China Diner

China Diner, a restaurant so popular it has three locations, operates along similar vein to the similarly-named China Doll: the game played is modern Chinese-fusion. The décor has some fun, kitchy Chinese elements (wooden panels and giant Warhol-eque portraits of Mao), and mood lighting. 

I went there for a friend's birthday, so we enjoyed a banquet menu with a drinks package. 

My favourite dish of the evening was this prawn san choi bao with green beans and almonds. The sauce is divine and everything my little Shanghai tastebuds could ask for: salty, umami and slightly sweet. The prawns are bouncy and fresh, and the addition of almond slivers was inspired: not only did it add a textural point of interest, it also gave a nutty, slightly roasted flavour to the dish. In fact, I didn't even bother with the lettuce cup: I just scooped it straight into my mouth. 

The crispy calamari with togarashi pepper, garlic and lime is everything you want calamari to be: deep fried to satisfying goodness but not chewy, dusted with togarashi which gives a slight kick, and the dipping sauce was a salty tart number that cut right through the grease. 

The prawn and black fungi wontons were a surprise hit. The skin is delightfully paper-thin, encasing a mix that can only be described as flavourful and juicy. Black fungi is a common and prized ingredient in Chinese cooking, but they are not usually made into dumplings - I loved that innovation. The sauce of black vinegar, chilli and sesame packed a lot of flavour into these little parcels. 

The xiao long bao at China Diner is respectable, though not as juicy as the ones at the more traditional Chinese restaurants.

The steamed fish is very good: flakey, firm flesh; fish soy sauce flavourful enough to make rice glistening and umami. 

White cut chicken, ginger and shallots. The chicken is so tender! I was rather pleasantly surprised by the precision with which this dish is cooked: a moment more, the chicken would have been tough; but as it is, it was delicious. 

Chilli caramel pork belly takes traditional red-sauced pork belly and adds a fusion twist so that the sweetness is exaggerated, and the slightly charred surfaces add extra barbequed flavour to the dish. The fatty parts of the pork are not greasy at all, and the lean parts not stringy. Very well done. 

The banquet also came with steamed broccoli and prawn crackers. Over all, I was impressed by the fun, creative way China Diner interpreted traditional and popular Chinese dishes.