I saw Dan Hong myself at Mr
Wong's and I can tell you his biceps are still of a normal size. But his
kitchen is pumping out food glorious enough to match that of his prior
endeavours.
Having succumbed to the hunger-inducing
forces of office job brain exertion and internet menu perusal, my dining
partners greeted me with the resolution to attack the Dan Hong’s $118 banquet (1
of 4 choices), mud crab included. While we waited for late-comers, we perhaps
unnecessarily tucked into one of the sweet sounding
entrees omitted from our degustation menu. A floral-like assembly of silky,
raw sea scallops ($16) comes dotted with buttons of lapcheong (chinese pork sausage) and fringes of woodear mushrooms. It's a top-notch
surf and turf which launches the bar beyond the northern Hemmesphere for the
rest of the meal.
Not long after, the deg begins. Sashimi of yellowfin tuna is
of exceptional quality - it’s truly a melt-in-mouth sensation – and comes
dressed appropriately in a mildly picante soy and ginger dressing. The
radical assembly of noodles of poached chicken and jellyfish is
an unusual but tantalising arrangement, the woody texture of the
shredded chicken intertwines with the slippery jellyfish – it tastes and feels
better than it sounds. The steam
dim sum platter may cause a ruckus even amongst the most well-trained
diners. The meagre supply of two of each dumpling leads to battles over the
most popular pockets of goodness. Fight for the scallop shumai with glistening
pink balls of roe on top.
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| Sashimi of yellowfin tuna |
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| Poached chicken with jellyfish |
The entrees dispensed with, our
table is prepped and ready for the next spectacle. When ordering your mud crab at Mr Wong's you are offered a
choice of styles. We are torn between wok fried with black pepper
"Singaporean style" or deep fried with spicy salt. As always, the
addiction wins the day and we go for the salt-spice-oil arrangement. The best
crabs I've had in this style come encrusted with a dune of salt across
every inch of shell. Sadly, this time my tongue wanders fruitlessly in search
of an oasis of seasoning. Luckily the sweetmeat inside more than makes up for
anything lacking on the exterior. We tear into the crustacean, exclaim with our
mouths full and make a happy mess of ourselves.
 |
| Mud crab w spicy salt |
As the crab is cleared away -
from the table and our faces - I remember that Mr Wong’s was recently labelled
Sydney’s “coolest” dinner spot and promptly resume the mien of a sophisticated diner.
But carefully manufactured nonchalance is compromised when my eyes light up as the salt and pepper lamb cutlets emerges and I’m outed as a fan-girl.
Battered lamb, fuck yeah! The cutlets are soaked prior to cooking in a milk
bath, to soften and plump-up the meat. Next they’re rolled in batter and dipped
into the deep fryer to produce a truly transcendent piece of meat.
The expression on the others’ faces as they take their first bites vindicate my
own giddy smile. The excitement over the lamb means the other mains don't get
enough of our attention. Safe to say, all were enjoyable, except perhaps the chilli crystal
bay prawns which is all too close to the sweet and sour prawns at the
RSL.
At this point, we’re all
approaching capacity – such is the tyranny of the banquet menu – but when we hear
the choices for the shared desserts, we all manage to forget our fullness and
recommence salivating. There’s a table-wide consensus regarding the deep
fried ice cream served with
butterscotch sauce. The breaded crust is firm and warm, like an Arancini ball,
and the centre is cold and creamy. It's as delicious as expected, but somehow
surpassed by a waiter-recommended cream
cheese ice cream dessert. Joining the party-on-a-plate are baby meringues,
macadamia praline, strawberries and Thai basil. It’s one of the best festivals
of flavours I've experienced this year, rivalling Claude's lemon curd. Our
table is also graced by the dessert of roast
white chocolate ice cream, yuzu curd, longans and raspberries. After a long
time spent arguing about what yuzu actually is, the one thing we all agree on
its delicious.
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| Roast white chocolate ice cream, yuzu curd, raspberries |
Whilst I love to hate Merivale for
replacing live music with taco stands, I can't hate them for this. Besides
featuring one of the most incredible fit outs I've seen in a Sydney dining
institution, the kitchen is pumping out kick ass food. I took a special moment
with the display of hanging ducks by the bathroom, to thank them for featuring
in such a delicious menu. Thank you Dan Hong and team for crushing my cynicism
and proving that you can really do it all.
 |
3 Bridge Lane, Sydney
t: 9240 3000
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