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| Tataki Wagyu beef with Sichuan style dressing |
Chefs Gallery is a labour of love by owner Kaisern Ching, who originally brought Dai Tin Fung to Australia, and Edward Zhao his executive chef. The restaurant has been opened for a few months now after a couple of months spent developing and testing the menu.
Noodlies was invited to sample the menu.
My overwhelming impression of Chefs Gallery is a sense of confidence which comes from exacting attention to detail. The confidence exudes from the strong, bold front signage, the sharp angular lines, open liberal use of glass, through to the innovative menu.
You sense Kaisern really wants to make an impact. He says Chefs Gallery aims to bring modern, fusion Chinese to Australia. He says good Chinese food isn’t just about being a good Chinese seafood restaurant.
The first dish we had demonstrates this: Tataki Wagyu beef with Sichuan style dressing. You won’t find that in too many Chinese restaurants. Best eaten rolled up, it’s contemporary, crisp, clean and tasty.
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| Pork belly roll |
Similarly the pork belly roll uses a traditional ingredient such as pork, but with a twist – it’s thinly sliced blanched pork belly rolled with carrot, cucumber and topped with a garlic and oil free vinaigrette dressing.
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| Pork floss roti |
The Chinese interpretation of roti is as unique as it is delicious. This roti forces you to use your hands, that’s traditional enough, but the pork floss and wonderful shallot filling really does add a unique and surprising delight. This is a favourite for me.
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| Spicy wonton |
Another favourite is the spicy wonton in a Shanghainese style spicy sauce. Lightly steamed pastry covering nicely marinated pork and prawn filling in a great spicy sauce.
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| Handmade noodles |
When asked to nominate his current favourite dish, Kaisern readily volunteered the handmade noodles with fried shallots. The shallots are a wonderful golden colour that’s unique and fascinating. It’s one of the most delicate dishes on the menu but it does reward the discerning diner with a wonderfully subtle flavour that lasts. I can see what he means.
The noodles are made to order and you can see them being tossed, separated, weighed and cut because the preparation area is behind a glass wall. I’m told each bowl of handmade noodles contains exactly 128 strands.
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| Three eggs fried rice |
I normally don’t order fried rice at Chinese restaurants but couldn’t say no to the three eggs fried rice, a Chefs Gallery signature dish. How can I refuse this premium fried rice which includes chicken egg, salted duck egg and century egg. Amazingly subtle flavour, restrained use of oil and complex but incredibly harmonious flavours.
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| Pan fried tofu |
Another favourite for me is the pan fried tofu. Again incredibly subtle but rewarding, handmade egg tofu lightly pan fried and topped with preserved vegetables. Not surprisingly this is one of their signature dishes and one which I highly recommend.
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| Fried pork |
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| Wafer thin, shallot pancakes |
The salty fish flavoured pork pancake is stunning to taste and to look at. The pork is fried until golden and flavoured with shallots and fish flavours, eaten with the thinnest shallot pancakes. Unique and fantastic.
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| Handmade spinach noodles |
Chefs Gallery also serves handmade spinach noodles. The noodle here is flavoured with fish roe and fried with prawns and mushroom. Contemporary and delicious interpretation of Chinese fried seafood noodles.
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| Fried pork dumplings |
The fried pork dumplings were simple, subtle but still full of flavour.
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| Red bean paste in rice flour |
Chefs Gallery’s confidence extends to an extensive range of desserts. We sample just three. The red bean paste in rice flour cakes were immaculately made and presented, again, a contemporary translation of a traditional dessert.
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| Pumpkin bun |
The non-traditional pumpkin bun exterior hides a very traditional lotus filling.
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| He and she piggy buns |
Finally, the ‘he and she’ piggy buns (as I like to call it) is almost too cute to eat. But you must to taste the sweet, runny black bean paste filling that is to-die-for.
Chefs Gallery is not trying the usual upmarket Chinese seafood restaurant, Kaisern is taking contemporary Chinese to Australia. This restaurant is re-interpreting and updating how we see, taste and experience the humble hand made noodles and dumplings. Kaisern and his team does wonders for Chinese desserts too.
Over the 13 courses, I was transported to culinary heaven via China and Hong Kong that night.
This Noodlies Sydney food blog experience was courtesy of our friends at Chefs Gallery and CorpSol.
Chefs Gallery Restaurant
Shop 12 (facing Bathurst Street)
Ground Floor Regent Place
501 George St
Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9267 8877
Much awesomeness! Those dumplings look a little unusual.
Did you count 128 strands? 😉
Hey Tina,
No they told me it was 128 strands.. everything is quite exact there. I couldn't move we ate so much
Fantastic photos, making me very, very hungry! Piggys are cute, but I like the look of the pancake
what's the red sauce in the bowl?
I went on Saturday night after reading the review….i enjoy the original restuarant at world sqaure but i'm disappointed with this one. The service was quite sloppy and food was very so so.
Maybe it was just me.
I do agree with John comment,I think the food is not great at all. The chicken noodle soup is quite bland, the snowflakes chicken was serve cold to us and the piggy buns only look cute to see but not to eat.
I thought the food was pretty good, especially the buns, but I guess you have to like runny black bean