Chef's Gallery, Sydney

The lovely Laura turned 23, and there was much celebrating going around. =)

Laura, Mel, Marty and myself went to Chef's Gallery for dinner, and on hindsight, it seemed like we were going for practically everything on the menu!


Clockwise from top left: Panfried Pork and Cabbage Dumplings, Chef's Own Mini Pork Buns, Crabmeat Spring Rolls

Just because there is SO MUCH FOOD, I'm going to write about the ones that were interesting to me. There wasn't a dish that we tried that was bad, but they were not all fantastic.

The Chef's Own Mini Pork Buns were really good. It kind of reminds me of Chilli Crab in Singapore, where deep fried Mantou (buns) are often ordered to mop up all the errant sauce. This offering from Chef's Gallery has a crispy outer shell and marshmallow-y soft insides. And wedged in it's pacman-like opening is a slice of fatty pork belly. Om nom nom...

I didn't say it was good for you. ;)


From top: Spicy Pork and Prawn Dumplings, Wok Fried Green Beans with Minced Pork

I really liked the chilli sauce in the Spicy Pork and Prawn Dumplings, but the filling, or rather, the dumplings themselves didn't really stand up to it. Similarly, I love the mince in the Wok Fried Green Beans with Minced Pork because I have a weakness for the salty beans that they use in the mixture, but its not a dish that I'd be thinking about going back for.


Clockwise from top left: Seafood Pancake in Creamy Lime Sauce, Seared Scallops with Vinaigrette, Steamed Prawn Dumplings

Meh, this group didn't really rock my world. It was all alright, but there was something about each that made me hesitate about that. The Seafood Pancake was quite like Prawn Toast, the Seared Scallops were...not very fresh, and the Steamed Prawn Dumplings were much like others that you can find at any establishment that does a decent Yum Cha.



Now get ready for some MAJOR CUTENESS!!!



How cute is that!!!! These Sesame Buns are shaped like little piggies, and each steamer basket gets a boy and a girl. The molten sesame filling inside is yummy, and tastes much like other black sesame desserts, but I really think that this dish is much about the ABSOLUTE CUTENESS!

There is a downside to this tale, though. When I was there, the service was terrible. First of all, they messed up the booking. It was made for 6pm on a Friday night, but Laura got a call on Thursday instead. Even after informing them that the booking was meant for Friday, they still had no records when we rocked up at the door. They did let us in, but promptly informed us that we were to leave by 7.30pm. The food was prompt, but when we requested a tray, we were ignored. When I decided that I had to ask a manager as the food was getting cold, I was met with a brusque, "I will solve your problems later". Later, when we wanted to order more food at about 7pm, the poor waitress who took our order got absolutely yelled at by that same manager, and she came back to meekly remind us that we had to leave by 7.30pm.

So will I go back? Well, the food is good, but not mind blowing enough to risk being treated like that again. Sure, the restaurant was busy, but we had made a booking, and we went through all the proper channels in our requests. Make of it what you will, but just be wary of what you might get in terms of the service.

We ate at:
Chef's Gallery
12/501 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9267 8877




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