Phone: 02 9283 6288
Fax: 02 9283 6566
Website: www.palacechinese.com.au
Note: You can get all-day parking for $7 (enter from Castlereagh St) if you spend $40 or more - see website for full details.
I was taken here by my well-travelled friend (who also suggested Ramen Kan) for Yum Cha.
For those who are not familiar with the term, "Yum Cha" is a Cantonese (Chinese) phrase that literally translates to "drink tea".
Yum Cha is a broad term used to describe a brunch (usually served between 10am-mid afternoon) consisting of small trays/plates of appetisers ("dim sims"). It is an event for family members and friends to catch up and grab a bite to eat and usually consists of an extremely noisy environment where people sound as if they are arguing over the top of each other, and which could last for several hours.
Featured below are some of the savoury appetisers available:
Above: Dim Sims - pork, shrimp & vegetable dumplings wrapped in a soft & cooked noodle-esque pastry. Best eaten with chilli sauce.Below: Vegetarian Spring Roll - unique textured soy-based pastry with vegetarian fillings usually consisting of soy-imitations of meat, shiitake mushrooms and other vegetables. This version at Palace is particularly tasty - you don't notice it is vegetarian at all! Best dipped in "gip jup" which is like a vinegary soy sauce.
Below: Duck & mushroom steamed dumplings - Not a lot of places make duck meat dumplings so I thought I would try here. The mushrooms they use are not shittake or button mushrooms, but those champignon mushrooms. The pastry is a thin, semi-translucent rice shell.
Below: Beef meatballs - I don't usually like these because some restaurants make it with too many shallots & chestnut which I dislike, but here the meat almost melts in your mouth! Best served with "gip jup" sauce as well.
Desserts: The normal Yum Cha savoury food is good, but quite generic at Palace. What makes them stand out, is the dessert!
Above: Tofu-fa - a smooth bean curd pudding with light sugar water to sweeten.
Below: (must try!!!) Lychee pudding - I am not usually a fan of pudding but I am totally sold on this one - there are actual lychee pieces in this pudding giving it a cool, refreshing taste and texture - coupled with sliced strawberries gives it a unique tang! The cream it is served with gives it a creamy, smooth flavour that is melt in your mouth...
Below: Mango pudding - which is really quite liquidy. Filled with decoco jelly, sago balls and other typical asian jelly concoctions.
Below: Chocolate mousse - a foodgasm delight! The chocolate flavour is rich, and not overly heavy or too sweet, and its fluffy texture is to die for.
Below: Strawberry mousse - not dissimilar from the chocolate mousse but definitely more fruity in flavour - tastes almost like a lolly! Usually strawberry flavoured desserts are quite light, but this is definitely a potent strawberry flavoured one (probably a little on the artificial side, which tastes great and makes you feel like a little kid again).
A tip is to eat yumcha slowly... I got too excited ordering that we loaded our tables with food but everything went cold very quickly, where small steam dishes need to be enjoyed exactly that - steaming!
Oh and make room for dessert! :)
