Sunday, September 18, 2016

Foodie targets: dumplings, knuckles, cakes and cocktails

Dumplings at Mr Wong
                

Yummy yummy yum cha at Mr Wong, Sydney. Executive chef Dan Hong and his team make on average 12,000 dumplings a week and Hong says 95 per cent of all tables order the eight-piece steamed dim sum platter, available evenings. In addition to the more traditional har gau and siu mai styles, dim sum chef Michael Luo makes his own specialties such as truffled wagyu puff and lobster and scallop dumplings. Street food was never this good. Beyond dumplings, there are more than 60 dishes from a Cantonese-style menu in the 240-seat CBD powerhouse.

Cakes at Bibelot, Royal Show

Roll up, roll up; it’s not just toffee apples and fairy floss on hand to get you through a long day at the Royal Melbourne Show this year. Gearing up for another big blowout on its petit gateaux from Saturday is South Melbourne cake shop Bibelot, after last year’s dispatch of 1470 cakes in just four days at the show’s Winning Tastes Pavilion. Our suggestion: consider leaving a suitable period after consumption of Bibelot’s macarons, biscuits, bonbons or chocolates before heading to a spinning ride or rollercoaster.

Pork knuckles at Oktoberfest

Ein Prosit, ein Prosit, der Gemutlichkeit — sing along even if you don’t know the words as Oktoberfest comes around. It’s not just drinking and it’s not just in Munich these days, with Munich Brauhaus in Sydney and Melbourne and the Bavarian Bier Cafe across Sydney, Brisbane and the Gold Coast joining in the rowdy fun. Last year during the six-week festival the venues sold about 50,000 crispy pork knuckles. Dance and sing along with the oompah bands or take the Schnitzelmeister challenge to conquer 1kg of schnitzel. A helpful phrase for the next day — Mein kopf tut weh (my head hurts).