127 Forest Rd, Hurstville
Next up on the plate we have Mr Chao, here to challenge Sonny.....This place occupies a famous spot on the main drag of Hurstville. The site has housed lots of different yum cha joints (most recently Forest Court), which have closed in succession.... perhaps victim to the crippling hold Sonny has on the suburb (see Sonny's BBQ, Yum Cha, Fish Market etc - which all occupy primo locations in Hurstville)*
The tripe was quite nice, very mild ginger flavour.
The chicken feet were good, very nice sauce. A lot of flavour without being too salty or oily.
Prawn rice roll was so-so. The prawns were big and well cooked, but rice was gluggy and overall it lacked flavour... the prawns did not burst with flavour.
The 'dim sim' were topped with baby abalone... a real waste as it was just a slighty salty and chewy accent.... which bumped them into the premium price category. Otherwise the dumpling was moist and reasonably tasty.
We waited about 20 minutes to get some prawn dumplings.... it was our final dish. My opinion of them may have suffered by this wait, they were fresh but unsatisfying. $5.50 for four.
Beef balls, nice texture, slightly pink in the middle - some will love that, others hate it.
BBQ pork buns - nothing to say, did not stand out in any way.
Prawn and vegie dumplings - my favourite of the day. Lots of good vege (or grass as our lunch guest calls it), and nice prawns - again not too flavoursome though.
Tendons - again, nothing out of the ordinary. It was a generous serve, but sauce lacked flavour.
The tripe was quite nice, very mild ginger flavour.
The chicken feet were good, very nice sauce. A lot of flavour without being too salty or oily.
Prawn rice roll was so-so. The prawns were big and well cooked, but rice was gluggy and overall it lacked flavour... the prawns did not burst with flavour.
The 'dim sim' were topped with baby abalone... a real waste as it was just a slighty salty and chewy accent.... which bumped them into the premium price category. Otherwise the dumpling was moist and reasonably tasty.
We waited about 20 minutes to get some prawn dumplings.... it was our final dish. My opinion of them may have suffered by this wait, they were fresh but unsatisfying. $5.50 for four.
Beef balls, nice texture, slightly pink in the middle - some will love that, others hate it.
BBQ pork buns - nothing to say, did not stand out in any way.
Prawn and vegie dumplings - my favourite of the day. Lots of good vege (or grass as our lunch guest calls it), and nice prawns - again not too flavoursome though.
Tendons - again, nothing out of the ordinary. It was a generous serve, but sauce lacked flavour.If you just want a quick meal and aren't fussy, Mr Chao will do nicely. I know it sounds wanky, but if you have been to a lot of yum cha, you may not be impressed by it. The lay out is not good - tables two deep from the isle, and the seafood is not outstanding. The value was pretty good overall at about $17.50 per person for a decent feed.
Matt's ratings:
Food: 12 out of 20
Service & Setting : 2.5 out of 5 (service was fine, but layout sucks)
Value: 3 out of 5. (about $52 for 3 people)
TOTAL: 17.5 from 30
Service & Setting : 2.5 out of 5 (service was fine, but layout sucks)
Value: 3 out of 5. (about $52 for 3 people)
TOTAL: 17.5 from 30
* To be fair to Sonny's stores - I think this domination of Hurstville is justified. I have not tried the BBQ to be fair, but the other stores do dominate the competition in terms of price and quality. When I went to the original yum cha (before they move to their new larger premises), I stupidly spilt a messy bowl of liquid all over the table. Sonny himself came over and helped me clean it up, and was friendly, congenial and a great host. Not rude, annoyed or patronising. I have a lot of time for these stores.
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