I Don't Eat, I Devour

I have a lot of memories of this place. When I first came to Australia as a child, this  was one of my parents' favourite places to eat to comfort their "Chinese stomachs". There are quite a bit of similarities between the taste profiles of Shanghainese cuisine and Taiwanese cuisine, now that I think about it: both cuisine prefer that lovely umami sweet-savoury and dainty little portions. Even some of our breakfast foods are just variations on a theme.  This, for example. Glutinous rice logs filled with fried dough stick (you tiao), Taiwan-style pork floss (which is a little sweeter and more toasted than its arch-competitor, the Taichang-style pork floss) and preserved raddish. It is filling, comforting and texturally varied (chewy and soft vs crunchy). It is also easily transported, so a perfect breakfast-on-the-go or snack item. The Shanghainese version is shaped like a ball and sometimes replaces the pork floss and preserved raddish with preserved vegetables.  Egg panc

"Walk in only" - in this day and age, you've got to have strong confidence in your pulling power to stand by this policy. Normally, these three words strike fear into my overly-prepared little heart, but I have long been curious about this charming, unpretentious corner spot opposite the Enmore Theatre, and I decided to brave it with a couple of friends.  Charcoal chicken plate, $16 The charcoal chicken plate is really a deconstructed charcoal chicken pita pocket. It is served with tender, smoky chicken breast pieces, salad, tomato chutney, gorgeously tart pickles and fragrant toum. The toum is creamy and very, very good - almost as good as the famed one at El Jannah.  Koshari, $16 One of my dining companions is a wonderfully well-travelled ex-Emirates flight attendant. When she discovered this dish on the menu, she was delighted. Since having tried this dish of rice and chickpeas in Cairo, she had been craving it. Though not as good as the one in Cairo (I am informed), t

Sitting pretty in the middle of the Royal Botanical Gardens, the Botanic House is a beautifully sunny, relaxed spot that makes you forget you are mere minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the big smoke.  The tasting menu is created by Luke Nguyen, one of Australia's most beloved Asian TV chefs. The cuisine is modern Asian, with Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai influences being the most prominent.  Edamame and avocado salsa with sesame rice crackers The Chinese restaurants of the 90s brought bowls of greasy, salty, delicious prawn crackers that melted in the mouth as starters. Here, those nostalgic treats have been given a fusion upgrade. Something of an Asian guac-and-corn-chips, the salsa is creamy, the rice crackers a slightly less oily versio of its prawn predecessors.  Seared Hokkaido scallop These scallops are pleasantly plump and served with an interesting, flavourful sauce of cashew, toasted coconut and pork floss. The cashew and toasted coconut are distinctly South-East Asia