Hulu at King Street Wharf - Barangaroo, NSW

Chinese food has had a long standing history in most developed countries, that holds especially true for a place like Australia where "Salt & Pepper Squid" has unofficially become the national dish. I bet for every suburb in Sydney where there is a shopping strip, you will find at least one Chinese restaurant or takeaway shop and you will be able to get Chinese food relatively easily. But unfortunately, I feel like Chinese food hasn't always had the most glamorous of images...historically, people tend to only think of Chinese food as greasy and MSG-laden meals you can get at food-courts. Even our oldest venues like Golden Century have these images where it's the place you go when you're really drunk off your ass.

My point is: it's hard to tell someone that Chinese food is a refined ordeal. It's really not until recent years that we've had a surge in newer establishments that focused on produce, quality, presentation and highlighting the best parts of Chinese food (Mr. Wong, Lotus Dining, Billy Kwong etc) and I can see the image slowly start to shift in the minds of the people. Our recent visit to Hulu at King Street Wharf is a prime example of a restaurant that's trying to do one of the oldest cuisines in the world justice by giving people a look at what a refined and high-class Chinese dining experience would look like.

The Mrs and I were fortunate enough to have been invited to attend one of four sessions of complimentary dining intended to showcase what Hulu has to offer and generate excitement about this new venue. We had originally intended to attend one of the first sessions but due to a clash with my ACL reconstruction surgery, we had to push our attendance out to the very last session which wasn't a bad thing at all as we got to dine with some interesting and colourful people (have to admit, was a bit star-struck when @spooningaus walked in as I had been watching him eat on Where's The Food on Youtube)

We were ushered into a small private dining area near the back of the restaurant where we were seating at a round table with a large glass lazy-susan which you typically find at Chinese restaurants. The decor of the restaurant was brightly coloured with some mellow blues and Chinese themed ornaments all around. I was most impressed by the abacus shaped lighting which reminded me of when I was a child, first learning to calculate on a similar device.

As soon as all guests had arrived, we were promptly served where @teafortammi quickly and efficiently picked up the menu, asked what was recommended and got us sorted with a plethora of delicious delights including dumplings, soup and various chef's specialities.

For the night, we ordered:

The Hulu Mix Appetisers (served in a specialty hulu shaped dish)

A hulu is a traditional Chinese gourd used to store liquids and medicine

Pan Fried Mushroom Dumplings

Hulu's Signature Crispy Cheese & Prawn Dumplings

Nemo Dumplings

Pepper & Pickled Cabbage Soup w/ Pork Intestines

Sweet & Sour Pork On Ice

Spinach in High Soup, Eggs Trilogy

Homemade Tofu & Mushrooms, Fried with Egg White Sauce

Half Duck Smoked in Jasmine Tea

Beef Cubes Pan Fried, Black Pepper Sauce

Egg White Fried Rice w/ Fish Roe

and for desserts, we got the:

Osmanthus Cake

And, the Deep Fried Ice Cream w/ Chocolate Syrup

Overall, the Mrs and I had a great time dining at Hulu at King Street Wharf and we were really glad we got to share this experience with some other like-minded people. The venue itself is fabulously fit out and suites the location quite spectacularly as a finer establishment for diners to get an authentic Chinese feed by the wharf. My personal favourite item of the night had to be Hulu's Crispy Cheese & Prawn Dumplings which had a texture like Ham Sui Gok from Yumcha but with a more seafood based filling. I Imagine that if I got to eat that piping hot, I'd be able to down plate after plate of those dumplings.

Thank you again to Hulu at King Street Wharf and Red Productions for inviting the Mrs and I and we look forward to the next time we get to dine at such a fine establishment whenever the opportunity presents itself!

We got married!!!

So...I got married?? Yea...the Mrs and I weren't actually previously married but we were engaged to be married. In my mind, she'd always been my soul-mate: always on the same page and always supporting everything I did...she was, for all intents and purposes, my Mrs. Generally speaking, I think I can make the assumption that if you regularly read our blog, you know us personally so this may not be news to you but in the case that you aren't...the Mrs and I finally finished planning our big 'event' and tied the knot early January! We'd been travelling around in Hong Kong and Philippines for our honeymoon so I haven't blogged about it but it was a spectacular success!

This will be a departure from my regular food blogs (when you get married, you don't really pay attention to the food) but instead, it'll be a sort of recap of the day. I'd also like to take this chance to appreciate all those who had contributed to our day. My groomsmen and I got dressed early on in the day and headed out to pick up the Mrs. This was all part of a Chinese custom called  'fetching the bride'. The purpose of this was to officially whisk the bride away and take her back home to perform the 'tea ceremony'. This is a very important ceremony which officially welcomes the bride into the groom's family. Firstly, thank you to all my groomsmen (and especially, my best man Simon) for without any one of you, my day wouldn't have been as successful or as enjoyable. You guys had my back when I get flustered, grumpy, forgetful and most of all, accommodated my every whim without complaint.

Not us two...the Mrs and I!!!

Upon arrival at the first location and before we're able to 'fetch the bride', we're all put through some very gruelling challenges as a part of the 'door games'. These are mini-games (normally very physical) designed to make the groom and groomsmen suffer. This is to make the groom put in the effort and express his appreciation for his to-be-wife. Despite not being Cantonese, the Mrs' Maiden-of-honor did an absolutely excellent job with the challenges! Thank you to my sister-in-law for putting in the hard yards to help plan this! The groomsmen and I ended up doing many burpees, tasting many different flavours (wasabi...) and asking many of the other hotel guests for pieces of marital advice before gaining access to the room....and boy, she was very much worth it.

Thank you to my long-time friend Catherine for designing the tea ceremony dress and the Mrs' wedding dress. Both were magnificent, gorgeous and beautiful in every way...I was encapsulated from the moment I first laid eyes on the Mrs and I didn't look away from her once the whole day. With the bride fetched, we made our way back to my family home where we did the tea ceremony. After Which, it was a mad dash to get the bride back to her hotel room so that she could get ready for the church ceremony. For me and the boys, we made our way as quickly and efficiently to the church.

Obviously, I wasn't able to take any photos during the ceremony (being the groom and all) but if you're interested, take a look on instagram for the tag #mrandmrschopsticks and #mrandmrschopstickswedding for photos of us walking down the aisle (you'll probably need to scroll through our honeymoon photos though). I can honestly say that this was the happiest moment of my entire life...almost 6 years of dating and 2 years worth of planning culminating in the most beautiful woman in the world, saying that she was willing to take an immature, broken and clueless man to be her husband. I couldn't imagine a better location or a more beautiful day to get married to my best friend.

We had our reception at the Epping Club who were spectacular in every way: value for money as almost every major component was taken care of as a part of the package. The reception was full of bittersweet tears, heart-felt speeches and surprises. One such surprise was the special dance I planned for the Mrs! check it out:

A special thank you to my brothers-in-law: Rolf and Rj as well as Brent, Andrew, Terrence for helping me plan this and constantly practicing with me. A very, very special thank you to CeeJay for assisting me with choreographing the whole dance....without your guidance and advice, we would have never been able to pull this off. I have to say, this is one of the proudest moments of my life as I'm prone to extreme stage fright and anxiety when performing in front of others....but we did it!

Finally, thank you again to our parents for helping us with this whole planning process and assisting us with ensuring that this day went smoothly. I couldn't have been more surprised to see my father-in-law, mother-in-law and the Mrs surprise me with a dance. Even more surprising and touching was how emotional my parents got. If you'd had a Chinese upbringing, you'll be familiar with the aspect of your family where the verbal expression of heartfelt emotions is near impossible. This is why I was so ecstatic to see my mother, aunties and uncles up and dancing with me in celebration!





Even after returning from our honeymoon and having (finally) lived with the Mrs for a while, it still hasn't hit me that I'm a married man. I may wear the ring and I may bear the title of Mr but I think it doesn't feel too different...I think that even before we made it official, even without physically having lived with each other, the Mrs and I shared a special bond which made us closer and more connected in our hearts (and bellies). I'm positive that I married the right girl and I'm so excited to share a lifetime of happy times and meals as we are now the official, Mr and Mrs Chopsticks.

Grabbed Laksa from Malay Chinese as our first meal after being married. We were made for each other.

Moving out! - Peakhurst, NSW

There's been a slight slowdown of posts lately and there's a very good reason for this....it's because I've just moved out of home! For the first time in my life, I've branched out on my own and started living independently from my family. Aside from not initially having electricity, gas or internet for the first half of my first week...I think I did well! Just before I moved out though, the parents decided to give me a proper send off by cooking all of my most requested dishes. Although they didn't explicitly specify that it was for me, when every dish is your favorite, it's pretty obvious.

The way my family interacts is weird one: we don't really verbally show any affection towards one another. Instead, you learn to take in little hints here and there and slowly, you pick up how to interpret each other's true feelings and motives, That night, it was very obvious that my family loved me very much and were feeling sentimental. My dad cooked up a storm as per usual but he made sure that each and every dish was one that I would thoroughly enjoy and remember...I'd always appreciated that about him.

As with most Chinese banquets, there's no particular order in which things come out. Instead, everything is laid onto the table as they become ready and you just dig in when we all come to the table. With that in mind, I'll speak about the dishes in no particular order. Firstly, dad prepared oysters two ways: deep fried and steamed with ginger and spring onions. I love oysters in all shapes, sizes and forms but I have to admit, fried is probably my number 1 most beloved way of consuming these bivalves. A super crunchy exterior coats the piping hot and creamy oyster flesh which makes each bite a hazard and a joy. The steamed oysters were also amazingly fresh tasting and delicious...the aroma and taste of fresh spring onions and ginger complements the oysters so well.

Aside from the oysters, dad also made XO sauce pipis served with a side of crispy egg noodles. On a normal day where my appetite has been piqued, I can single handedly down a whole dish of these with no issues...that's how much I love XO sauce pipis. Adding in the carby, chewy noodles makes the experience so much better as the crispy exterior clings to the sauce and makes it easier for you to sop up that hot and spicy gravy.

By the time I'd gotten around to gorging on the third item, I was most definitely getting full. Still, my stomach will always make room for Peking Duck. I recently had an experience where I had authentic Beijing style Peking Duck with my friends and for some reason...it just didn't taste right. It's something about how Cantonese chefs do this dish that make it so, so good...it's probably the grease but I'm not complaining. Juicy, succulent slices of duck in the perfect ratio of meat to crispy, spiced skin wrapped in a chewy, doughy chinese flour tortilla and consumed with slices of cucumber and hoisin sauce. When I was a kid, there was no greater joy to me than to eat out with friends and family and be able to get parental approval to eat the two or three extra plates of Peking Duck wraps. I still feel the same nostalgic happiness when my dad decides to make this for me.

Not to disappoint the other family members, dad also decided to make steamed fish (his favorite). There's something rather elegant about this dish's simplicity: it really is just a fresh fish that's steamed and then served with ginger, spring onions and special soy sauce but it's just irresistibly good. I'd never really learned to appreciate this dish until I started dating the Mrs...fish can sometimes be very hard to appreciate (especially for picky eaters) since they can be "fishy" and boney but when you have something as fresh and delicious as this...you learn to get over it.

As if there wasn't enough food already, dad also decided to make Chinese style braised pork as well as a dish of woodear mushrooms marinaded in a chinese chilli vinaigrette.  The pork was tender and fall-apart which made it wonderful to have with rice. The accompanying veggies were also great in that they soaked up all that braising liquid and added a layer of flavoring. The woodear mushrooms were crunchy and fresh and the vinaigrette was super appetising which worked really well since it cleansed the palate and allowed you to consume more delicious food.

When reminiscing about this meal (that occurred a week and a half ago), I find that I'm filled with a sense of regret and sadness. Regret in that in my time at home, I'd never been able to verbally show or even just tell my family how much I appreciated their support, kindness and care for me and sadness in that although I can always head home and have the same kind of meal every Tuesday, that familiar care-free feeling will forever be lost to me as that chapter in my life closes and a new one starts. But with that sadness, I'm also filled with a sense of excitement and renewed energy with the upcoming events that are about to unfold. For now: I'm proud to announce that chopsticks headquarters has officially moved and settled into North Parramatta. 

Hawker - Sydney CBD

About a week ago, I wrote about my lovely anniversary dinner at Papparich, one of Sydney's most accessible Malaysian restaurants. Now, they are good in the way that it's so easy to drive to your local branch and get some decent Malaysian grub. Not to mention their menu is simply staggering in the amount of options you have. So my point being: they're good.....not the best though. In my humble opinion, the best Malaysian restaurant is in the heart of the city. The place I'm referring to? Hawker on Sussex Street.

Hawker is the sister restaurant of the ever popular Mamak (the place in Chinatown that  pulls in a line no matter what day and what hour) and they opened up not too long ago. Primary difference between the two? Hawker serves a more Chinese-Malay fare. So expect great noodles.

The Mrs and I had actually decided to visit on a whim. We didn't plan way ahead on visiting this place but we sure were we did. The moment we sat down though, we already knew what we wanted to order (in part thanks to the short menu but concise menu): Laksa, Popiah and my eternal favorite: Char Kway Teow.

Food arrives lightning quick at Hawker, almost as quick as the Hawker centers in South-East Asia that they're named after. As usual, I just have to order the milo ice. Lets face it, it's really hard not to do it well and in that way, it's hard to differentiate a good one from a bad one. This one did it's job in that it was a nice, creamy beverage to go with your delicious food.

The popiah brought back memories. I'd scoured Sydney for good popiah but I was never able to replicate the delectable flavors I had back in the streets of Kuala Lumpur. My Malaysian friends would straight up murder me if I said this was as good Malaysia but I will say, it's good enough for Sydney.

The Laksa however was sensational. It didn't have creaminess of coconut milk (I almost thought it was omitted) I almost always expect from Laksa but that didn't matter. It was an absolute delight to eat. The soup was perfectly balanced in its spiciness and savoriness that it didn't matter that it wasn't creamy. The Mrs loved it.

The star of the show though had to be my Char Kway Teow. Almost ethereal in it's appearance, the dish was plated perfectly with the aroma of charred noodles and the banana leaf wafting through the air. One very welcome addition Hawker does that no body I know of does is the addition of cockles. Those chewy morsels of seafood take the dish to a whole new level.

Honestly, I'm so glad the Malaysian food boom along. Much like the ramen boom, our humble Sydney has turned into a food lovers delight. Lets hope Hawker is as successful as it's sister and eventually open up more locations closer to us.

A Work In Progress - Sydney CBD

I'm very fond of my home town. I go back to Hong Kong once every year or so and as the years pass, I've also grown to love more and more about my heritage and where I've come from. In particular, I feel an immense passion and pride for the cuisine of my hood. My dad has spent most of his life cooking Cantonese cuisine and as a result I've been blessed enough to have a lot of good memories containing delicious Cantonese food. This is partially why I've been dying to try this new place cause I hear the head chef Patrick Freison knows his stuff.

The Mrs and I arrive just in time as the place was just starting to get busy. The system is very simple: order up at the counter, get allocated a table and wait a little till your delicious goods arrive. We opted to try the Supreme Wonton Noodles, the Curry Beef Lo-Mien (stirred noodle) and a half and half order of chicken (ginger fried chicken & chilli fried chicken). They also have a variety of cocktails and Kirin on tap: sold. 

The food came really quickly which was a good thing because after a long day of work, I was definitely famished. The Mrs and I tried a bit of each noodle first and then swapped to compare. I tried the Supreme Wonton first and I must say that I was thoroughly impressed. The soup itself would have benefited from a bit more heat in terms of temperature but the flavor and the noodles were spot on. They weren't lying when they said these noodles were the closest you'd get to the HK experience. The Mrs however was harder to impress, she thought that the wontons were particularly heavy on the ginger. Overall though, on authenticity points, this dish definitely scores highly. 

The curry beef lo-mien was also good, they chose to use thick noodles instead of thin egg noodles which I thought was a good touch. The beef itself I thought was flavorsome but texture-wise it was missing something. I believe it the beef could have benefited if was more fatty and tender.

The main highlight of the night was definitely the chicken. I've had a lot of fried chicken in the past (that's just Sydney alone) but this fried chicken is most definitely top tier. Crunchy, juicy and flavored perfectly: if you want a feed, make sure you order enough so you don't have to share. The ginger chicken was really good when dipped into the sauce but the star of the show has to be the chilli chicken. Succulent pieces of chicken covered in a spicy and sweet glaze, it had to be the best thing I had tonight. 

I was initially a bit skeptical of the noodles, not wanting to be disappointed and being left with a more intense desire for the real deal. However, I can say with certainty that A Work In Progress does not disappoint. We (by we I mean myself) will definitely hit up WIP again.