This old-school Chinese restaurant is one of our critic's favourite places to eat spring rolls
Inside, it's a soft-lit capsule of longevity symbols, floral wallpaper and red lanterns, an all-are-welcome time-warp of scalloped tablecloths, CorningWare plates and two stunning artworks in lightboxes. This is the oldest surviving Chinese restaurant in Bowral, opened in the mid-1970s and now run by Teresa Wong, a calm presence on the floor. Her husband, Michael, has ruled the kitchen since the last owners figured it was time to retire about 12 months ago.
After two visits over a weekend in May, it has become one of my favourite places to eat spring rolls. At lunch, the only sounds come from an air-conditioner, the clang-clang of ladle on wok, and the quiet chat of two boys in suits – fresh from Holy Communion – sharing sizzling lamb with their mother and nan. The prawn toast tastes like prawn toast. The fried rice tastes like fried rice. The black vinegar pork ribs taste like a cinnamon doughnut.
Dinner is a more animated affair, largely thanks to a waitress who likes to sing along to You Can Call Me Al. A group of local Rodd & Gunn enthusiasts are on their second bottle of Rockford Basket Press; an old bloke in tracksuit pants inhales some form of curry. Meanwhile, our table is into the xiao long bao dumplings – brothy little belters – and juicy, yielding pot-stickers.
At the end of a long carte ranging from '$45 Banquet A' to 'Banana Fritter', there's a small collection of dishes handwritten in Mandarin – a handy go-to, Teresa says, for any Chinese tourists or expats less inclined to split a mixed entree and combination satay. We roll the dice on beef hor fun from this section and the wide noodles come out smoky, savoury and sweet, textured with the crunch of bean sprouts and spring onion. Good one.
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