24 AUSTRALIANTRAVELLER.COM
SHORTCUTS | Wine & dine
DO DUCK IN
Sitting at the top of Westfield Sydney in the city’s
CBD is Duck & Rice, the elegant new contemporary
Cantonese restaurant that hits the spot both with
its decor and its dishes. Inside the moody Art
Deco-inspired interior, head chef Kago Fong has reinterpreted classic Chinese dishes to deliver
food that showcases Australian ingredients while upholding the centre of Chinese cooking by
never falling flat on flavour. The dishes also do Chinese cuisine justice
with their generous portions that make sure to leave you satisfied. The
Cantonese-style roast duck is the restaurant’s hero, but you can also find
creations like strawberry sweet and sour king prawns, and an assortment of
steamed and fried dim sum on the menu. If you’re up for a drink, head over
to the bar where you can find signature cocktails with a Chinese twist, as
well as a considered list of non-alcoholic concoctions that also remember to
carry through the venue’s inspiration. duckandrice.com.au PHOTOGRAPHY: STEVEN WOODBURN (DUCK & RICE)OTHER AUSSIE
ASIAN OPENINGS
R I G H T N O WCHUUKA, located on Sydney’s
funky Jones Bay Wharf, is helmed
by award-winning chefs Chase
Kojima and Victor Liong (pictured
above) who have created a menu
blending Chinese flavours with
Japanese attention to detail using
the best Australian produce. There’s
a focus on seafood, with a dedicated
raw menu, delicious desserts and an
outdoor bar that is going to be
the place-to-be come summer.
chuuka.com.auLOTUS, the award-wining,
much-missed bistro in Sydney’s
Potts Point, is making a triumphant
return to Challis Avenue as an
extended pop-up concept during
spring. Chef Dan Hong is returning
to the restaurant where he made a
name for himself back in 2008 as
are some menu cult classics like its
cheeseburger and the tuna with
sweet wasabi. The return of Lotus is
planned as a farewell to the Challis
Avenue property, which has been
owned by the Hemmes family
since 1988, and which was sold
recently. merivale.comMod Japanese eatery BINCHO
BOSS, located on Little Bourke
Street in Melbourne’s CBD,
features authentic izakaya-style
dishes, which are all the rage at the
moment, many cooked on a
traditional earthen konro grill over
binchō-tan, white charcoal used in
Japanese cooking to produce unique
flavours. The menu, by chefs
Tomotaka Ishizuka and Keiji Ishida,
includes house-made fresh tofu, soy
ginger-flavoured chicken karaage
with lemon and mayo and Ishizuka’s
signature dessert of
espresso-flavoured cream caramel
with chestnut sauce. binchoboss.com.auOurloveaffairwithASIANflavours
continues APACE with a raft of new
openings, plus LIMONCELLO is back!
WINE & DINE