120 yum cha dishes in 120 minutes at The Eight Modern Chinese Restaurant, Haymarket, Sydney (14 May 2013)

Level 3, Market City, 9 Hay Street, Haymarket NSW 2000

http://www.theeightrestaurant.com.au

Gone in 120 minutes

“The Eight, part of the award-winning Zilver Restaurant group, is owned by Henry Tang and symbolises 'Prosperity and Good Luck'. This may stem from Henry's positive outlook on life and the business, having prided the success of the restaurant on its motto, 'always strive for excellence and treat people the way you wish to be treated'.”

Its been a month shy of two years since I first visited the The Eight with my family for a weekend yum cha. We shared 13 different dishes and I remember them being pretty good and service more friendly than expected. This time around it's an invitation by Holly Ryland-Jones from Polkadot PR to try 120 of their dishes in 120 minutes. I'm actually not too sure if 120 dishes were actually served but I was quite foolish to think I could actually try 120 yum cha dishes in one sitting. In my efforts I totalled 16 without keeling over in a yum cha coma. The Eight Scallop Seafood Dim Sim was my favourite savoury dish which I also had on my first visit. Lots of prawn meat with a bit of pork for extra flavour topped with a plump scallop and lots of roe — keep them coming please. The Deep Fried Black Ball took me by surprise and was much more enjoyable than I'd expected. Filled with plenty of black sesame it was nice dessert I'd keep in mind for next time. The Sweet Olive with Red Bean Jelly was something new for me and strangely worked quite well together. I'll probably skip the Steam Green Tea Fondant though. As careful as I was when eating the filling was simply too runny to be eaten without getting messy for me. Standing guests were in a feeding frenzy at the long tables filled with dishes although my preference would have been sitting at a round table for a more relaxing dining experience. Chinese tea is also a major ingredient of a yum cha experience but I can't remember seeing any to wash down all the dumplings.

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Extensive variety of dishes available, Plenty of seating with areas for private functions available, Staff seem more friendly and helpful than average

CONS: No matter how big a place is you always seem to have to wait for a table during busy weekends, Beware of the filling in the Steam Green Tea Fondant

MUST TRY: The Eight Scallop Seafood Dim Dim, Deep Fried Black Ball, Spring Rolls are always a must order for me

VERDICT: I never knew The Eight had so many dishes available for yum cha and I'm already craving a return with the family when we get the chance

—

120 yum cha dishes on display as reference to what's available on the menu

Fresh off the trolley

So many choices

A bit of saucy action

Anyone for noodles

The Eight Scallop Seafood Dim Sim, Prawn Dumpling, Steamed Pork Dim Sim — scallop seafood dim sim was my favourite with lots of prawn meat
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

Spring Roll, Deep Fried Shrimp on Toast, Taro Pie

Steamed BBQ Pork Bun — nice flavour

Anyone for Peking Duck Pancakes? Yes please!

Let's make duck pancakes

Peking Duck Pancake — these were popular

Mango with Cream & Sticky Roll — something new for me and quite nice

Mango Pancake — were good

Deep Fried Black Ball
SIMON FAVOURITE :-)

For lovers of black sesame — be sure to check your teeth after

Sweet Olive with Red Bean Jelly — interesting but quite nice

Steam Green Tea Fondant

A bit of a disaster when eating — be careful of this one

Egg Tart — nice

Coconut Jelly — nice flavour and texture

Dumpling making demonstration

Popular dumpling making demonstration

The Eight team

Say cheese

The lovely Polkadot PR team

Tony, Chanel and Me

Social media mobile meetup

Official photographer hard at work

Goodie box

Thanks for the vouchers — hope to use them one day

I hope my fortune cookie comes true: 'You are destined to increase your followers upon posting your next blog post.'

Restaurant dining area

The Eight

View Larger Map