Oh Mr Bing, what delicious jian bing you make. It's made fresh to order at Chippendale’s latest hole-in-the-wall eatery, where they're serving up burrito-like crepes throughout the day.
It goes like this: take your pick from the menu on the window, then watch as the chef transforms thin batter into a giant pancake on the hot plate. They crack an egg on top, spreading it thin as it cooks. Chopped green onions and chilli sauce get thrown on top before the whole thing is folded in half and the fillings are added.
Order the Miss Kim – tender, Korean-style marinated pork with heaps of salad, sweet and sour carrots, crushed-up crackers and a good splodge of spicy mayo. Sweet, salty, fatty, delicious; it is the hangover food of the gods. Another option (and almost half the price at $5.90 when we visit) is the ABT, filled to breaking point with sweet pork floss and more of those crisp cracker crunchies. Also a solid option? The braised beef, which is soft and heady with cloves.
Be sure to try the Taiwanese-style iced tea – the jasmine option is just sweet enough and the milk version is even sweeter if a sugar rush is required. There are a couple of seats outside if you want to stick around and eat; otherwise, this is a walk-and-talk kind of joint. Or there’s always the spacious lawns of Victoria Park just across the road.
So next time you’re in the pub and find yourself questioning that extra drink at closing time, ask yourself one question, "Can I get to Chippendale tomorrow?" If the answer is yes, then by all means order that schooner. Because a cure-all pancake awaits you the following day, and now you'll have the perfect excuse to go eat it.