Bambusia Chinese Restaurant, Bondi Junction (26 July 2009)

29 Newland Street, Bondi Junction NSW 2022

Lettuce Lovers Chinese

I remember visiting this family friendly restaurant for a friends birthday way back in high school and it's amazing it's still going after it first opened 29 years ago. The current owner Richard Leong (no relation) has had it for the past 24 years. It's the only Chinese restaurant I can think of in the area and even though the food seems a bit Aussified it still manages to draw a reasonable crowd on a cold and wet Sunday night. Mind you my family were the only Asian's in the restaurant besides the staff which usually is a warning in my books but the food itself was decent and whether it's authentic or not it still satisfied — although where else do you see Chinese tea in a Chinese restaurant being served in cups with handles? The service was friendly which I find is a rarity in Chinese restaurants and I must say I was also impressed with their very nicely renovated and clean toilets.

While dining I noticed plenty of take away orders being phoned in and picked up so it certainly has it's fans. I couldn't resist trying the Inebriated Prawn just on name alone. The Sang Choy Bow was tasty although the rustic lettuce still had a lot of water on it and hadn't been drained properly before serving. Squid with Chilli and Five Spice Salt was actually better than many others I've tried including what I had at The Malaya. The Shredded Fillet Steak was finely shredded and cooked to a good crisp that tasted in the end very much like bacon crisps — which was quite nice actually with the sauce. It was funny to see fellow diners raise their napkins or table cloth in front of them when the Sizzling Mongolian Lamb was placed on their table — I wonder if it's just the Aussie's that do this? One thing that struck me was how so many of the dishes were decorated with shredded lettuce and wondered if that was actually authentic Chinese or an Aussie introduction.

Where's your favourite Crispy Shredded Beef in Sydney?

Chinese tea served in a cup

Sang Choy Bow $14 for 6

Squid with Chilli and Five Spice Salt $15

Inebriated Prawn $17.50

Braised Mixed Vegetables with Fried Bean Curd $11.50

Carrot cut into cute stars and butterflies

Sizzling Mongolian Lamb $13.80

Shredded Fillet Steak (crispy) with Bambusia Special Sauce $13




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