Lan Yuan

As the '90s make a comeback, so the concept of mall dining is enjoying something of a renaissance. The shopping centre is no longer purgatory for hungry weekend punters, as a new crop of restaurants like Lotus at The Galeries, Chum Tang at Chatswood Interchange and Neil Perry's Burger Project have all become drawcards in their own right.

This comes as no surprise to my parents, however, who have long maintained the merits of an eatery can only be improved by its proximity to easy parking and major supermarkets. On a quiet Sunday night, their theory is put to the test as we traipse through a maze of closed shops and sprawling walkways in search of Lan Yuan, a new Chinese restaurant at Top Ryde Shopping Centre.

The name Lan Yuan translates literally to orchard garden. This turns out to be a slight misnomer as we are led by a friendly staff into a vast, bamboo-themed interior that overlooks the recently renovated Piazza dining hub. There is not a live seafood tank or round banquet table in sight. Instead, the three-month old Cantonese eatery has a softly lit, outdoors-inspired dining hall filled with blond wood tables and faux greenery. It's an ambitious fitout but my folks are tickled by the pleasant, terrarium-ish appeal.

Owner Shawn Ren, who spent the past decade working in the cafe industry, is keen to shake things up in the suburbs. "Traditional Chinese restaurants don't provide the same kind of service as, say, Spice Temple or Mr Wong," he says. "Basic things like having wait staff check on you, refilling your water and wine." With Lan Yuan, the 32-year-old hopes to bridge the gap between upmarket Chinese dining and the no-frills neighbourhood bastions.

True to Ren's word, the waiters are attentive and our glasses never go unfilled. Once settled in, we are taken through the specials menu (which changes monthly) and the exact level of spiciness of our chosen dishes. This is just as well, since it gives us a chance to turn down the heat for the wok-fried pippies in XO sauce, a Cantonese favourite which is usually mild but packs a punch at Lan Yuan.

At $35 a half kilo, the plump crustaceans aren't a bad option to sate those late-night Chinatown cravings. It comes with a crispy golden vermicelli base, which soaks up the feisty sauce and adds a welcome textural contrast.

The rest of our dishes arrive thick and fast, with entrees hitting the table at the same time as mains. Bypass the adequate steamed dumplings and opt for a starter of Peking duck pancakes ($16 for four). The birds are roasted in-house and are less salty and fatty than the traditional northern Chinese version.

A plate of steamed white cut chicken is gently briny, served at room temperature with a small dish of savoury minced ginger. It's a faithful rendition of the Hong Kong barbecue joint staple.

The deep-fried Hokkien-style eggplant is another winner. Cut conveniently to chip-sized batons, the bei fung tong (garlic and dried chilli) spice mix is as addictive as it is intoxicating.

Despite being billed as authentic Cantonese cuisine, the menu draws heavily on regional influences. This makes sense as cities like Guangzhou and Hong Kong (from which Cantonese cooking hail) are cosmopolitan food hubs. Ren later explains the chefs have taken popular provincial dishes and reinterpreted them with a lighter, modern twist.

Among those classics is sweet and sour whole fish. Originally from Jiangsu, its Chinese translation is "song shu yu", or squirrel fish, a reference to the shape of its furry namesake's tail after the scored fish fans out when fried to a golden crisp. The barramundi, more crescent-shaped than squirrelly, is moist and tangy. Be sure to order a side of fried mantou to mop up the sticky sauce.

Lan Yuan also does yum cha by day. This means there's good reason to return to discover new favourites, while luxuriating in the unlikely garden retreat.

THE PICKS

Hokkien deep-fried eggplant, wok fried pippies with XO sauce, mantou platter

THE LOOK

A bamboo garden inspired interior, with lots of timber and a modern, monochrome fit out

THE SERVICE

Attentive and knowledgeable about the menu, will helpfully cater to taste preferences and dietary needs