Amidst the hype about trendy cafes and cool eateries opening, we never tire of comforting meals, such as Chinese basics like good fried rice, salt and pepper squid and kung pao chicken.
Perched on a quiet corner at the Mount Roskill end of Dominion Road by the Caltex petrol station, a tiny eatery has just opened - named Fried Rice House - where the new owners hope will provide guests with meals that are comforting, nostalgic and wallet-friendly.
The man behind the eatery is Tak Sam Lee, a veteran in the local hospitality scene who has for quite a few years been operating a halal-certified commercial kitchen and supplying Chinese meals to university cafes in Auckland.
Sam, originally from Macau, realised there was a dearth of Chinese restaurants that were pork-free, so he decided to create one with Fried Rice House.
Pork, an ingredient commonly used in wontons, is instead being replaced by just prawns. You won’t find sweet and sour pork on the menu, but you’ll get sweet and sour pork. The protein used for Pidan Shourou Zhou (Century Egg Porridge) is chicken or beef instead of pork.
Married to a Malaysian wife, he embraced the idea of supplying pork-free Chinese food for students at universities, and decided to extend it to their new restaurant. But while Fried Rice House is pork-free, the restaurant itself is not halal certified, unlike their commercial kitchen set up.
“We wanted a restaurant where everyone, including those who don’t eat pork, can come and enjoy,” Sam said.
“We planned the restaurant to be where people could come, have good food without hurting their wallet too much in this current economic climate.”
The kitchen team consists of chefs that Sam had recruited from Guangzhou, so the strength of the restaurant was in its Cantonese-style cuisine, even though the menu offers dishes from across China.
Despite being called Fried Rice House, it would be wrong to think that the eatery sells just fried rice. There are plenty on the menu to whet the appetite, from noodles, congee, and Cantonese and Sichuan dishes.
But if fried rice is what you crave, a unique one to try is the Hokkien fried rice ($18.80), which combines egg fried rice with a saucy stir-fry, consisting of ingredients that include meat, seafood, vegetables and a savoury sauce.
Although called Hokkien fried rice, the dish did not originate in Fujian, but is a Cantonese-style dish that was made popular in Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
The saucy stir-fry mix elevates the classic favourite, as the egg fried rice is infused with the flavours of the meat, prawns, seafood and vegetables to create a harmonious blend of flavours and textures.
You cannot leave Fried Rice House and not have their wonton noodles ($12.80). From the looks, you’d think the rather plain-looking wonton noodles would be bland, but they are superb.
The noodles are cooked to the perfect texture, and the seasoning isn’t overpowering. The wontons are prawn meat wrapped with silky egg dough skin, and the accompanying broth was fragrant and evoked memories of Hong Kong.
I had mine as a “combination” noodles dish ($14.80) that came with three wontons (instead of eight) and braised beef brisket.
Judging from what’s making the rounds on social media, the salt and pepper squid ($15.80) is a crowd favourite. Tender squid slices are coated in a well-seasoned batter and fried till golden brown and crunchy. They are then tossed with aromatics and spices. Very nicely executed and a must-try.
The Chinese consider lamb a “warming food”, meaning eating it can help generate heat within the body, which makes it a great dish to have during these colder winter months.
The braised lamb ribs with bean curd sheets ($28.80) are served in a stone pot. When you bite into the tender, juicy meat, you’d get to feel the combination of meat and fatty bits just melt in your mouth. This is a sharing dish that is best eaten accompanied with steaming hot jasmine rice or plain rice congee ($3).
The Century Egg Porridge ($9.80) is particularly comforting, and the beef slices used to replace the pork are tender and tasty.
A meal at Fried Rice House does capture Cantonese flavours really well, and takes tastebuds to the simple but delicious meals you’d get at cha chaan tengs in Hong Kong.
Interestingly, the meal here didn’t make me point out the omission of pork on the menu. If Sam hadn’t pointed it out, I wouldn’t have even noticed they were missing.
