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Sydney’s Chinese food scene continues to evolve with a modern spin on the old school style of cooking to a contemporary flare. These days we are tasting more varieties of artisan and creative offerings that excite our dinner plate, and leading this trend is the award winning Chefs Gallery with a repertoire of innovative dishes that produce a multi-sensory gastronomic experience. From their very successful flagship restaurant in the city, these sumptuous repasts can now be enjoyed throughout their branches around Sydney.

We had the opportunity to visit Chefs Gallery in Hurstville. The restaurant is located along Forest Road by one of the entrances of Westfield Shopping Mall. In the waiting area, you’ll be immediately captivated by the essence of the restaurant with refined contemporary deco, a big menu to peruse and down lights that will lead you to the staircase. As you descend the staircase, you are presented with an ample and modern space, well laid out tables and quiet corners, as well as countertop seating in front of the revealing glass walled kitchen, which allows diners to see the chefs at work, showcasing their skills and art. Watching your hand-pulled noodles taking shape is a magical performance to see.

As described on the menu, ‘each item is a study of the restrained Yin and Yang of Chinese cuisine’. The Hurstville branch has a number of menu items that are exclusive to this restaurant, with an emphasis on Spicy Sichuan Dishes. It is recommended that you check with the wait staff just how hot and spicy you want your food to be. One such item is the Spicy Sichuan hot pot, with choices of duck blood curd, marbled beef, braised pig intestine or pork belly to name a few of the ingredients.

Our tasting notes:

The restaurant is fully licensed and BYO wine at $10 per bottle. My mate had a beer while I kicked off with the smooth and refreshing Lychee & Mint Juice $5.90. The first dish served was the aromatic and spicy Pork Wontons in a Shangainese spicy sauce, 8 pieces – $4.90. This dish is a perfect starter, the pork was tender and the wonton wrappers glossy with a slippery mouthfeel and the spicy sauce giving the wontons a nice kick.

Next to follow was the Steamed Pork Belly cooked in Pu’er Tea, Soy Sauce and an aromatic Chinese spice broth served with preserved pickled vegetables – $16.90. This hot pot dish is the definition of decadence. The pork belly was so tender, with the fat layers juicy and melting in the mouth, complimented by the great depth and richness of the flavour of the broth.

Crispy and light on the outside and steamed on the inside, the Lightly Battered King Prawns – $26.90 is another succulent dish. The dipping sauce is a bright mix of wasabi and mayonnaise, the wasabi is not overpowering, just enough to stimulate the nasal passages. The sweet and salty hints of the fish roe added a vibrant taste, colour and texture to this seafood delight.

For noodles, we opted to try the Spinach Handmade noodles wok fried with Prawns, Mussels in Shell, Baby Calamari tube – $16.90 served with julienned carrots and fresh shitake mushrooms. Freshly handmade noodles, straight to the wok, tossed with selected seafood and stir fried. It had a fresh and lightly smoky taste, the robust colour and silky texture of the noodles make this as a stand out dish.

There are vegetarian dishes and we tried the Chef’s own handmade Egg and Spinach Tofu – $16.90. Slightly fried to a golden brown colour, yet inside still soft, silken and creamy. Topped with preserved vegetables and a house made soya sauce.

We can’t say no to finishing off this dinner with some happy notes brought by the Emoji Face Egg Custard Buns, 2 pieces – $5.90 which were served hot. The dough is a little  thick but fluffy, it’s hard to resist not to follow the instruction on how to tackle these bad boys. Squeeze the head of the buns with your thumb, and wait for the custard to ooze out from their mouths. The custard is warm, lightly creamy, and just right amount of sweetness.

What a delicious meal and experience! 

Chefs Gallery – Hurstville  Shop A1 & B1 Westfield Hurstville Forest Rd Entrance Hurstville 2220 Tel 02 9580 4524

Branches:  Town Hall (Flagship) | Macquarie | Bankstown | Parramatta |

Other restaurants : Jamison Yum Cha | Xi’an China | Holy Duck |

http://chefsgallery.com/

E_deliciou_S dined as guests.