Asian Dining

Right – I have to admit it here and now, I am spoiled. All these years of tarting around the industry affords one an intriguing network of contacts, and on occasion, these contacts provide me with an amazing experience. Recently, there were 2 cases in point....

Sho, Crown Complex, Southbank, Melbourne

On the gambling floor at Crown Melbourne, the den of iniquity of which I am not overly enamoured, sits Sho. Opened recently, Sho is all about noodles, tea and a show of sorts. Pin is a noodle artist – I use the word artist as chef seems so ... lazy, and he is able to turn a lump of dough into the finest noodles in what seems like just minutes.

But Sho is about more than that – it has a tea list printed on bamboo that would almost put anything else I have seen to shame. From as little as $3 and up to $10, you can sit and sip with some sensational offerings from the open kitchen, all of which occurs very quickly.

The decor has a collective of many Chinese motifs including some very clever use of amazingly large abacus type entry columns – a must to check out along with the pressed tea sculptures. I have long been a lover of good tea and now I have found somewhere that will provide the best of Chinese tea, some of which can be purchased to take home.

Hop in and check it out – and once you are done, you can throw a few shekels onto the gaming floor and try your luck after some lucky tea and lucky food. The team are efficient and friendly and happy to explain anything you need. If you can, check out the traditional tea ceremonies as well – a must if you are one who dips a twinings bag into hot water and calls it a cuppa.

Hanuman, The Holiday Inn. 93 Mitchell Street, Darwin

Whilst on the Asian idea, if you are in the top end, then a visit to Hanuman in Darwin is an absolute must. Jimmy Shu is a legend of the Australian food and wine scene and his restaurant is a mix of Thai, Chinese, Indian and Nonya cuisines.

With a fantastic wine list to get the palette ready, there are plenty of choices to kick off any dining experience. Then, onto the food. A little village of hanuman oysters (I know, it sound strange but bear with me here), was our first starter. Each oyster comes macerated in chilli, lemongrass, sweet basil, ginger and coriander in some rice wine – perfectly poached and with a tiny tagine like hood on each part of the specially designed plate. We also had mushrooms minced with pork, prawn and spices, some besan floured amritsari fish and all were just spectacular.

We moved onto a vegetable course, with some stunning okra (not something featured on a lot of menus but beautifully prepared) that was tossed with onion, tomato, chilli and tamarind. Masala cauliflower was sensational as another vegetable offering; along with aloo mutter (a pea and potato curry). Vegetables have never tasted so good.

The onto another course, with some a duck curry and it was spectacular, according to my dining companions. I forget that a lot of curries contain pineapple, to which one is fiercely allergic, and as such, need to avoid at all costs. The pork belly was another spectacular surprise (regular readers will know of my passion for the pig) cooked Toew Chiu Chinese style, with star anise and cinnamon. It was indeed worth the calories it provided to my ever expanding girth. The butter chicken was a standout – with a base of crushed cashews, tomato and mildly spiced, this was pretty much one of the most traditional and tasty I have found in my journeys.

Sensibly, we decided that dessert was not an option although there are some very traditional offerings that looked amazing. Wine however, was consumed with gusto. We started with a Henschke Julius riesling which is the perfect marriage for spicy Asian food. Moving to a Kooyong Pinot Noir from the Mornington Peninsula, another great marriage of spice and some mild tannin. Finally, we downed an Alkoomi Cabernet Sauvignon from the Margaret River that worked beautifully with duck, pork and chicken.

Jimmy Shu was born in Sri Lanka, grew up in Malaysia and has had restaurants across Australia and SE Asia. A new Hanuman is about to enter the Cairns market so Queenslanders keep your tastebuds peeled. Jimmy loves food and this tells in recipes he has developed over decades. These recipes form the basis of his menus and his choice of chefs reflects the dynamic mix of cuisines on offer at Hanuman.

There is nothing to fault in either of these amazing dining experiences and if you have a hankering for some quality Asian food, then try Sho or Hanuman if you can. My experiences were fantastic and I trust that yours will be also.