One of the best ways to “travel” overseas at the moment is to eat the food from different parts of the world. On 11 May, our Travel Chat group took part in the inaugural “Travel Eat and Walk”, exploring the hawker stalls and restaurants located around Chinatown in Burwood. We looked at the restaurants which specialise in cuisines from different regions of China and Asia.
We started with coffee and tea (compulsory in any Probus function) at The Rusty Rabbit. Some tried lemongrass fusion tea or green sencha tea. We received a short history about the migration of Chinese to Australia and then practised using chopsticks to eat mochi dumplings.
We then looked at restaurants in Emerald Square, the pop-up stalls down Clarendon Lane, and in the Chinatown arcade. Some people tried eating chicken feet which is considered a delicacy and rich in collagen – good for your joints and skin.
We peered at the window displaying fresh roast duck, crackling roast pork and red BBQ pork, with a quick lesson on how to prepare dishes using these items. We sampled portions of crackling roast pork and the BBQ pork – still warm and juicy. Yum, yum, yum!
We entered the Leung Tim Chopper Company – an institution which supplies an extensive array of Chinese cookware to restaurants and the public. If you are looking for a wok, bamboo steamer or a specialty knife – this is the place to come!
Lastly, we stopped for lunch at Dumpling King which makes its dumplings fresh on their premises. We ate jelly fish salads and dumplings made in a variety of ways – steamed, pan-fried with a crispy bottom, or dumpling with soup stock inside. The meal ended with a customary dessert of fresh egg tarts.
All agreed that the first Travel Eat and Walk was very enjoyable and look forward to exploring food from other parts of Sydney in future Travel Chat meetings.
Connie Fraser
Travel Chat convener
Probus Club of Cabarita & Breakfast Point Inc 