It was a reasonably easy decision in the end. The fridge has nothing except vegetables, which would have made for an adequate dinner. But suddenly the realisation it was Chinese New Year dawned and it seemed a much better idea to go out to somewhere Asian (inspired at least). The choices for a short walk on a 35C evening came down to Wild Duck, Malamay and a local called Madam Woo. In the end Malamay won out due to the recent enamour with Sichuan food (just found out the Szechuan spelling is now obselete) and craving for mapo tofu.
I wasn't expecting any dragon dances or fireworks or the usual fanfare that is found in Chinatowns all over the world (or normal town in Asia) and given it was Canberra I wasn't expecting any Asian diners either. The latter could also be due to that Asians don't often go for higher end or fusion Chinese cuisine.
In any case the Burbury (not Burberry) Hotel hosts the restaurant. The entrance is sleek, books and wine bottles line shelves, the decor is mood lit and quiet and the air-conditioning is welcome. The degustation menu of signature dishes was recommened, but it seemed a little too much food that day.
- Crabmeat Croquette with Smoked Portobello - thin-crusted croquette with mild crab and manchego flavoured interior sitting on an even milder squid ink sauce. Slivers of portobello and cracks of Sichuan peppercorn completed the dish;
- Slow-Cooked Eggplant with Kombu & Chilli Oil - a really excellent exultation of soft eggplant flesh firmly supported by the skin, topped with thick konbu (Japanese spelling) sauce a sesame seeds and sitting in a pool of umami;
- Lamb Shoulder with Cumin & Salted Chilli - shredded lamb pieces in an interesting combination of cumin and black vinegar (I think?). There were pieces of chilli which had almost no detectable heat;
- White Fish with Mapo Tofu - nicely cooked and seasoned barramundi with medium tofu. It was difficult to see where the mapo part came in as it looked as far from it as you could get, with nothing visibly red or chilli. The sauce did have a little hidden kick to it, assumably ground Sichuan pepper or cooked with chilli then removed;
- Chocolate & Chilli Charcoal - strange frozen chocolate (again no detected chilli) mousse, refreshing lemon yoghurt roll, and salted pistachio & mandarin powder bits for crunchy texture. Not too bad overall.
The food flavours were good and more modern than any close resemblance to Sichuan food. There was a distinct lack of chilli impact, but I suppose it wouldn't be best for the business meetings, older Australians and fancy date nights that they probably market towards. The waiter did say that the best dishes for chilli were the Xian roast duck and Sichuan style chicken. I'd still go back again, although not before trying other places that may provide better value for money. Service is good, although we had 3 different waiters which is a bit strange.
Next time I would order the degustation to impress (but it doesn't have the Eggplant) or a la carte otherwise. The BBQ Lamb Ribs, Sichuan Chicken, Braised Oxtail and Xian Roast Duck all appeal to me.
