We have a party of nine gathered around two tables in the center of the restaurant this Independence Day. We called earlier and they agreed to stay open for us, but we all need to be done before the fireworks start. As our orders are taken, a steady stream of customers enter and fill the booths around the dining room. I think our hosts have mixed emotions about this sudden uptick in business, given the great street party we all want to get too. The fireworks in Sydney are legend.
The aromas coming from the kitchen are amazing. The two big woks sizzle and the chef works the range with expertise. Five of our party arrived and ordered before the rest of settled Huck into the pet-friendly Best Western Golden Prairie Hotel and made our way over. They ordered items more traditionally Chinese: fried rice with chicken, sweet and sour pork, and an Asian-fusion "chicken wings" with a sweet chili sauce.
These were served just after we made our order, which was a selection of the Thai entrees. We asked to be served family style, and enjoyed watching the chef prepare our Masuman curry, glass noodles with vegetables and no meat (it is actually a beef dish), and the seafood spicy soup. Our beverages were Thai iced tea and Thai iced coffee.
The soup stole the show. Fresh, large mussels, white fish, prawns, beautiful, fresh mushrooms and an exquisitely seasoned coconut milk broth. The broth, especially, was shared around the table and poured on just about everything. There was plenty of white rice and fried rice just asking for a ladle full of the soup. As you can probably guess, there was plenty of soup to share.
A few Vietnamese dishes were spotted on the menu. Beef eaters should try the Pho and report out. This is beef country out here.
Which raises the question of "Seafood in Sydney? How can that be?" So I asked our hostess and got the story. The purchase of a truck with a refrigerator allows them to regularly schedule two day shopping trips for the items needed for authentic cuisine, from fresh mussels to fresh lemon grass. Those trips cannot happen every day, so there are times when some ingredients are no longer in the restaurant, having been used up. For us this visit, it was fresh egg noodles, so mei fun (glass) noodles or nothing. Kind of like being at camp, but with a serious cook to guide you through the pantry.
The environment? Not so great. I'm not saying the restaurant could have been cleaned better, as much as the fact that the building is just plain wore out. To the point where you just can't get the scuff marks off the baseboards, the surface of the flooring is now hit and miss and, in general, you just begin to wonder what you might have gotten into. Still, there permit for renovation is posted and the restrooms are clean, such as they are. After talking with our hostess and reading between the lines, I think the decision came down to buying the refrigerator truck first and renovating later. The feeling among our group was interesting. Less than half of the nine were aware of anything other than the food. The booths looked in good shape, and maybe new. Our tables in the center and their utilitarian chairs were clean and probably recently new. I think this is their first year of operation.
All in all, Asian Garden is a great experience being run by talented, hardworking people (open every day) serving authentic cuisine. We should have paid admission! Seriously, they would put to shame some of our Thai / Asian restaurants back home in Santa Rosa CA and Sebastopol or, at the very least, make them step up their game. If you are anywhere near Sydney, you have to stop in and at least order one of the soups.
I'm really torn between three and four stars for this rating. Definitely four stars for the food. Given the unlikely nature of finding these cooks in Sydney and their success in "foraging" for ingredients, one would be tempted to grant them five stars just for effort. Yet, the sense of adventure a person must muster to engage with the environment inside the building keeps pulling the rating down to a generous three. You be the judge and let me know how you would rate a wonderful find like Adoan Gardens in Sydney. read more