Dickson is somewhat locally well-known as being Canberra's "Chinatown", although there are very few dragons or pandas lurking around. Apart from a few importer-grocery shops, and the legend of a young Jackie Chan having walked its streets, there isn't really much, at least from a superficial glancing, to support this imagination of place. It could be equally argued that American fast-food chains appear to be just as prominent in the commercial area's streetscape.
However, what Dickson does have is Au Lac - one of the city's better fake meat places (along with the nearby Kingsland). Fake meat, for the unacquainted, is a textured soy-based product that can be made into meat-ish dishes, typically by South-East Asian Buddhists. White meats (i.e. fake chicken, duck, or fish) are typically far more convincing than attempts at imitating red meat, and when done well, can even be tasty.
Accompanied by a soothing indoor waterfall (more restaurants should have one), guests at Au Lac ought to order the "Noodle Laksa" for $10 - and within 5-10 minutes they will be presented with a delicious spicy bowl of coconut milk, spice, veges, and radically tranformed soy. Most of the other dishes are OK, but the laksa really is the stand-out.
Showing posts with label Laksa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Laksa. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Asian Noodle House (Northbourne Ave)
The Asian Noodle House in the Sydney Building in Civic is a bit of a mixed bag. It has a few quirks that detract from it, but at the same time it excels in providing what its name suggests - noodles cooked in an Asian tradition.
Although many places offer meals associated with perhaps one or two countries, the Asian Noodle House is a little unusual in being explicitly pan-South-East Asian and doing a good job of it (i.e. on the menu are Thai, Malaysian/Singaporean, Vietnamese, Lao, and Chinese dishes). One of us had the Kwangtong noodles, the other a Laksa - and both were very tasty (although I would have felt the noodles would be a small serve if one was reasonably hungry).
However, the service was a little slow for a quiet Sunday evening, and some apparent simmering mother/daughter front-of-house tension made for a bit of a weird tone. Also, we had differing views on the entrees, with the quality of the tofu blocks and spring rolls being debatable.
Overall, as a parting thought, we would suggest that the place is possibly not called the Asian Entree House for a reason - stick to the noodles.
Although many places offer meals associated with perhaps one or two countries, the Asian Noodle House is a little unusual in being explicitly pan-South-East Asian and doing a good job of it (i.e. on the menu are Thai, Malaysian/Singaporean, Vietnamese, Lao, and Chinese dishes). One of us had the Kwangtong noodles, the other a Laksa - and both were very tasty (although I would have felt the noodles would be a small serve if one was reasonably hungry).
However, the service was a little slow for a quiet Sunday evening, and some apparent simmering mother/daughter front-of-house tension made for a bit of a weird tone. Also, we had differing views on the entrees, with the quality of the tofu blocks and spring rolls being debatable.
Overall, as a parting thought, we would suggest that the place is possibly not called the Asian Entree House for a reason - stick to the noodles.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
