teach my friend [who is travelling to China with me] some basic Chinese words:

您好 ni hao  = hello

 谢谢 xie xie = thank you

再见 zai jian = goodbye

And most importantly….

太贵了 tai gui le = too expensive [most important saying in China for visitors]

All the dishes were so fresh and I also ordered the salt and pepper tofu which was very good [albeit in my opinion my other local restaurant does it better].

We also ordered two serves of the Chinese pancakes and they might be the best I have ever tasted…absolutely delicious and as you can see I forgot to take my photo before we took pieces off the plate..

A lovely evening to catch up with friends and enjoy a really good restaurant in Canberra!!