Oatley Chinese & Malaysian

Every suburb has a Chinese restaurant, but not every suburb is lucky enough to have one with someone clever in the kitchen. It looks ordinary enough - white walls with eclectic decorations, round white paper-covered tables - but wait until the plates drop. Spicy cumin lamb backstraps for instance, has flavour and heat in spades. Padang-style dry beef rendang will please the pickiest rendang buff, and caramelised eggplant in a Chingkiang vinegar-based sauce is memorable. All the suburban Chinese specialities are there if you want them - but so is a brilliant Buddhist vegetarian hotpot. Go with a group and share.