Iron Chef - Cabramatta

I took a day off awhile ago as I was just so sick of work. I met up with a friend who also didn't have work and headed off to Cabramatta's Iron Chef for some Yum Cha. I rarely ever get to go yum cha now days as my dad goes every Monday or Tuesday with his buddies for yum cha. So come the weekend, yum cha is the last thing on his mind. Its such a shame though as I LOVE yum cha!!!

Work has given me an entertainment card giving me 20% off at the Iron Chef, which is even better!

Harm Sui Gok

The shells are made of glutinous rice flour which has been deep fried. This gives it a lovely golden crunchy but chewy texture. The filling is pork mince and dried shrimp which has been cooked in a lovely gravy. This was fresh out of the fryer when we got it! SO GOOD!

Siw Mai - Pork Dim Sims

This is a MUST HAVE when I go yum cha. If I go yum cha and don't get AT LEAST one steamer full of Siw Mai it feels like I haven't been yum cha at all. Its like going to a steak house and having a salad. I MUST HAVE SIW MAI!!! This was quite nice, but I prefer the filling to be much chunkier.

Har Gow - Prawn Dumplings

This is also a MUST HAVE when I go yum cha. Although I won't feel as unsatisfied if I don't have this compared to the siw mai. The wrapping is soft but chewy and its filled with chunky bursty prawns and bamboo shoots. I love to eat this smothered with chilli sauce.

Char Siu Bao - Steamed BBQ Pork Buns

We make our own Char Siu Bao at home with home made char siu. They're really really good, but we just can't get the lovely buns as light and fluffy as these. (Plus, my mum hates them fluffy!). These were so satifyingly soft and moreish with the rich BBQ Pork filling.

Fong Jow - Braised chicken feet in black bean sauce

Most people, including a lot of Asians are actually terrified of eating chicken feet. I don't know why, considering you're eating almost every other part of the chicken anyway. These were really nice. Good braised chicken feet is soft and gelatinous. You can put it into your mouth and they'll literally fall off the bones.

Char Siu - BBQ Pork

These were ok. Not as good as mine for sure ;) Plus they weren't ultra fresh out of the oven, which is the only way to eat it. The cart lady did tell me that she's going to go nuke it back up in the microwave before giving it to us. It looks like a lot of BBQ Pork there, but there is actually a layer of peanuts underneath that has been stewed in a soya sauce like broth.

Si Jup Pai Gwut - Steam pork ribs with black bean

I don't know why they keep calling these pork ribs, as most restaurants actually use pork chops or some other cut of pork to make this dish. Most of the time you won't even find a bone in there, and if you do, its a pork chop bone. This was ok, a bit bland for my liking. My mum (and me) definitely makes better ;)

Wu gok - Deep fried taro dumplings

These golden orbs of goodies are made with mashed taro, which is stuffed with pork mince, dried shrimp and other goodies. These are then dipped into beaten egg whites and deep fried to give it the lovely delicate texture.

Ngow Cheung - Steam beef rice noodle rolls

These are made with big sheets of rice noodles rolled around a soft beef mince mixture. A slightly sweet soya sauce mixture is poured ontop after they've been steamed. These are lovely and soft and silky. I always prefer the beef to the prawn or BBQ Pork filling.

Salt and pepper octopus

These were too bland for my liking. It tasted as if they had forgotten to season it. I love my salt and pepper to be salty and really nice and peppery/spicy. I probably wouldn't order this again. Wait, its deep fried, and they always say salt and pepper.....ok, maybe I WILL order it again. Hopefully I won't regret it next time.

We made complete pigs of ourselves, but it was worth it. And with the discount from my entertainment card, we paid about $55 for 2 people. A bargain.