Fusing

After a long hiatus, Malc & I decided to take advantage of the APEC holiday and booked a table at a restaurant we had never been before, China Doll (Cowper Wharf Road, Wolloomooloo NSW ph 02 9380 6744).

We bravely drove to Wolloomooloo wharf hoping that we would be lucky enough to find parking. And, thanks to the security lockdown for the APEC Leaders' Meeting, transforming Sydney into a post-apocalyptic ghost town, parking was a dime a dozen. When we reached the restaurant, there were no other diners, and not just at the China Doll, but also at the other restaurants at the Wolloomooloo wharf complex. It was absolutely weird.

Having the whole restaurant to ourselves for the first half-hour of our meal meant that service was above par, our waiter was very professional without being overly attentive.

After taking our time in checking out the menu, Malc chose Stir Fried Beef Fillet with Black Bean Chilli & Garlic. This dish was quite flavourful, the beef was melt-in-your-mouth tender and the sauce was nicely balanced to compliment and not overpower the meat.

I chose Glenloth Corn Fed Crispy Skin Chicken wthe Yellow Bean Sauce, and was floored by the serving size. I though we'd get at most half of a chicken, but we actually got a whole good-sized chicken. And as with the meat dish, the sauce was well-balanced and emphasised the dish. What I really like about the dish is the crispiness of the chicken skin which was delicate and not the tought fried chicken kind of crispiness.

A few more diners arrived while we were in the middle of our meal which livened the place up. All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our rather sureal dinner.