I'm sure when most people (ie ME) think of Cabramatta they think of a suburb bursting with smells, sounds, sights and flavours similar to Vietnam...that is after all why most of us (again, I mean ME) refer to Cabramatta as Sydney's "little Vietnam".
On the other side of the train station however lies the behemoth of yum cha in south-western Sydney, Iron Chef.
I've been invited to lunch with a group of other food-bloggers which means we're shown to a rather large table complete with Lazy-Susan. If there's one thing I know about Chinese food it's that Lazy Susan = a truckload of food!
Like most yum cha places I've frequented Iron Chef is a mass of trolly dolly's each peddling their goods at hungry diners. It can be quite overwhelming at first and if you let your tummy run away with you it's easy to have a table groaning with food in under 5 minutes (trust me, it's happened to me many a time before).
I really enjoyed my yum cha lunch at Iron Chef - they had all the bases covered and I left feeling full and satisfied.
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| Really love the Prawn Har Gaw (bottom) at Iron Chef- the prawns were super plump + fresh with a nice "chewy" bit to the dumpling skin. Also enjoy the fresh Vegetable Dumpling with Peanuts (top). I didn't try the Dim Sum - as I'm not a Dim Sum fan...I know know, what kind of "foodie" am I? |
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| Just for something different, we were given roast pork belly pancakes instead of the Peking duck pancakes - I didn't try these as they pork is not free-range (but man I was SO tempted) but they were a BIG hit at the table. |
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| The prawns in rice-paper were fantastic (aren't they always) as were the fresh steamed greens with oyster sauce (I always need veggies at yum cha to kid myself that I'm having a healthy lunch). The fried noodles with veggies were also a popular item at our table. |
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| LOVED the fried calamari at Iron Chef - it's the first time I've see "real" calamari tentacles used for this dish and the batter was totally different to anything I've had a yum cha before - much more flaky, almost like fish batter from your local fish + chip shop. Also loved the fried prawn dumplings - as I love all fried things (obviously). |
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| Is there a happier sight than a tray crammed full of fresh-out-of-the-oven egg tarts, I think not! |
What a feast of goodies! Haha I love the lazy susans at yum cha. Although they do present a problem when there's one dumpling left and you're in a staring competition between yourself and one other diner.. It all depends on who has the strength to force the lazy susan their way. haha
ReplyDeleteI love Cabramatta & yum cha & its a competitive market. How would you rate this place? Yes, egg tarts are my friends. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Ngeun - I think the yum cha here was very good...I'm no expert, not having grown up eating yum cha like some of my blogging friends have - but from my Aussie's gals point of view I thought it was really tasty. The egg tarts were tops - served whilst still warm!
ReplyDeleteAhh, Perfect! Thanks; looking forward to eating at Iron Chef Cabramatta one day. Best! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's very good. If you're a Westie like me than I also like Tingha Palace at the Parramatta Leagues Club.
DeleteI love yum cha at Iron Chef! It's currently on the top of my list of places that do yum cha - our family treks all the way down to Cabramatta when we feel like yum cha :D I always leave feeling very stuffed!
ReplyDeletei love this place! the yum cha here is worth the travel and kicks all the butts of the chinatown yum chas!
ReplyDeleteomg those egg tarts look YUM!
ReplyDeleteEven though it is a good hike from where we live,Iron Chef is on my 'to eat' list. That pork belly looked amazing, shame it wasn't free range so you would have had a try, but can see why you were tempted. You have amazing self will and dedication to free range, you rock Mel!
ReplyDeleteWhat a feast you guys had at Iron Chef. You ordered all the right things ;) I have to say I'm pretty lucky to live nearby. It's my go to place for a lot of things! There's a few other yum cha places that you need to try ;)
ReplyDeleteI loved this place! You got some nice photos - love the hubub and motion you captured.
ReplyDeleteYUM! cha.
I've always wanted to try eating there! whats the average cost per item for the yum cha options? is it expensive?
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