Tingha Palace Yum Cha, Parramatta

As I move further and further west in pursuit of an apartment I can actually afford to buy I think my family's aversion "the suburbs" increases.  It's like some sort of mathematical equation whereby the further I move from the CBD the more horror they feel.

When I lived in Darlinghurst, in a teeny tiny little studio surrounded by great bars and places to eat it felt like I had non-stop family dinners. I'd just sit in my flat and people would come to me - like I was some sort of guru.  It was great!


How things have changed.

Needless I was a bit scared of rejection when I suggested the family should come out to see our new flat on Saturday.  My brother was already opening his mouth to say "No way Jose" when I threw in my trump card.

Come to Parramatta, see the flat, and then we can all go to Parramatta Leagues Club's Tingha Palace for Yum Cha (the hook is Yum Cha, not the leagues club - just so we're clear).  

The sure fire way to get my family together is over Yum Cha.  We're all addicts. Some more than others.

Needless to say everyone turned up, did a quick tour of the flat and we then headed off to Yum Cha (afterall that is what they were here for).

As we stand in the lobby of the club, the boy seams a bit uneasy.  As an avid Tigers fan for his entire life he had to shove aside feelings of betraying his beloved NRL team by going to a rival leagues club. Whatever...! Yum Cha beats NRL teams any day of the week if you ask me.

There's a bit of confusion about our table when we first arrive as my sister gives the maître d' the wrong name.  Why my sister doesn't know my name is a whole other blog post I think.

The minute our bums hit the seat it's all systems go.  We're immediately presented with steaming prawn dumplings.  We quickly grab two serves so no-one has to miss out.

Prawn Dumplings

The dumplings are quickly followed by a serving of peppery beef ribs which are delicious and glistening with sauce.  The sauce is peppery, but not overpowering at all.  I make a mental note to self to ensure I get this dish again the next time I visit. 

Peppery beef rib type things - yum!

Next up is the BBQ Duck, one of my all time favourite Yum Cha dishes.  It's not as hot as I'd like, but it's BBQ Duck so I'm not complaining. We really should have gotten two serves of this as well. 

BBQ Duck

The next trolley rolls around and delivers tofu sheets wrapped around...something.  They look wobbly and squishy, but are really nice. Niecy-poo tells me the tofu is wrapped around beef. If you say so.

Tofu with....something

The men folk at the table start to get restless and demand chicken feet.  The peer into each trolley that trundles past asking forlornly "do you have chicken feet"?  The woman folk sigh and feel sad for all those feetless chickens that have gone into making the men folk happy.

Poor footless chooks

Things get a bit crazy after this.  About four or five bamboo baskets of various dumplings are dropped on our table all at once. I quickly grab a quick photo so the dumplings can be hurriedly scoffed!  I have no idea what we're eating, but the dumplings are all seafood with various other fillings like spinach or chives.  They're great!

Many random dumplings

Yummy random dumpling insides

One of the family favourites rolls around next - BBQ Pork Buns.  I love the soft squishy dough and the sweet pork meat inside.  I often buy these frozen from the Asian Supermarket and steam them myself at home.

The last of our savoury dishes arrive next - fried squid tentacles!  I ordered two serves of these the minute we sat down to make sure they arrived hot and fresh, but somehow they went M.I.A. I never gave up on my dream though and after asking every second trolley lady if they had our squid it finally turned up. It was worth waiting for!

Best squid. EVER!

Most of the family at the table have a sweet tooth, so desserts are next on the menu. The boy opts for Egg Tarts and is thrilled he gets to eat two as I don't want one.  Big Sister and her BF go for the Mango Pancakes - their dessert drug of choice, whilst Big Brother orderd Deep Fried Icecream with extra chocolate topping.

This is the first time Big Brother has really gotten into the whole food blogging thing. He's so proud of his deep fried icecream that I'm encouraged to take photos and try some.  It's so good that it's hard to stop at one spoonful.

The family are VERY happy with the Parramatta Yum Cha adventure and declare the squid is one of the best they've EVER had.  EVER!  Way to go Parramatta! Big Sister is willing to come to the 'burbs for a food adventure every time she visits Sydney.

Tingha Palace is located on the 1st floor of Parramatta Leagues Club (13-15 O'Connell Street, Parramatta). Bookings are recommended.