Whenever we go out for Chinese food I always feel compelled to take my parents along. For starters, I know that my dad needs to get out more but he only really likes Chinese food and for my mother who likes all food and likes to go out this is the path of least resistance.  Blue Eye Dragon was actually a long ago suggestion from one of my readers Rebecca, so long ago that when I looked up the date of her email to me it was about two years ago exactly. But I never forgot it!

The first thing that strikes us as we walk up to Blue Eye Dragon Taiwanese restaurant in Pyrmont is the wrought iron gates-shaped like a dragon. There is a spacious outdoor area and it is housed in a sandstone building.  The other thing that strikes us is that it looks so very different from your usual Chinese restaurant -it’s dark and moodily lit and there are no bright lights beaming the way to the table. We are shown our table, up on the stage above which is a curtained off area that the menu tells us serves as a private dining room. Despite the moody and romantic atmosphere there are plenty of families with babies and large groups dining.

Taiwanese High Mountain Tea (Chinese Tea) $2.5/pp (min. $5)

Mr NQN needs a bit of a pick me up and the Taiwanese High Mountain tea is ordered and comes with a tea light warmer powered stand which promptly goes out a few minutes after the teapot is placed on top of it. The tea…well it tastes like regular Chinese tea even if presented quite nicely and without a dripping tea pot.

Chicken Won-Tons with House Chilli Sauce (very spicy) $12

The won tons, eight to a serve here are slippery and filled with pork mince and are coated in a chilli sauce which is quite spicy and the dumplings are propped up in the bowl by shards of iceberg lettuce leaves. Overall they’re quite good and a nice kick start for our taste buds.

Pan Fried Pork Dumplings with Chives, Ginger & Shallot $12

The pan fried pork dumplings come out next and they have a nice crispy bottom. The skin on these is thinner than the Shanghai counterparts and the filling is a mixture of pork mince, chives, ginger and shallots giving these a good flavour to them along with a sesame chilli sauce.

Prawn Dumplings with Water Chestnuts, Shallots & Chinese Celery $12

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It seems I’m trying but failing spectacularly to eat healthily. Perhaps just before Christmas isn’t quite the time to instill a healthy eating regime. Even typing out the words makes a voice inside my head shriek “destined to fail!” but nevertheless, when faced with a meal in front of me, I try and at least make an imitation at resisting. A pale imitation mind you…

I’m standing in front of the Carriageworks at Eveleigh with bucketfulls of rain falling and the odd cyclist speeding by in a rush to beat the rain. I’m trying to carry a camera bag, handbag and an umbrella while cursing my sartorial choice of open toed heels in the rain. And thankfully John and Peter Canteen is right near the main entrance and only requires a short sprint in the rain.

John and Peter Canteen is a catering business that has expanded to serve lunch and dinner and looking around, it appears quite full this Wednesday evening. There are theatre patrons that want a quick drink as well as couples and groups that look like they’ve settled in for the night. White fringe trim hangs from scaffolding and studio lights and there are striking black and white print cushions and stripey banquettes.

Yoshiko is already sitting there and she has had a good look at the menu already. As a vegetarian she’s happy with the choices, three entrees and one main. Me, I’m quite smitten by much of the menu from the sounds of things. We take some recommendations from the waitress and service throughout the evening is friendly and deferential. We start with entrees, both vegetarian, as I am trying to eat healthily-well I did mention I was trying

Roman beans, bagna cauda and pangratatta $15

I had no idea what to expect from this dish and it is a finely shredded green and yellow bean salad tossed with bagna cauda (a garlicky anchovy dip) and a sprinkling of crunchy, golden, rough breadcrumbs which tickle my fancy immensely. The beans have a lovely crunch to them and the bagna cauda gives the salad flavour while the pangratatta breadcrumbs gives it crunch.

Baked brown onions, burrata $18

If I see burrata on a menu, I will inevitably have to order it. I know, I only just mentioned that I was trying to eat healthily and then I’m eating a cheese with a mozzarella outer and an oozy cream centre paired with soft, sweet baked onions. The burrata and onions are a good pairing and all that I think is missing is a piece of bread to mop up the juices left. I do try not to embarrass my dining companions by licking the plate!

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“Dressing up is encouraged” I read. I bite my lip. I was destined to attend an Alice in Wonderland themed event and I looked at my Alice costume hanging up, bought on ebay a few weeks before. It barely skimmed my buttocks as most of the costumes available here seem to be of the cleavage baring and derriere showing variety. I had decided not to wear it for this Halloween as I thought that I really didn’t need to moon my guests. But inspiration struck, well actually a pair of white stockings struck-items I had no recollection of ever buying (does that ever happen to you?) and suddenly I had a very plausible, non butt baring Alice in Wonderland outfit.

I’m all for dress ups but with strangers, sometimes there’s the very real chance of you being the only one dressed up. And I told this to Studio Neon’s owner Matt Lee who has hosted these pop up dinners during October’s Crave food festival. He tells us of a time that he turned up at a dress up party wearing a nappy and he was the only one-surely a cue for one to turn around and high tail their nappy wrapped bottom out of there. Looking around me I see various Mad Hatters, Alices, Tweedledees and Tweedledums and rabbits. It’s not so bad.

Beetroot and wasabi macarons

Tonight’s dinner is one of Studio Neon’s themed dinner for Crave (the previous one we attended was A Viking Feast) but this time they’ve really brought the theme to the fore which I am ecstatic about. At each of our settings is a pretty china tea cup, a sign saying “Eat Me” and a perfectly textured and intriguingly flavoured beetroot and wasabi macaron.

Bec Chippington

Chef Bec Chippington is behind the pass in their purpose built kitchen and bubbles are flowing. An Alice gets chased around by a man in a bunny outfit. We are running late and there are only two seats left. I take the velvet “Queen’s chair” and sink down a few centimetres shorter than everyone else and feel just like Alice. Things are getting quite trippy indeed!

“Eat Me” sandwiches

I got a bit excited about the “Eat Me” sandwiches. Long time readers may know of my slight obsession with Swedish sandwich cakes. They’re the perfect idea for an Alice in Wonderland party or dinner because they look like they belong at a tea party but they’re savoury. Filled with white bread and slatherings of a creme fraiche filling, dill, capsicum and smoked trout they’re soft and very creamy I like the ocean trout in particular. They’re a bit difficult to cut with the cake cutter being that the bottom layers are made up of the bread ends but once a knife is given, it is easy to divide.

“Drink me” Hare tea

Next a rabbit consomme is offered in a silver teapot. Bec explains later that it was extraordinarily difficult to get rabbit carcasses to make the consomme with and so a little is poured in our tea cups to whet the appetite for the next course.

Dutch carrot,  zucchini flower, candied walnut and buckwheat salad

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