Best summer dining with Terry Durack: China Beach

MANLY'S favourite modern Asian diner gets a reboot just in time for summer, with joint head chefs Christian Ching and Adam Cliff taking over from the talented Mai Busayarat in the kitchen.

The menu will stay with the proven south-east Asian focus, from Cantonese prawn and corn siu mai to Sichuan spiced cuttlefish, steamed Japanese silken tofu with teriyaki and sesame sauce, and massaman wagyu-shin curry, with a further emphasis on those compelling sweet, sour and salty flavour notes of Thai cooking.

Crispy soft-shell crab, for instance, has been tweaked with a chilli and lime nam jim dressing. The twice-cooked free range duck with tamarind will stay on by order of the local regulars, as will the caramelised pork hock with chilli plum sauce. Designer Ian Halliday tossed together a spiced-up stir-fry of influences installing a light, white dining room, a cluster of rice paper lanterns, crazy-paving floor tiles and marble-topped tables; it's a fine place from which to catch those sea breezes.

The Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide says: “China Beach can cater for most Asian persuasions — Vietnamese or Thai, Chinese or Malaysian — with friendly, focused and efficient service to boot.”

This summer's hot order: Stir-fried Asian mushrooms with chilli, lime and sweet basil, $11 and $22.

Shop 2, 43-45 North Steyne, Manly. Lunch and dinner daily, about $90 for two, plus drinks.

Phone 9976 0050, chinabeach.com.au.