Dishes from north-east of China often use wheat and maize. It was the latter that drew me to The Northeast Restaurant in Kingsford in the form of corn cakes cooked along the edges of their hearty hotpots. Here the soups are poured into bowls inlaid into wooden tables, but are so enormous, staff recommended against us ordering one for a party of two people. No matter, we got to try the corn pancakes ($7.80/4) by ordering them separately. They were surprisingly fluffy with caramelisation only on the side that had contact with the hot bowl, and would be great dragged through a saucy dish. We combined them with a good rendition of the cumin-heavy lamb chops ($27.80) that formed part of the first swathe of speciality dishes from this region of China to arrive in Sydney.
A simple stir-fry of chives, egg, woodear fungus, bean sprouts, dried tofu and pork ($18.80) was a pleasurable eat, particularly dressed up with chilli sauce and a splash of black vinegar. Ask for an extra bowl to create a dipping sauce with equal parts chilli, vinegar and soy for your chives pancake ($12.80/2 pieces) plumply stuffed with shrimp, chives, egg and vermicelli. This will be a dry meal, they’re not licensed and nor do they allow BYO, however Calpis ($3.50) will help you process liberally dalliances with the excellent on-table chilli sauce. The dining space is attractive, with playful theming that might not be quite authentic, but manages to convey a sense of place anyway. Parking is best on the back streets, or the Kingsford light rail station will plant you right out the front. Staff were friendly and supported us to order exactly the right amount of food. The kitchen delivered it fast enough for a pre-theatre meal ahead of a show at Sydney Spiegeltent just down the road at Moore Park.
