The Surry Hills-based shrine to South-East Asian flavours, Chin Chin, have teamed up with their southern cousins at Melbourne’s Hawker Hall to create a new Malaysian inspired Yum Cha offering, which Sydney diners will be able to sample from Friday, July 24. The menu will be available for lunch every Friday from noon to 3pm, and every Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 3pm, for $55 per person. That price will snag you your choice of seven dishes, with the option to pay more for additional specials.
While the Victorian capital is in lockdown, the Hawker Hall chefs have not been sitting on their hands. After several lengthy virtual meetings, the two kitchens have cooked up a mouthwatering array of dishes, including chilli salt squid with Tom Yum mayo, crab dumplings with Hainan chilli sauce, and scallop sui mai with coconut laksa.
Sydneysiders will be able to try several of Hawker Hall’s signature dishes, such as the crispy duck pancakes with chilli jam slaw, Malaysian hawker-fried chicken with chilli coconut sambal and its famous char kway teow – flat rice noodles stir-fried with prawns and Chinese sausage.
Another welcome import from Melbourne is a selection from Hawker Hall’s impressive cocktail list, which riffs on classics with exotic twists. The Spritz @ the Ritz infuses vodka with rambutan, lychee, fino and citrus, topped-off with prosecco. Spice lovers should order the Tommy Says Relax, which combines tequila mandarin, yuzu, jalapeno agave and mandarin salt with a citrus twist. If you like walks in the rain you’ll probably be partial to the That’s Not a Pina Colada, This is a Pina Colada (yes that really is the name of the cocktail), a supersized spin on the tropical favourite that's big enough for two, mixing spiced rum with banana, coconut and pineapple.
Veteran fans of Chin Chin will be aware of its no bookings policy, but during these testing times, those rules have been suspended. Booking is now essential and can be made via the Chin Chin website.