There ain't much that's new about the New Chinese Garden Seafood Restaurant. I've been coming here…read moreon and off since the 90's and the menu, table layout and quality has remained pretty much frozen in time.
Dining in the spacious enough restaurant has never been an issue - even on Christmas day for dinner - as I've never seen the place over half full. On top of that, most of the clientele are middle aged to elderly Aussies. Not a great sign for a Chinese restaurant. But don't let that fool you. Yes, the food is very mid ranged, mid priced, mid portioned, but it's consistent and that counts for a lot with me & my lovely but finicky fiance.
The proprietor, Lee, juggles waiting on customers and working the wok in the kitchen as the place is usually dead. The "Wait staff and kitchen hand wanted." sign seems to be perpetually propped up on the counter as you walk in, but with that being said, Lee handles the customers with an understated smile and is a rather shy gentleman, but totally accessible for any questions you may have regarding the menu.
More importantly, in the kitchen he turns out some pretty tasty dishes. Nothing life changing, or likely to make your top 3 list if you're a connoisseur of Asian cuisine but the basics, done damn well. The satay chicken skewers are stand outs (there's even a mixed satay skewer entree with beef, chicken and prawn skewers for the indecisive) but everything else is merely just good, and that's good enough for what you'll pay.
Aside from obviously catering to the well known Aussie-Asian staples like Sweet & Sour Pork and a variety of fried rices (Hong Kong style and with crab meat sauce) there are a few less common gems to unearth like the delightful West Lake Beef Soup (a simple flavorful broth with minced beef and coriander).
If anything lets the restaurant down from a culinary stand point, it's the sizzling/braised dishes. Don't get me wrong, they're most certainly edible and the meat is tender. But that's about as far as the praise goes. The main problem lies in the sauce. For my daring, explosion of flavor loving palette, I found the Chinese style and Mongolian sauces to be lacking some serious personality. Very bland and the most exciting part is hearing the sizzle as the meal makes the way to the table. But the dish it's self...meh. Go for the char kway teow (a delicious ho-fun noodle dish with that addictive fiery wok flavor) to remind yourself what Lee is capable of.
For the experienced lover of Chinese food, nothing at New Chinese Garden Seafood Restaurant will bump off your tried and true favorites from the higher end establishments, but if you feel like a relaxing meal (dine in or take away, the quality remains good) without the elbow wrestling with your fellow diners that some of the busier places at Sunnybank can result in, visiting Lee and co. - well, usually just Lee - will fill your tummy and not break the bank.
3 3/4 Stars.