I remember the first time I tried a Chinese banquet. The first two courses came out and I was hungry so I ate my fill with both of these courses foolishly ignoring the fact that people were only trying one or two pieces of the dish. I filled up before long and then regretted my eagerness to consume when eight other courses came out in quick succession afterwards. Thus was my lesson learnt in Chinese banquets – brace yourself for an onslaught of dishes!
Tonight’s would be no exception. It was a Chinese New Year buffet organised by my uncle and his girlfriend. It was at the Souths Juniors Club in Maroubra-my uncle and father have long ago given up on competing for parking in Chinatown. As Chinese are very superstitious people, the number of 10 guests wasn’t lost on everyone and many agreed that 10 was a good number for 10 courses. We’d be dining from their Chinese New year pre-set banquet.
Prawns and Scallops
When everyone arrived, five dishes landed on the table almost instantly. One of my favourite dishes was the simple stir fried prawns and scallops with a light ginger sauce. The scallops and prawns are that wonderful soft consistency and I resist the urge to go for seconds as it’s not a huge plate and is quickly gone.
Beef Hot Pot
The Beef hot pot is full of dark, sweet flavours and tender thin slices of beef and a rich sauce that just begs to be eaten with rice.
Deep Fried Pork Ribs
I always love these chunky pork ribs which alternate between meaty and fatty. Cut different from American pork ribs, I love the gamble of not knowing whether you’ll bite into a piece with bone or one with melt in the mouth meat and fat even though I know they’re not terribly healthy for you. These are very good and although we usually order them quite spicy, these are milder pork ribs.
Mongolian Lamb
We hear the familiar sizzle of hot plates. I know, Mongolian Lamb is one of those maligned suburban Chinese restaurant dishes along with sweet and sour pork, spring rolls and honey king prawns (all which I happen to secretly love) but we are in a suburban Chinese restaurant after all. They’re good although I do think that they’re a bit too similar to the beef hot pot.
Mixed mushrooms with abalone
As a bit of a mushroom freak my eyes light up at the sight of this mixed mushroom plate braised in oyster sauce. I love the slippery texture of some and the meaty texture of others as well as abalone which is one of those things that whilst is nice, I don’t often order as I always think that the money is better spent on lobster or Peking Duck.
Roast Duck
Despite the fact that only a week earlier I had partaken in a Duck Off Peking Duck crawl, I eagerly pick up a piece of roast duck. The flavour is quite good and the duck is meaty.
Steamed Coral Trout with ginger & Shallots
A rather impressive dish is the beautifully shaded whole coral trout. The word for fish is “Yu” which sounds like the words wish and abundance or plenty so eating whole fish means that you are wishing for plenty for the upcoming year (haha I told you Chinese are superstitious! 
).
Peking Duck
The Peking Duck was running late and whilst it should have been served at the beginning it is coming at the end. We get 12 pancakes in total and it comes with a hoi sin sauce. I peek under the folded over pancake and smile. There’s a large piece of just skin. It’s not quite crispy enough though although the flavour is quite good.
The sang choi bao however is a bit woeful, tasting of just onion and more onion and not much duck or anything else and it is missing water chestnuts and bamboo shoots.
Glutinous rice dumpling in red bean soup
My favourite dessert is the red bean soup that comes at the end of a banquet and controversially it is one of those dishes that seems to be given to Chinese families only. I’ve eaten banquets with caucasian friends and never been offered this soup. This soup has a little bonus, stretchy glutinous rice dumplings filled with a sweet black sesame liquid. Everyone gets two of these balls and I savour mine and go looking for more of those delicious little balls to no avail.
Chinese cookies
Sometimes, Chinese cookies can be a huge disappointment to me. They can be dry like those baked bready puffs that taste like nothing except for sesame seeds but tonight we have those but also some sticky deep fried balls with a lotus filling and sesame on the outside. There are also little lotus filled discs which are flakey and warm.
Seasonal Fruit plate
Fitting in fruit at the end of the meal might seem foolhardy but either the air conditioning is on the blitz or there are so many people that the air conditioning just can’t handle it. Either way we are schvitzing like mad and the sight of cool, juicy fruit is too tempting.
Another year, another Chinese New Year!
So tell me Dear Reader, are you superstitious?
Imperial Peking
558A Anzac Parade, Kingsford, NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 9314 4258
He doesn’t look happy
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35 Comments | Add your own
Interesting that their fixed menu should include both roast duck and Peking duck! Agree with you – san choy bao without water chestnuts and bamboo shoots is simply not right! But I do so adore abalone – if I had money, that’s where it would be spent..
I love red bean and black sesame in desserts – will have to make sure I sneak along to a Chinese family’s celebration one of these days
I’m not at all superstitious although I must say that final pic of the bad ass looking fish is creeping me out! LOL. I am fortunate to have attended a similar type banquet hosted by the Chinese embassy. Good Lord! It’s as you said incredible amounts of fabulous food.
Well that was a mixed bag! I love chinese banquet and it really has been too long since I’ve enjoyed one. That coral trout does not look happy at all lol – great pic!
Haha, I love that last picture of the fish! Great way to end the post
I’ve never been to a Chinese banquet — it looks like so much fun! I think it’s so much fun to try bits and pieces of a whole lot of food instead of sitting down to a full main course. That beef hot plate looks so good, and I would love to try that dessert!
I love that last photo Lorraine! I wouldn’t be happy either
I’m not superstitious at all.
The fact that the soup isn’t normally offered to non-Chinese families makes it even more tempting for me to try. There’s something about the forbidden
Haha my boyfriend was reading over my shoulder and was so excited you were in his hood, the ‘bra. I also (secretly) love suburban chinese food, honey prawns being my favourite. I also love all sorts of thai, but must confess I find it hard to go past the most suburban of all, the delicious pad thai.
Just out of curiosity for us non-Chinese, what does a banquet meal like this set you back?
That banquet menu looks fantastic! I’ve never come across the mixed mushroom and abalone dish before, must keep an eye out for it. I try not to be superstitious but it seems to have been inherited with my DNA!
what a great meal… I love chinese food. We do have a chinese restaurant in North Bay its a family owned restaurant, the food is so good, but so fancy like what you have… everything looks great… remember be next time you go…
Happy New Year.
Not in the least bit supersticious but understand why some cultures are more than others. Italians are quite supersticious especially from the Southern parts, extremely so.
I’m glad I’m not menatlly bound by such things.
Love the Chinese banquet, we used to go to the Imperial Peking
in Blakehurst a lot and loved to finish with a Bombe Alaska dessert , it’s not Chinese but it sure tastes good. Our favourite Chinese is House of Chow, Ramsgate,consistently good food and no-one beats their Gow Gees!
Oops, that was meant to read, mentally bound by such things.
Personally not superstitious but I know to be when dining out with older generations of Chinese. Love the last pic of Mr Angry Fish!
Well…I’d say that you could have a very different journey on Chinese banquet if you attend a homemade one…
Plus ‘fish’ has to be on the table although it doesn’t necessarily need to look so creepy…LOL
Onion sang choi bao! that’s a shame. i’ve heard the food is fairly decent considering it’s in a leagues club. scallops look yum.
Just a tad superstitious here – I don’t open umbrellas inside and don’t walk under ladders but that’s about it.
Great banquet! I don’t think I’ve ever had a Chinese one.
One question, what’s schvitzing? Never heard of the word
Oh Mr Fish, don’t look at me like that! I thought you wanted to be eaten.
Hmmmm, superstitious? Kinda, I guess, but I’m nowhere near as silly-ly superstitious as I was when I was little! I would ALWAYS lift my feet when we drove over a railway track, and hold my breath when driving past a cemetery (one of them in my home town was really big so I’d let myself take a breath at the mid-way point) and such things. Glad to say I outgrew these urges a long time ago!
I’m chinese too and I’m not super-superstitious but my mother is … old-school superstitious to the N-th degree. It’s hard to grow up with it and not be influenced by it. I think Chinese superstition goes a looooong way back.
I’ve been here several times. Their peking duck is sublime. The photo of the fish head is amusing … but scary.
Anyways, I’m salivating, thanks for sharing!
OMG, the food!! All popping right outta my screen.
Oh, what a lovely duck – and all the dishes look really good!
I think that I’m not overly superstitious, but I still try to avoid sleeping with my bed facing a mirror if I can (n a few other things :p)
hmm.. feel like having peking duck now… haha.. love that last shot of the fish head
Love chinese banquets but always too much food. Would love to get stuck into the peking duck!
OOOH I like the beef hot pot, the steamed fish and everything else. whata meal!
I love having yum cha here…it’s a favourite amongst my work colleagues.
exceptionally BRIGHT, COLORFUL AND BALANCED FOOD – and the photos did it all justice as did your very-there-with-each-bite comments!!! Thanx for sharing…
I was growing up with these chinese weddings which mean there are lots of dishes (I did count these, most of these are 8-10 dishes). It’s a result of my parent having lots of friends, siblings and cousins everywhere. Almost every month we got 2 invitations or more. Rarely not getting invitation in one of these many months.
One of my memories is that my parent would fill up my plate if I was going somewhere to play with my cousins or new friends and whenever I come back, there will be food pilled up awaiting for me.
I loved these food then arriving in Australia, I found out that chinese food are bland compared to Indonesian-chinese. It’s because some restaurant trying to alter these food to be more palatable to Australian people. Indonesian-chinese food is more likely as a result from Hong Kong chefs (some famous restaurants do hire chefs from Hong Kong rather than from China mainland) and the food is more palatable than chinese cooking in Hong Kong alone with so more sauces, herbs and spices added into the cooking.
Wow! That is one BIG banquet.. Definitely not for the faint hearted.. or for ones with full tummies :p
I’m not superstitious, however my mother is.. OH MY GOSH, some of the things she does.. She won’t even open a food package outside of home as she thinks that it “Throws away the luck”.. Sorry Mum, but pffttt…
P.S.. Scary fish :S
I love that last photo of the fish. Priceless!
Hi Celia-yes I thought that was unusual too! I know, it was just onion, onion and more onion. Not good!
Hi Hannah-hehe pelase do! even if you don’t know them!
Hi Wizzythestick-hha yes that was a funny capture Mr NQN got. I was a bit scared when I first saw it!
yes so much food! 
Hi Liss-yes sometimes I go for months without one and I miss them! Thanks, Mr NQN gets some great pics!
Hi Y-I wanted to title it “Not Happy Jan”
Hi Faith-It is!
Yes I love that aspect as I like trying lots of things 
Mmm yes I could go for some now! 
Hi Amy-Haha I know! Poor bugger
Hi April-Very true! I think the same
Hi Alex-Oh cool! Does he ever go here? yup I have a secret love of those too!
Ahh yes pad thai!
Hi rozwar-Good question! I’m not sure exactly as my uncle paid but perhaps a few hundred dollars (like $200-$300) for 10 people?
Hi Moya-Yes I try not to be too but I think I am!
Hi Arlette-Happy new year! Sounds like you have a great local restaurant!
Hi Matilda-Ahh did you say Gow Gees? I’m a bit obsessed by them! Do they use minced up prawn or whole prawn?
Hi mlle délicieuse-Oh yes I know what you mean! Thankyou!
Hi serena-I’ve attended plenty of homemade ones
Hi Simon-yes it was not right at all
Hi BuBbles-yes me too but that’s the extent of it!
Oh that means sweating 
Hi Conor-hehe he wasn’t a happy camper
Wow, now they are interesting superstitions!
Hi Peter-Yes I think you’re right! It goes waaay back! how did you find the sang choi bao? you’re welcome!
Hi The Little Teochew-hehe thanks Ju!
HI Midge-Hehe thanks Midge!
Hi YW-Ahhh I hadn’t heard of that one! He’s scary isn’t he!
Hi SK-Yes I wish I could take some home with me!
Hi zurin-Hehe yes it was a goodie!
Hi food.4.two-Ahh cool! Good to have a place you can go out with your colleagues!
Hi rose-Thankyou so much Rose!
Hi Lilia-How nice of them!
Interesting to hear your perspective on things 
Hi http://www.brisbanebaker.bl-it is isn’t it!
Yes we had to come with empty tummies! 
Hi Su-yin-hehe I feel like he should have a name
Minced up prawn with ???? Still trying to figure out the other ingredients . Absolutely divine!
ah- I went to imperial peking recently but for Yum Cha. Wasn’t bad considering the location!
I love getting a fruit plate at the end of the chinese meal. even some orange slices go down well!
Ahh we might have been there the same time? I mentioned in your Duck off post that I was heading here for Peking Duck the next day, so funny you should have gone for chinese new year as well! Glad you head to Imperial Peking anyway, irrespective of my recommendation!!
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