Wah Fung BBQ Restaurant

This plain, no frills, no fuss Asian eatery is a good night dinner option for the Redfern foodscape. The menu is a fairly standard Chinese menu including salt and pepper squid, sweet and sour pork, peking spare ribs etc etc but I had my eyes on were the roast meats glistening in the window. Unfortunately, it was disappointing but it could have been a victim of a slow Sunday night. Char siu not made from the finest cut, it was a little bit fatty, the roast pork meat fine but skin lacked crispy crunch. It’s pretty average stuff, but nothing a bit of stiff competition can’t fix.


2 / 5 yums!
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Where? 64 Regent St, Redfern, NSW
What? Around $10

Universal, Darlinghurst

Settle down, the world isn’t coming to an end from the sun engulfing the Earth. It’s just the orange glow that radiates from the feature wall at Universal Restaurant. In Darlinghurst, there are no views but it takes full advantage of the quiet courtyard, creating a casual inside outside vibe. Perhaps it’s preparing diners for the bombardment of flavours from the spice queen Christine Mansfield.

Fitness freaks will be happy with the Asian influenced menu that’s a DIY degustation of sorts, moving from light to heavy dishes, ensuring you get your protein and mineral requirements. While the descriptions are straightforward, the dishes are extremely complex. There were so many different flavours in each, beautifully constructed, but I felt it was almost to the point of convolution, a mish mash that didn’t agree in my mouth. Take the kingfish ceviche, the pairing of the roasted and skinned heirloom tomato’s tartness and bitterness and heat from green chilli salsa left the sea flesh behind. Same issue with the wagyu beef shin braised with a heavy green chilli and galangal mix, the garnishing prawn floss, green peppercorns and mint add to the dominating flavours.

Of course there is clarity in others, such as the seared scallops with the never fail truffle foie gras and the delicate jasmine tea smoked duck that retains a subtle, gamey flavour. Desserts have a bit of humour with names like “Bite Me” and the cheap teen booze “Passion Pop”. A more sensible “Raspberry Ripple” is a candied shell tower of vanilla yoghurt cream, raspberries and meringue that’s excellent. You will go “Totally Nuts” indulging in a decadent block of caramel parfait, on top thin dark and milk chocolate sheets sandwich hazelnut chocolate mousse and salted chopped hazelnut caramels.

Perhaps the assault on my senses was too much for me on that night. Admittedly I do prefer simpler flavours, but I can’t say Universal is on my list for a return before the world does end.


2.5 / 5 yums!
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Where? Republic 2 Courtyard, Palmer Street, Darlinghurst, NSW
What? Mains $27, Desserts $18

Taste on Sussex

It’s as if the designers had just come back from a whirlwind world tour and drawn inspiration from all parts. There’s an Asian-Euro blend, Indonesian cushioned teak and plush arm chairs in the lounge area, French provincial doors, screens and banana leaves cutting the room up, French Victorian lace drapes the floor to ceiling windows that allows a little privacy yet offers natural light not blocked by the surrounding buildings. A stop a JB Hi-Fi was probably made, the ceilings are naked but painted birdcages divert the eyes to something more interesting. A Melbourne eclectic mix that provides a very comfortable drinking environment.

The food isn’t bad either with the menu keeping in theme is an Asian-Euro fusion. Salt and pepper squid is very lightly coated and fried, though a little over seasoned, a black ink swipe and spicy harissa makes for an interesting yet weird combination. Not the best. Roast pork with shaved fennel and thinly sliced apple much better, sticking with a safe combination.

If you’ve had a whirlwind day, there’s probably no better place to unwind and chill out. Get a taste on Sussex.



2.5 / 5 yums!
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Where? 275 Kent St, Sydney, NSW
What? Around $20

Spice Temple

Spice Temple is part of Mr Ponytail’s latest venture, a massive risk given these GFC conditions. He’s going back to his roots of sorts, famous for his love of the Asian, the Temple takes inspiration from the Chinese provinces of Sichuan, Hunan and Xinjiang.

There’s no secret words or signs, but you do feel kind of sneaky leaning on the entrance that looks more like an electronic billboard. Down the stairs, you’ll find a seductive space filled dark furnishings, sexy red glows. It’s oriental opulence, a slinky high class opium den, the only thing missing being the beautiful ladies offering lamps to inhale the vaporised poppy.

What’s not missing is the impeccable class that follows Mr Ponytail. Like any other Chinese restaurant, the menu is divided into salads/cold cuts, noodles and dumplings, seafood, poultry, pork, beef/lamb, veggies and desserts with a range in each. Don’t expect to find sweet and sour pork and honey chicken, it’s a fiery affair, the printed red warnings and names such as spice fried chicken wings with heaven facing chillies and beef fillet in fire water should strike fear.

I probably would have been well served to have a sweat towel, for even the un-red stir fried king prawns with salted duck eggs and four chillies began the tingling. As beads of sweat start to form on my forehead, the twice cooked duck is Daffy cooking mastery but the roast chilli paste dousing fired up the heat receptors and thoughts of removing my shirt. At this stage, my tongue is starting to numb as well, with the sparkling San Pellegrino doing more harm than good, so you could have served up the steamed eggplant flavoured with garlic, coriander and sweet pork or the crisp pork belly (that would shame your local roast meat up) with fresh and dried chillies, coriander and mushroom soy and I probably wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. Calming things down were the interesting cumin lamb that you stuff into thin peking duck crepe-like bread pockets that breaks the monotony of using the choppers and tea smoked chicken, showing plenty of skill in using the technique to impart flavour without dominating bitterness and leaving the chook very moist.

GFC is well and truly here, but our table of 8 got plenty bang for their buck so I’d definitely recommend going with a group so you can sample plenty and laugh at each other’s low tolerance to handle the heat. Chilli lovers will find heaven, but for me, it wasn’t that and I wish it could have been toned down a notch so everything didn’t taste like burning. I left thinking it should have been called Spicey Temple instead.


2.5 / 5 yums!
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Where? 10 Bligh St, Sydney, NSW

Kam Fook

It’s as if there’s only one yum cha joint on the entire North Shore, which is probably why Kam Fook at Chatswood Westfield has had to build such a massive room to house the masses that cram in here. There’s precious little space between tables and barely enough in the lanes for the carts which transport those bamboo steamers filled with a bevy of dim sum. Highlighting the quality were the har gao prawn dumplings, white and plump and siu mai bloated large. Despite Kam Fook being on the North Shore, the only premium you’ll pay is the toll to get back across the bridge.


3 / 5 yums!
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Where? Westfield Shopping Town, Level 6, Shop 600, Help St, Chatswood, NSW

Din Tai Fung

Never before has the humble dumpling received such celebrity status. Din Tai Fung, Sydney’s branch of the international giant, gives them the star treatment. An immaculately clean laboratory, unusual for an Asian restaurant, in clear view where a small brigade of surgically masked workers feverishly measure out dough and ingredients to form those parcels and Chinese pasta for the throngs of humans waiting outside.

Despite the science employed to create consistency worldwide, I’m not sure it justifies the prices charged. Like Gucci, LV, you are paying for the brand, but in this instance, you certainly don’t get equivalent value. That said, it is reasonable quality. Noodles have that freshly made spring. Xiao long bao good, the broth inside clear and tasty though nothing you can’t get elsewhere. Pork and prawn xiao mai is good though you wouldn’t expect the prawn lid to have dried out in the steaming.

I love dumplings, but I can’t find love for Din Tai Fung’s. I’ll avoid the red carpet and head to Ashfield.


2 / 5 yums!
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Where? 644 George St, Sydney, NSW
What? Dumplings around $8