Iron Chef Chinese Seafood Restaurant, Cabramatta

I remember when Iron Chef Chinese Seafood Restaurant opened in Cabramatta many years ago. I could still remember the initial disappointment when I realised that it doesn't relate to the popular Japanese TV show on SBS. Despite that initial confusion, this Chinese restaurant has since been a hot spot for yum cha cravings with countless hungry people coming from all over Sydney. On a very hot day, we were planning to head to Vinh Phat for our yum cha feed but the queues and parking was insane (as always). The only space we could find was the parking lot behind this restaurant, which was conveniently located on the quieter side of the station away from all the busy action on John Street.

Prawn Rice Noodle Rolls

Although it was the weekend, we managed to get seated pretty quickly (after getting the attention of the staff though). We were craving for the usual yum cha favourites so we were pleased when the first trolley that strolled past us had various types of rice noodle rolls and dumplings.

While the prawn rice paper rolls were often too slippery to handle, they were delicious especially with the soy-based sauce and the juicy and firm prawns. There was also a balanced texture with the rice noodle wrapped around the prawns as it wasn't too soft despite being soaked with the soy sauce.

Pork Siu Mai Dumplings

One of my all time fave yum cha dishes has gotta be the Pork Siu Mai dim sim dumplings. Always liked the steamed won ton pastry wrapped around the pork as well as the roe splashed in the middle.

Seafood and vegetable dumplings

I really wanted to enjoy these dumplings but this ended up being my least favourite so far. The filling was too lumpy and creamy for my personal liking however I did enjoy the fish roe (?) scattered on top of each dumpling in this basket.

Prawn Har Gow Dumplings

Another fave of mine that had to be ordered at any yum cha restaurant was the Har Gow dumplings. While they got really sticky to the point where a bit of the chewy dumpling skin tore when I picked it up, they were still nicely shaped and juicy in terms of taste, which was what mattered the most for us.

Chicken Feet in Black Bean Sauce

Some of you might get turned off at the sight of chicken feet. I know I used to but then it ends up growing on me especially when one of the close friends was obsessed with this dish during our study sessions in the old uni days. I often prefer having chicken feet coated with a spicy black bean sauce that gives off a reddish colour as well as a boost of flavour.

Mango Pancakes

While I'm personally not a fan of the white creamy filling inside the pancakes, I've found that Iron Chef's version of the mango pancakes to be yummy. Especially with the decent balance between the chopped mango pieces and cream as well as the sweet pancake wrapping the fillings. Looked so pretty on the plate too.

Egg Tarts

One of the sweets that I cannot resist at yum cha has to be the egg tarts. Biting into that crispy, flaky and buttery pastry encasing the smooth but slightly firm egg custard just feels like a splendid way to end this lunch.

Depending on what time you have lunch at Iron Chef, there may be times when you get a wide variety of trollies containing different plates as well as times when you only spot the same two or three trollies rolling around the restaurant. As with most yum cha restaurants, the service was poor particularly when we tried to get their attention on seating us at the beginning as well as the overall attitude but I was pretty much used to it by now. What mattered the most was the food that satisfied our yum cha cravings. Would recommend coming here with a large group so you can order more dishes to share around and you can still pay less with more people splitting the bill.

Iron Chef Chinese Seafood Restaurant
84 Broomfield Street, Cabramatta NSW 2166
(02) 9723 6228
http://ironchef.com.au/
Mon-Fri: 10:00am - 3:00pm, 5:30pm - 10:30pm
Sat-Sun: 9:00am - 3:30pm, 5:30pm - 11:00pm