Chinese
Late '90s dance-floor bangers and scallop dumplings: who knew they'd be such a winning combination? Justin Hemmes did, seemingly. Though what dumpling master Eric Koh thinks of that much autotuned Cher remains a mystery. For everyone else, it's an opportunity to either relive – or be horrified by – those heady years of bucket hats, body shirts and Justin Timberlake-era Britney Spears.
Either way, you'll eat well doing it. Koh, for the players back home, came to Sydney from London's slick mod-Chinese dim sum den Hakkasan to work the steamers at Mr Wong.
Momentarily lured to Chatswood by the folks at Tim Ho Wan, he found himself back with Merivale a few months back. And while he waits for his new kitchen at Enmore's Queen Victoria Hotel to open, you can catch him and his scallop dumplings on King Street in the CBD.
Those dumplings, with a base of chopped-up prawn topped with half a scallop and a scattering of crab roe, kick off a menu of well-executed yum cha faves. It's table service here, but it's casual at its most roll-with-it.
Tick what you want off a little itemised slip of paper (much like you find in plenty of Hong Kong-style dim sum places), hand it over, sit back and wait for delicious results.
But no matter how tempting it is to stick an entire har gau filled with tiny sweet prawns into your maw, resist. Chances are you'll be spending the following minute opening and shutting your mouth trying to cool off like a dog that ate a firecracker.
The room, in true pop-up style, is very "street" with lots of "graff" and beat-up old Chesterfield lounges. Whether that grates or delights you, there's no arguing with what's on the plate.
The knife work, when it comes to the fillings in these dumplings, is impressive to say the least. Take the siu mai as a really nice working reference. Inside that wonton skin there's discernible meaty pork bits, whole prawns, the taste of the actual thing you've ordered. See also the mix of pork and prawn wrapped in sheets of beancurd skin doused in abalone sauce.
In non-dumpling-related news, this hand-sized floppy bau. It's sandwiching thick slices of pork belly drenched in hoisin. Beer, meet your new BFF. Heart and brain cells, meet your new frenemy.
Pretend it never happened with a serve of Chinese spinach, stir-fried with wolf berries. They're a superfood, right?
THE LOWDOWN
Pro tip Have you got 100 dumpling-loving pals? Book the place out and have yourselves a massive yum cha party
Try this The har gau are hard to beat. Game on, Sydney yum cha enthusiasts
Like this? Die-hard dumpling freak? Take the har gau challenge and check out Dynasty Chinese at Canterbury Leagues. 26 Bridge Road, Belmore, 02 9740 6633
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