Cafe Opera, Intercontinental Sydney

A selection to complete a rather good afternoon.

High ceilings. Sandstone contrasting with raw red brick walls. Spacious corridors. Perhaps the best seating is in the balconies overlooking the inner sanctum.  In this modern age of glass, electronics and density, it is rewarding to be able to relax in hallowed surroundings being with crowds but not feeling hemmed in. My group of five were fortunate to obtain a reserved table outside the cafe proper, which was chock a block with guests also here for the Sunday Christmas lunch, held  but only once a year in December.   We were greeted with sparkling wine, generously topped up throughout our meal.  A hint of festivity decorated our table, where we could pull Christmas pops, wear season hats and just literally relax. No ala carte selections today, we went with the flow of Christmas goodies, with under currents of a French end of year theme, especially for dessert, but also with good old Aussie seafood offerings like fresh prawns, quality salmon cuts and lots of preserves, nuts and healthy salads.


The Cafe Opera is located upstairs from the rather compact lobby of the Intercontinental Sydney, located at the Bridge end of Macquarie Street, all within walking distance of the NSW State Parliament, NSW Art Gallery, Circular Quay and the Sydney Opera House.  It is sited on the top end of town so to speak and makes most of the old State Treasury Building.  The staff attending to us that day were delightful, quick on the foot and friendly.  They happily offered alternatives of juice or soft drinks if you have to drive after the meal.  Guests are orderly, patient and quiet in waiting for their food in the queues.  The food bars are daintily decorated and suggest an Euro atmosphere, especially with the biscuits, pastries and cakes at the end of the ambient buffet.

I normally try to skip mains in a whole some buffet, but this time I found the Christmas ham and roast turkey irresistible - the cloves were still in my slices of ham and the accompanying gravy lifted the meats further.  The choice of cooked food may not be as varied as in the Sheraton by Hyde Park, but they had gems like delicately grilled barramundi and butter chicken curry.  I saw the rather chunky dim sims ( really steamed buns and pork/prawn siew mai) and did not have the heart to mention to the staff that Cantonese yum cha is really meant for petite snacks of bite size and not to be served in such huge proportions.  Dim sim literally means " touch of the heart" and not a flagging of monster sized grabs.


That little disappointment was soon wiped out by the variety of entrees, starting with Japanese sashimi, sushi and lobster bisque.  The latter was rather gratifying, flavourful, thick and with toasty croutons.  And I did revel in my dessert choices, rather up to expectations and with really too much to choose and take it all in. May be I did miss Italian, Spanish or Middle Eastern dishes but that would have been over the top. We were placed where we could hold a conversation, where the background noise was in another room, where it was reading to catch up with family and friends.  Then it was off to view the David Jones Christmas displays, the Martin Place Christmas tree and the QVB window shopping. I would recommend the Cafe Opera also on quieter months.

Snacks and Bites Australia part 2

Wholesome big breakfast at Cosy Cafe, Unanderra NSW

Portuguese themed home gathering - Balgownie

Spaghetti Marinara at Shellharbour Stockland shopping centre

A great way to start the day - besides the beautiful glass mugs - at Connie's, North Wollongong NSW

Breakfast with the Sakumas - Devon Cafe, Surry Hills Sydney

Roast lamb shanks with potatoes - Costa Azzura Italian, Fairy Meadow NSW.

Roast duck ala Guangzhou with braised mushrooms.

Snacks and Bites - Australia Today

Cantina Dog - Cantina Central Hotel Shellharbour NSW

My favourite yogurt - various flavours from Dairy Farmers

Veg and fruit juicing - fete at Macquarie Park, North Ryde NSW

Eggs Florentine with salmon and avocado - Point Cafe, Bulli NSW

Fish stock based soup in ramen from Ryo's in Crows Nest, north shore Sydney

Perhaps a balanced breakfast - bacon, poached egg, tomato, avocado and cut fruits, from Connie's Cafe, North Wollongong NSW

Spicy arrowroot noodles with garnishing, pork slices and egg - Jonga Jip, Eastwood NSW

Cempita pulled pork on a roll with cabbage - Dagwood, Wollongong NSW

Musing over a brioche roll for a weekend breakky

Beer battered fish and chips with gherkins - Diggies North Wollongong Beach NSW

Soy sauced pork with a Pimms cocktail

Crispy fried chicken with fried egg over tomato flavoured rice, accompanied by a vinegar based dipping sauce - very popular in Vietnamese restaurants and cafes dotted across Australian capital  cities

Fresh from the oven -  French inspired croissants from Orto Trading Co. , Surry Hills, Sydney

Quick fix noodles of curry mee

Sourdough with a twist Spanish style - Bill & James Cafe, Balgownie NSW

Crown Street Markets - Wollongong NSW

A violinist concentrates on play along the mall that hosts the markets every Friday.

Cured meats in a variety of forms and unique tastes underlying the Euro tradition.

The breeze blows in from the ocean, making it comfy for market visitors to browse preserves, cheeses, clothes, handicrafts, plants, fruits, vegetables and meat offerings.  Up the top end of Crown Street Mall is the recently opened shopping centre along Keira Street.

Produce from farms for the kitchen and stove.  Both Myer and David Jones department stores are located nearby, in addition to my fav cafes His Boy Elroy, Lee & Me, Lower Crown Eat and the Three Chimneys.

An Anglican church with sandstone and all awaits visitors in the mall and is open during market time.

Bandstand near the mall, with the beaches all within walking distance.

Yum Cha Time - Selected Dishes

Roast duck cutlets served with sliced cucumber.

Ducks are essentially wet creatures and love their water.  They can exude a gamey aroma so preparation of duck cuisine emphasises on two critical requirements - the well skilled drying of there duck with wintery winds if possible and applying the right marinade that enhances the taste and texture of the meat beneath a crispy skin.  Haha, Confucious is often ascribed in Western circles to have said about the fruitlessness of a peasant waiting for a roast duck to fly into his mouth.  Effort, aspiration, skill and patience are all required in the processing of a raw duck to one served at your local Chinese restaurant. The Hong Kong version is not the same as the Beijing, German, French or Sichuan version. In most yum cha places, the Guangzhou tradition rules - honey and rice vinegar are rubbed into the duck and left overnight.  Stuffing inside conquests of items like castor sugar, hoisin sauce, chopped fresh ginger, fresh chopped spring onions, five spice powder, oil and yellow bean paste, albeit in small amounts.  The duck has to be thoroughly cleaned.  I prefer duck in wraps or as cooked in Thai curry, do realise its potential oiliness but I readily choose a duck confit in an Italian or French restaurant.

An array of yum cha favourites, clockwise from 11 o'clock - braised phoenix claws (chicken feet); steamed siew mai; mango pudding; and steamed bean paste buns.

There are the usual standards in any yum cha gathering but what I look forward to are the baked char siew so buns, wok stir fried mussels, steamed pork rib cuts, prawn filled cheong fun, mango spewing pancakes, siew long pau (dumplings with soup filled insides), deep fried wantons, custard egg tarts, scallop dumplings and roast pork belly slices.   I have a penchant for the savoury instead of sweet in such fare.  What kind of tea blends are available these days at a typical restaurant for the commonly shared table pot?  Perhaps Pu-erh and Oolong are worth trying, but I also like the Japanese rice tea.

Deep fried delicacies - the wu kok or yam cake (top) with the prawn ball (bottom).

My Euro mates love the sweet and sour prawns, char siew so buns, deep fried calamari, stir fried Singapore  noodles, beef, deep fried ice cream and deep fried wantons.  Acquired tastes can include durian pancakes, phoenix claws (braised chicken feet), taro cakes and piping hot congee.

Yum cha sessions are meant to be leisurely, for business to be discussed, for families to catch up or for good mates to have a relaxing arvo.  The crowdedness and noise at most such places do detract from the original purpose.  Originally such food is downed with hot piping tea, but globalisation  of this cuisine means also the serving of beer and wine to accompany them.   Despite digital billing, most outlets around the world stick to the time honoured invoicing system of having a waitress stamp manually against your table bill. Does one just accept the offerings from passing trolleys, or are guests brave enough to request their favourite item which may not be even on the official menu?
Any yum cha eater senses the protocol of the place to have as much turnover of the tables in any one session.  It is better to have prolonged intimate conversations at a coffee place - as you walk out after your meal, you do notice the waiting hordes and queues.

Congee with century old egg slices, chicken pieces and garnish of shallots, pepper and julienne ginger.

All photo credits to Ms SK Teoh.  Images captured at the Golden Phoenix Restaurant, Equatorial Hotel Penang Island.