If you picture a Cantonese restaurant where you have to book a table up to 12 weeks in advance (that’s planning your meal 3 months out), even when it has 2 floors with enough space to seat 240 guests, do you picture it being in the heart of Sydney, Australia? I surely did not. Until we were lucky enough to have hosts who reserved a lunch at the iconic Mr.Wongs. A shared dining experience, with bellies that we wished were limitless so we could try more, made me fully understand the hype around this jazzy and bustling Sydney restaurant. With this comes the final food diary in Australia.
With four salivating adults at the table, it’s hard to stop and take individual pictures of food. Not necessarily a bad thing considering the amount we ordered could make this post could scroll for days. Unfortunately I was not able to capture it all in the shared shots even; nevertheless, we persist.
Backing up to the noodles in the main image above- Egg Noodles with ginger, leeks, konbu and shallot oil. Noodles are a mandatory order for me in any Asian restaurant. I prefer them to fried rice and I like them thick, ie the egg noodle style. These come full of additional zest with the ginger, leek, shallot and konbu. Konbu is more or less dried seaweed kelp and just adds a nice crunch. Fragrant and strong are my initial thoughts the rest of these ingredients. Just the right amount with the noodles to not overpower the palette, and still goes well with other flavors from the proteins ordered. The sauce and tender thick noodles shine and lead to an overall solid noodle addition to what came to be an incredible Cantonese meal.
It all started with the dim sum.
Dim Sum is served during lunch hours only and I could not be more grateful that that is when we chose to go. Mainly because of one incredible dish- the BBQ Pork Buns front and center. The most important appetizer on this menu. An absolute must order. The yummiest pork buns ever created (maybe). In case it is not coming across loud and clear, these are amazing. A delicious steamed bun coming directly from heaven onto your plate. The fluffy, melt in your mouth white dough buns are delicious and warm. They circle a sweet and tangy sauce that covers the perfectly prepared pork stuffing. They’re salty and sweet and have that wonderful texture common in steamed dumplings and bao buns. Although common amongst dim sum offerings, and almost always tasty, the BBQ pork buns at Mr.Wong’s are exceptional and rank amongst the best of them.
In the upper right corner are the Pork and Prawn Shumai. Prepared using local ingredients, these shumai are filled with meat and stemmed into poppable delights. I really enjoyed this dim sum as well. Shumai are different from dumplings in their origin, preparation, and ingredients. Stemming from China, they traditionally have a vegetable inside, but it would be hard to imagine anything else added to the prawn and pork here. Being that I do not like pork so much or eat it often, I would be interested to try replacing it with a vegetable like mushrooms but regardless, great to try and beautiful in presentation as well with the pop of color. The upper left corner is the Scallop Rice Roll. Rice rolls are made of a much thinner rice paper, one I did not enjoy as much as the thicker casing of the other dim sum. It was more difficult to eat and falling apart, so not sure I really understood what this dim sum should taste like. While scallops are a favorite of mine, I could not taste them very much. This would be the starter I would pass on. There are so many variations of shumai, buns and rolls on the menu to try, finding one that doesn’t land was bound to happen.
The party continued with Salt and Pepper Calamari, Kung Pao Chicken and Mr.Wong’s Special Fried Rice- all shown above (again not great pictures taken but you get the gist). I would not consider getting calamari somewhere that has so many new things to try but was told this every-menu staple is special here. Made with peanuts, dried chillies and szechuan pepper, I understood why when it was brought to the table. The size of the squid was unlike any calamari I have seen. While I do like it generally speaking, I always get annoyed with how much of each piece is just deep fried batter versus actual seafood. Generally healthy and loaded with vitamins, calamari is ruined with the deep frying. Here, this is not the case. Only lightly fried and massive, each squid’s juicy flavor comes right through and is then mixed so perfectly well with the peanuts, chillies and szechuan peppers. Squid is so neutral in taste, that the tingle of the chillies and pepper, plus the slight heat and citrus aroma, is welcome and comes together well. Add the unexpected peanut and there’s the most interesting calamari that you can imagine. It’s done so differently than at your typical Italian or American restaurant, it’s worth adding to your order- you will certainly like it.
Of course if ordering noodles, you have to get the staple of rice. What makes Mr.Wong’s fried rice special? Likely how loaded it is with vegetables and even prawn to make it a meal in and of itself practically. This is a dish that you have to order to have alongside the other mains, if anything because it’s expected. For me, it’s about having a starch that can soak up all those sauces and juices from the chicken and proteins to make sure nothing is left on the plate. No reason is needed, just the fact that plain rice is delicious is good enough but a special rice, all the reason more. While I still prefer lo mein or noodles to rice generally, you should get this.
Last, and certainly not least, Kung Pao Chicken. This is the kung pao chicken that will show up on your Google results if looking for the best in Sydney. Bite-size chicken coated with sauce and sautéed alongside onion and spices. Chef’s kiss. What I especially appreciated was that each piece of chicken seemed to be coated one by one, even though I know it was not. I practically inspected them with my chopsticks, while also hoping that the ingredients used to make this yummy sauce would come to me so I could try to replicate the stir fry when home. Onions, peppers, and peanuts are sautéed in as well, complimenting these ingredients in the other items ordered. Not overly spicy but hot enough- this is chicken for the senses at Mr.Wong’s.
Finally, not to be overlooked is the ambience. The interior is a fusion of 1920’s Chinese and American for a vibe that sets the mood before any food even comes. There’s also a speakeasy we didn’t have the chance to check out but I am sure it is perfect for afters. All around, my top dining recommendation in Sydney. Cantonese- who would have thought??
