Simply Shanghai
Dumplings with hot tasty soup inside. Some were as big as an apple, others were delicate as blossom flowers. Some had crispy bottom crusts, others had a tiny square of green underbase.
It was not a cold night for late autumn in Sydney's Ashfield, a suburb on the south-west outskirts of the Sydney CBD.The current demographics still retain the significant presence of mainland Chinese, which started from the mid-nineties onwards, but now also has Indian grocery outlets sitting side by side with the Greek fruit wholesalers and an icon of Australian residential life, the local club (in this case, the Wests). Retail shops like newsagents and food suppliers are open late even on a weeknight. Young Caucasian Aussies were buying fresh fish after work, or gathered together to sample northern Chinese food. A strip along Liverpool Road has all the main regional cuisines of China represented, from Beijing to Hong Kong.
Five of us had gathered for a casual mid-week dinner in a Shanghai styled restaurant. I was impressed with the mung bean pasta, drenched in a delicate sauce that reminded me of Italian styles. The whole unshelled prawns were savoury and crisp. Wantons were served in a rich clear stock. Cut chillies, black vinegar, chili paste and sauce were all provided as accessories. Dessert was a familiar after dinner treat on tables from Macau to Penang - the red bean pancakes. Service was efficient, the tea was thick but the food was good. The cold entree made an impact, vegetarian gluten with hints of vinegar. Shanghai duck is so different from Beijing duck, with so much less fat and more condensed meat. Uncle Alec shouted the meal.
Looking around us, I observed that most of the customers were from China, save for a mixed marriage couple and us. We could have been in Shanghai itself. The language is not the same as standard Mandarin. However, Shanghai is even more cosmopolitan than suburban Ashfield and its night life is more than the fraction reflected in this overseas colony. I could find easy parking at the Ashfield Mall, and just walk across the road to dwell in this outpost of Shanghai cuisine. Weekend mornings can be pretty chaotic with shoppers and traffic, but the Liverpool Road that runs through Ashfield is no Nanjing Pei Lu. Still, for a few hours, we enjoyed eating what is simply Shanghai.
It was not a cold night for late autumn in Sydney's Ashfield, a suburb on the south-west outskirts of the Sydney CBD.The current demographics still retain the significant presence of mainland Chinese, which started from the mid-nineties onwards, but now also has Indian grocery outlets sitting side by side with the Greek fruit wholesalers and an icon of Australian residential life, the local club (in this case, the Wests). Retail shops like newsagents and food suppliers are open late even on a weeknight. Young Caucasian Aussies were buying fresh fish after work, or gathered together to sample northern Chinese food. A strip along Liverpool Road has all the main regional cuisines of China represented, from Beijing to Hong Kong.
Five of us had gathered for a casual mid-week dinner in a Shanghai styled restaurant. I was impressed with the mung bean pasta, drenched in a delicate sauce that reminded me of Italian styles. The whole unshelled prawns were savoury and crisp. Wantons were served in a rich clear stock. Cut chillies, black vinegar, chili paste and sauce were all provided as accessories. Dessert was a familiar after dinner treat on tables from Macau to Penang - the red bean pancakes. Service was efficient, the tea was thick but the food was good. The cold entree made an impact, vegetarian gluten with hints of vinegar. Shanghai duck is so different from Beijing duck, with so much less fat and more condensed meat. Uncle Alec shouted the meal.
Looking around us, I observed that most of the customers were from China, save for a mixed marriage couple and us. We could have been in Shanghai itself. The language is not the same as standard Mandarin. However, Shanghai is even more cosmopolitan than suburban Ashfield and its night life is more than the fraction reflected in this overseas colony. I could find easy parking at the Ashfield Mall, and just walk across the road to dwell in this outpost of Shanghai cuisine. Weekend mornings can be pretty chaotic with shoppers and traffic, but the Liverpool Road that runs through Ashfield is no Nanjing Pei Lu. Still, for a few hours, we enjoyed eating what is simply Shanghai.
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