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China Beach

Georgia Waters

Breezy beachside eatery: China Beach Restaurant at Manly.
Breezy beachside eatery: China Beach Restaurant at Manly.Steve Lunam

Asian$$$

We eat out for so many reasons: we don't want to cook; we want to be indulged; we want to eat something we've never eaten before; we want to impress someone. Or we may simply wish to gather a group of friends at a restaurant that will let us share everything and cater for even our most finicky pal. China Beach is one of those restaurants. The second in the China trifecta (with China Doll and China Lane), China Beach has one of the prime dining spots in Manly, opening on to the beach breezes of North Steyne.

It hasn't all been plain sailing here recently, with several chef changeovers in five months. Joint head chefs Adam Cliff, formerly at David Thompson's Nahm in Bangkok, and Ch'ng Ching, previously at Rockpool, arrived late last year but left after only a few months. Scott Lawrence is now in the kitchen, experimenting with new specials, but regulars will find their favourites safely wedded to the permanent menu.

Presumably this rapid chef turnover is part of the reason we have variable experiences on two visits. On the first, a number of dishes are below par. Our next meal is much more successful, rising to the standard we expect from such a popular place.

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Chinese flavours: Moreton Bay Bugs in XO Sauce.
Chinese flavours: Moreton Bay Bugs in XO Sauce.Steve Lunam

On a Saturday night - our second attempt - the room is fully booked. The interior is by Iain Halliday, also behind China Doll's look at Woolloomooloo, but here it's much brighter, mostly blinding white with red accents and brightly coloured floor tiles.

China Beach describes its menu in that common but indefinable way, Modern Asian. It offers mostly broad Chinese and Thai flavours with familiar dishes such as pad Thai, beef with black beans, and sweet potato curry puffs. We're advised all the dishes are intended for sharing, and thoughtfully they're almost all available in half or full servings. There are also more than the usual gluten-free and vegetarian options.

Given we're on the beach and it's a Saturday night, we start with cocktails: a Spice Garden that promises ''fiery fresh red chillies'' with lime, sugar, coriander and tequila, and a Negroni with rose water and grapefruit. Made with Hendrick's gin, the Negroni is good, though perhaps not an improvement on the classic. The Spice Garden is more ho-hum than fierce. There's also a 45-strong wine list with eight by the glass, well-matched for the food with a selection of lighter reds, a few rose´s and a good choice of whites, many less than $50.

To start, a generous half serve of san choy bau is made with diced tender pork rather than mince. Sweet steamed scallops are partnered beautifully with fiery, intense dried chilli; and soft-shell crab in a salty, spicy, crunchy batter with tangy nahm jim is a standout.

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Service is breezy and helpful, with only the occasional slip. We're warned the green prawn curry will be hot, but we find it mild by Thai standards though the flavours are well-balanced and the prawns plump. A plate of sticky, mahogany cubes of pork hock in a rich chilli sauce has the Thai sour-sweet-salty-spicy formula down to addictive perfection. An enoki and shiitake mushroom stir-fry with chilli, lime and sweet basil is a satisfying vegetarian option, and adds some much-needed vegetables to our table.

It's a contrast to our previous visit, during which we ate a massaman wagyu shin curry in a too-sweet sauce with tough meat, and chewy, overcooked roast pork belly served with acidic whole garlic cloves.

Tonight, feeling more confident, we can't go past that addictive Thai street snack for dessert: a sweet roti with banana, coconut and swirl of sticky condensed milk, before we head out into the Manly evening breeze.

Menu

Familiar Thai and Chinese flavours by the beach.

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Recommended dishes

Crispy soft-shell crab, san choy bau, caramelised pork hock.

Rating

Three stars (out of five)

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