Tinged windows, a luminous glow thru the panelled glass revealing a fast paced kitchen sweating it out in the middle of a busy dinner service. There were loads of late night revellers to feed, horny appetites to satiate, mostly those fumbling with their chopsticks, cheeky grins and rambunctious laughter filling the room. With an hour to burn before our table was ready, we headed straight for the bar; there was the recurring thought in my head, 'oh gosh.. Merivale has struck gold again with this one'. The fit outs were nothing short of amazing, timeless colonial furnishings layered with textured bare brick walls, that gorgeous mahogany long bar, classic sturdy bamboo framed French woven chairs and beautiful crockery to match, this was contemporary Cantonese food done for the well-heeled.
The cocktail menu was equally impressive, named after provinces in China each featuring a special herb or spice specially known for in that region. I chose the Chongqing Province ($17) // Plymouth Gin, Napolean Mandarin, Choya Plum Wine, Rhubarb Bitters and tonic. As beautiful as it was, the cocktail was a real firecracker, the mandarin singing a lucious tune of muted acidity and tangy bitterness in the background. My friend's Tianjin Province ($18) // Plymouth Gin, Creme de la fraise, yuzu juice, homemade chamomile tea syrup and freshly muddled strawberries offers a sweet respite for the girly soul, its sweet facade hiding its alcoholic traits.
Once seated, we jumped at the Salt and Pepper Lamb Cutlets which came across highly recommended by a friend working the line in the establishment itself, but to our dismay, that was sold out for the day; so we turned our attention to the Sweet and Sour Crispy Pork Hock ($28) instead.
A glass of Rio Mendoza Malbec ($8) later, a stack of piggy goodness revitalises our worn out senses. Sweet, sour, this was an assault on the taste buds, in a good way of course. The flesh, tender, yielding to the tug of the fork easily; it's exterior, slightly charred, the thin cornstarch coating allowing the sauces to adhere gingerly. Scuffed down with a bowl of steaming hot rice, this could pretty much qualify for outstanding comfort food.
To conclude the meal (after another glass of that ooo-sooo-smooth malbec. *grins*), we opted for Mr. Wong's Deep Fried Vanilla Ice Cream with Butterscotch sauce ($14). An amalgamation of textures, differing temperatures and layered sweetness. Sweet surrender.
Despite my strong biasness against the Merivale empire, I reluctantly give in to the charms of Mr. Wong. His intriguing nature and bespoke cuisine has gotten me smitten. Watch out people... we've got a player in the house.
Mr. Wong
3 Bridge Lane
Sydney NSW 2000
Tel: 61 2 9240 3000
Website: http://merivale.com.au/mrwong/
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