Chefs Gallery 中厨

A few weeks ago a group our us met up and took our kids to see the movie Coco at the Macquarie Centre Event Cinema (By the way Coco is a great movie but probably a bit too scary for kids under 8). Afterwards we head to a restaurant next to the cinema called Chefs Gallery and had a Chinese feast. Chefs Gallery is a reasonably famous Chinese restaurant chain in Sydney. The first one was opened on George Street next to the KFC a few years back, and made a big fuss at the time from rumours that they headhunted one of the head chefs and stole secrets from Sydney’s Ding Tai Fung (a famous international Taiwanese chain specialised in dumplings). Whether that rumour was true or not we will never know, but the food at Chefs Gallery was so good that a second shop was opened at the Macquarie centre when the shopping centre was refurbished. There were 8 adults and 5 kids, so naturally we ordered a lot of food. I have to say, all of them were delicious and lived up to the hype. Here are some that I manage to take photos of before it was quickly snapped up.

几个礼拜前和一班朋友一起带小孩看《寻梦环游记》，看完就去了隔壁的餐厅中厨饱餐一顿。中厨是在澳洲小有名气的中餐集团，几年前在市中心开第一家时就有不少八卦，说抢了悉尼鼎泰丰（台湾有名的中餐集团，以小笼包闻名）的主厨，偷了他们秘诀云云。这是不是真的已经无从稽考，可是很明显食客们对中厨的水准有所肯定，因为他们很快就在悉尼开了四五家分店。我们去的是麦格理购物中心的分店。我们一共八个大人五个小孩，于是乎点了一大桌子吃的。中厨的水准果然是名不虚传，每个菜都做得不错。让我在这介绍一下几道比较出彩的菜色。

The duck pancake came first. A twist to the traditional roast duck and pancake, it is almost like a western style wrap. But the pancake wrap is crispy on the outside, and soft and juicy on the inside, with authentic roast duck that was smoky and aromatic. Combined with crunchy cucumber and fresh lattice, the taste was simply divine. One of the best dishes of the place.

第一道是烤鸭卷饼。火候适中的烤鸭鲜香多汁，配上爽脆的黄瓜和生菜，用香脆的面饼卷上。完美的把传统的烤鸭以新颖的半西式方法呈现出来。口感十足，个人觉得是当天最好的一道菜。

Next, we have the little wee pork buns, one of the signature dishes of the Chefs Gallery. The Chinese milk bun was properly slightly fried to give its golden colour and crunch, and was then sliced in half and filled with lattice, pork fillet and pork floss like a hamburger. This delicious Chinese hamburger is the perfect size as an entrée to whet your appetite.

另一道也是前菜，猪扒包。用轻轻炸过的馒头，开半夹上香嫩的猪扒，甜脆生菜和肉松，变成一个小小的中式汉堡包，让人吃了胃口大增。

The main courses were next. There was a fried spinach noodle (noodles made with spinach juice) with mushroom, which is not as pretty as the other dishes but equally delicious. But it was the fried rice which stole the show. Who would have thought simple fried rice could be so delicious? With the prawn fried rice, the prawns are succulent and the right size, the rice is fried just right, but the secret ingredient here is Chinese olive pieces, which gave it an interesting and delicious twist. The duck fried rice was similarly delightful, with mustard seeds serving its purpose as the secret weapon that provides a flavour explosion on your taste buds.

主菜我们先点了一个香菇炒波菜面。绿绿的波菜面虽然没有其他的菜好看，可是够火气，味道适中，不失为一道好菜。我们再点了两个炒饭。这两个炒饭真是个惊喜！平平无奇的炒饭被他们变成味觉盛宴。他们的鲜虾炒饭，每只虾仁新鲜爽口，米饭粒粒饱满软硬适中。炒饭里的中式橄榄碎更是神来之笔，把舌头带到了味觉巅峰。他们的烤鸭炒饭同样出色，把虾仁换成了香嫩多汁的鸭肉，橄榄则以芥末籽代之，一样是一道另出心裁的精品。

Meat dish of the day was sweet and sour pork. While it lacked the wow factor that all the other dishes have, it was still a decent sweet and sour pork, with added sultanas and pickled radish to give it a slight twist.

我们还点了一道咕噜肉。这咕噜肉虽说中规中矩，可是放了点葡萄干和萝卜干，这可口的创意还是让这道菜加分不少。

Finally, desert was the smiling buns (which I have posted a photo of previously). Not only does it look cute, it tasted delicious too, with very well-made custard in the inside with just the right amount of sweetness. You know what the buns looked like? Emojis! I reckon they could probably make a set of emoji buns and it will be really popular.

最后是甜点。我们点了十分可爱的笑口包。每个笑口包咬开都是又甜又滑的奶黄，奶香浓郁，甜蜜可口，真的是又好看又好吃，更是小朋友们的最爱。

Chefs Gallery is indeed one of the better mid-range Chinese Restaurants in Sydney. I really liked its creativeness with its dishes, with each dish having a secret twist that made ordinary into extraordinary. If you have been shopping at the Macquarie Centre, Chefs Gallery would be a good place to refuel before you hit the shops again. Otherwise, there are also stores in the City, Bankstown, Parramatta and Hurstville.

中厨的水平让人满意，不愧为悉尼有名的中餐馆。他们不但菜式一流，对食物的创意更加是可圈可点，跟我对支持原创的理念非常一致。如果你在悉尼，不妨出他们其中一家分店尝尝！如果不在澳洲，没关系！他们在西安开了店呢！有兴趣的朋友，到西安记得要去试试啊！

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