Jetstar Magazine

We go in search of Sydney’s secret tastes of China.

Sydney is set to explode with firecrackering frivolity when, on 20 January, the Chinese New Year celebrations get under way. For two weeks the city will be alive with lion dances, night markets, acrobatic performances, dragon boat races, a twilight parade and more. Chinese New Year aside, in the city that boasts Australia’s largest Chinese population, one can find an array of Chinese experiences all year round.

Our morning of discovery begins at the Chinatown branch of International Wing Chun Academy. Wing Chun-style kung fu became world renowned after one of its students, Bruce Lee, made it big in the US. Instructor Jeffrey Macris first gives me a short history lesson.

“Wing Chun was developed over 300 years ago by a Buddhist nun called Ng Mui, in the Southern Shaolin temple. She named it after one of her best students, a girl called Yim Wing Chun who legend has it escaped an unwanted marriage betrothal by defeating her suitor in a martial arts fight.” He explains that Wing Chun emphasises economy of movement over brute force; when strategy is key the best fighter isn’t necessarily the strongest, or even the quickest, of the bunch.

At 10am, a bell rings and the class gives a respectful bow to three photos hanging on the wall depicting a long lineage of teachers. Jeffrey leads us with a graceful warm up of tai chi-like moves, before teaching several punches and kicks. I’m paired up with cute little 12-year-old Julia Lu who tells me she took up the art because, “It was something different. I really like it now!” Julia is half my height so I’m unconcerned; until, that is, she starts landing punches that take my breath away.

Kung fu is rewarded with lunch at Golden Century Seafood Restaurant. Nestled in the heart of Chinatown, the restaurant features a wall of tanks in which swim over a hundred prawns, lobsters, crabs, abalone, fish and other underwater delights all hinting at the dining experience on offer ’til as late as 4am.

I order signature dishes like the fleshy pippies in their fan-shells, doused with homemade XO sauce. The barbecue pork is a lovely, dark pink colour, finished with a sticky glaze. I also try a steamed scallop sitting royally in the centre of a gorgeous, purple shell. Then lick my fingers through the salt and pepper deep-fried mud crab.

A spot of culture is in order, so it’s off to the White Rabbit Gallery near Central Station. The gallery’s four floors house the private collection of contemporary Chinese art enthusiast Judith Neilson. It’s so large the gallery only shows a fraction at any one time, and has been rehung twice a year since opening in 2009. There’s an impressive mixture of paintings, sculptures and digital media works, by everyone from the young to more established artists such as the famed Ai Wei Wei, whose oily black puddles of porcelain grace the second floor.

Next stop is Bourke Street’s intimate Zensation Tea House. Their tea appreciation menu begins with a hibiscus blossom tea that’s served slightly chilled — perfect to cleanse the palette. The Silver Needle, a feminine and elegant pale tea, follows. Raymond Leung, the teahouse owner, opens up a tea leaf for me, revealing a bud and two springy leaves with faint, silver fur. Much like wine, Chinese tea can run up to thousands of dollars, depending on their label and season.

For the Milky Oolong, Leung invites me to a tea ceremony. I quietly watch him wash the cups and pour the tea with much flourish. He implores me to “flip” my male “yang” cup, pouring the tea into the rounder, female, “yin” cup. As I sip, a milky taste with hints of coconut fills my mouth.

Evening sets and Mah Jong Room beckons. The décor is modern with borrowed elements from the past: Chinese antique-style furniture, private dining rooms with kitsch 60s-style wallpaper and furnishings, black- and-white photos of Beijing’s iconic hutong (alleyways) and a dash of old-school Shanghai glamour for good measure.

While the food and cocktail menu is similarly sophisticated, the restaurant’s draw card is the chance to play mah jong, a Chinese favourite. A regular, Mike Smith, says: “It’s a great afternoon learning how to play. I lived in Asia for years and would hear the clacking of the tiles on my way home from work each night. I can’t believe it took me so long to learn!”

TAKE ME THERE

• GOLDEN CENTURY SEAFOOD RESTAURANT 393–399 Sussex St, Sydney, tel: +61 (2) 9212 3901
• INTERNATIONAL WING CHUN ACADEMY 1st Floor, 355 Sussex St, Sydney, tel: +61 (2) 9264 2712
• MAH JONG ROOM 312 Crown St, Surry Hills, tel: +61 (2) 9361 3985
• WHITE RABBIT GALLERY 30 Balfour St, Chippendale, tel: +61 (2) 8399 2867
• ZENSATION TEA HOUSE 656 Bourke St, Redfern, tel: +61 (2) 9319 2788

Jetstar Magazine, January 2012.

Image (cc) eddy_