边城记忆 · 一呷一嗦Eastwood- Old Town Story

We went to this restaurant on Saturday night and ordered three dishes. I love that mushroom and meat best, others are still okay. But they all quite oily. And we ate a lot of rice.

We had dinner at this place recently and ordered two dishes i.e. the stir-fried cauliflower with pork belly in chilly sauce and the fried carp fish fillets in chilly sauce. On second visit, we ordered smoked beef shank with chilly and scrambled eggs with chilly oil. Don't be surprised if the menu here has many dishes with chillies since the place specialized in dishes from Hunan province of China which is famous for spicy food. However, if you're used to spicy food from Thailand / Vietnam / Indonesia then the level of spiciness in Chinese food is considered 'mild'. The dishes we ordered are of good quality and value for money. The place ambience is OK for casual restaurant in a suburb like Eastwood. Services from floor staff is reasonable also. However, there is one big minus for customer service that takes one star off their final rating i.e. the credit card payment surcharge is big rip-off of 2.5% while the reasonable range should be between 1 to 1.5% maximum. They either want to rip you off or encourage cash payment to cheat the tax office, which is big turn-off for me personally.

Delicious hunan cuisine. Lots of room and great food. The hunan tofu stir fry was absolutely mouth watering. The tofu had the slightly chewy bouncy texture of fish cake and had a salty, smoky taste that pairs well with jasmine rice. The dry pot mushrooms and pork was the highlight. Crunchy smoked mushrooms and salted pork.

If you enjoy spicy food, this is the perfect spot. Most dishes are packed with spices and flavor. I visited for lunch and found plenty of seating available. The menu is straightforward, and the staff is friendly. The restaurant has a cozy atmosphere, adorned with traditional Chinese decor.

Lovely experience at lunch with an unusual dish of eggs with vinegar. The service was quick with a smile. The place had a lovely vibe with beautiful interior decor.

Exploring more of Eastwood led us to Old Town Story. Set at the front of an attractive medium density residential development, the restaurant uses the height and glass frontage to good effect. From the red painted ceiling a series of dangling red poles distract from the exposed fittings. They match the pole wall-mounts of dainty red lamps dangling over booth-like red banquettes. It’s cosier in the rear where the ceiling height is lower and horizontal blonde wood poles give it a more homey vibe. For Sydney’s Hunanese population, the focus on the spicy dishes of Hunan will no doubt also be comforting. Eaten from attractive crockery sets, newcomers will find the dishes here drier and less saucy than Cantonese dishes. Hunanese cuisine differs from Sichuan cooking by not using the numbing hot (ma-la) Sichuan peppercorn. To my palate Hunanese dishes are bigger on garlic and straight chilli heat. Smoked beef shank stir fried with fresh chilli ($20.80) is a good exemplar. Studded with brightly coloured red and green chillies, the thin slivers of shank meat are tasty and enjoyable over Hunan-style soy sauce fried rice ($9.80). Keep your eyes out for fermented black soy beans (dou chi) which provide big bursts of earthy, Vegemite-meets-black garlic flavour. Crisp boiled eggs stir fried with chilli ($14.80) are a winner! Sliced into rings, the boiled eggs is lightly coated with corn starch and fried with minced ginger and garlic, garlic shoots, chilli, soy sauce, sesame oil and Chinese rice wine. Eaten over rice, they’re particularly delicious and quite unique proposition. I’m equally enamoured with a generous serve of potato slices with pork and fresh chilli ($14.80). Kept sizzling hot on an at-table burner, the crisp-edged silky potato slices are the star of this dish. In terms of fire-quenching beverages, the iced lemon tea ($5.80) is a good option, arriving in transparent cans accented with fresh lemon slices.