Cho Dumpling King

This place was recommended (strongly) to me by a close friend who is very familiar with Taiwanese cuisine. “Cho Dumpling King” is a place somewhat tucked away in a small eating complex, a few minutes away from the city’s Chinatown. Do not let the name trick you, the place is not a dumpling house and from my experience, does not specialise in dumplings. It does, however, whip up some delicious shaken green tea to go along with your well-prepared bowl of rice with pork topping!

Cho Dumpling offers a simple set menu with a bowl of rice (with pork toppings if you like as seen in the picture) as well as a side dish that you could choose from. From memory, you could pick Fried Fish with Sweet Chilli Sauce, Fried Chicken, and a few other options. I only remember these two because they were all I ever ordered. For your first visit, I would advise that you get the fried fish (as pictured below) since it's almost like an introduction to this place. I did mention briefly of the shaken iced green tea, which is a must. Flavor wise it tastes nothing like the green tea that most people would associate with, but it’s got a beautiful aroma with a middy sweet and refreshing palate. 

As you step into this tiny restaurant which probably has about 30 cramped up seats, you will notice a small fridge display. The display has a selection of traditional Taiwanese side dishes, with most being vegetables and tofu. You will have a better illustration with the picture I posted below. 

And now for the taste. Delicious. Simply put, the food has great authentic flavors. I’m not expert in this type of cuisine, but I do find the food to be flavourful. Other than the delicious taste, the price is also very good. For a set with the addition of the tea, I think we paid around $10-11. I consider this to be a great deal as it’s a specialty cuisine executed by true locals. Compared this to Thai or Malaysian places nearby and you’ll understand exactly why this claim is true to a large extent. 

Like other good places around town, there is usually a wait for a tabel during dinner time. And again, no reservations so you be there early! The place is a bit hard to find, but if you type in the address or the name of the restaurant on Google Maps hopefully that should do. Here's the address:

8 Quay St, Haymarket NSW 2000