Mr. Wong

On one particular Saturday evening, a crazy state of excitement and anticipation washed over me. I WAS FINALLY GOING TO MR. WONG!




Tucked away behind the alleyway of Bridge Lane lies the remarkable transformation of the old Tank Nightclub and the latest addition to the Merivale empire. Unlike any other ordinary Cantonese restaurants, it was as if we had stepped into a 1930's Shanghai Teahouse. 



Stunning Chinese colonial furnishings sit inside the warehouse-like space along with its timber floors and wooden columns. Sprawled over two levels, Mr. Wong is all about the interweaving of Classic Chinese elegance with sharp contemporary infuences. The ambience is unparalleled with its dim lighting and overall modern oriental atmosphere.



I had been looking forward to dining at Mr. Wong from the day it had opened. After all, a new restaurant with that much praise from critics and bloggers could not possibly disappoint. And God, I was right. 



Please note that Mr. Wong only takes Lunch bookings and Dinner bookings for 6 or more.
Hence, being the paranoid and pessimistic person that I am, I knew the place would be packed if we did not go early. Mr. Wong opens at 5:30pm and by 5:45pm, M & I found ourselves in, what I'd normally consider to be, the scary dodgy alleyway!



Before you know it, we were seated at a bar table overlooking a tank of beautiful lobsters. It 
was definitely a first for us, eating Chinese food in this manner.



Our first order, the Stir Fried Chilli Crystal Bay Prawns ($32) was so deliriously good that I probably spent the first 5 minutes simply gushing in amazement whilst M devoured away, half listening. The flavours were ridiculously balanced in that it wasn't too savoury nor chilli, making it a perfect match with the right proportion of Steamed Rice ($2). The sauce was definitely the magic and when you throw that over some fresh prawns, what could go wrong?





The Sweet & Sour Crispy Pork Hock ($28) was originally not on our agenda until the staff strongly recommended it. AND THANK GOD SHE DID! I am usually not a fan of sweet and sour, but this dish made me a willing convert in just one bite. The large chunks of pork hock are coated in a lusciously sticky sweet and sour sauce and as you sink your teeth in, the meat falls apart with absolute ease and delicacy. It's the dish of extreme succulent 
textures and soaring flavours. It was too delicious.





Dessert proved to a pleasant delight as well!

M ordered Mr Wong's Deep Fried Ice Cream, served with Butter Scotch Sauce ($14) which came in the cutest little ball and sat in a pool of rich, decadent butter scotch sauce. Perhaps a little too rich. The warm but crunchy shell with the still-cold ice cream inside was  ultimately a match made in heaven . "Not your average Fried Ice Cream", as M described.



My order of Strawberries, Meringue, Macadamia Praline, Cream Cheese Ice Cream and Thai Basil ($14) was also one of the most sublime looking desserts I have ever had. The heavenly mixture of fresh strawberries with cream cheese ice cream and strawberry sauce was more than enough to send me into smiles. Unfortunately, I wasn't the biggest fan of the meringue as it was simply too hard in texture.  


  

Let's just say that the star heroes behind Mr Wong - Dan Hong, Jowett Yu & Eric Koh- are simply amazing. 

Sensational food, fantastic atmosphere and impeccable service really do go hand in hand together. At least it certainly did at Mr Wong! On the whole, I would say that the price range falls in between fine dining and casual dining. Then again, the serving sizes are not your traditional Chinese restaurant proportions and thus essentially, it's not cheap.

Regardless, I'm already planning my next visit!!! So many other dishes to try :)


Mr. Wong
3 Bridge Lane
Sydney NSW 2000

http://merivale.com.au/mrwong/


Mr Wong on Urbanspoon

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