The contents of this blog are matters of opinion formed over one more visits. There has been some artistry applied and metaphors and similes should not necessarily be taken literally. All meals are independently paid for - the author has no conflicts of interest to disclose.
Around 4 years ago, I had a delicious fried prawn head snack from the Korean grocer in Strathfield Plaza. It was crispy, crunchy and umami. Not getting the name nor the photo of this snack was one of the regrets of my life, and though I suspect it was from Jung Sae Woo, I have never again seen it for sale.
Today I came across what appeared to be a similar snack at a local Chinese grocer. This packet of deep fried spicy shrimp was only around $2, and so relatively low risk to try. Unfortunately they ended up being not very similar to what I remember of the Korean shrimp. These Chinese spicy shrimp were not just the head but the full animal.
They had a sticky exterior coating which meant that they were a bit softer rather than truly crispy. The stickiness of the coating made the snack seem sweet even though the flavour of it wasn’t particularly sweet – more of a spicy with a little bit of numbing and a bitter aftertaste
I didn’t really enjoy these as much as I had hoped, although my orange cat did enjoy one (and he will probably therefore die).
We were the only Asians at a packed Hearthe on a Sunday morning not long ago, not counting the two in the kitchen, and thus the only people to have their very good congee, though more on that later.
The first item that arrived was the salt bush scone with dessert lime marmalade and cream ($14). The scone itself was savoury, with a light, chive like flavour do them that suberverted expectations of a wholely sweet-spectrum dish.
The cream, whipped well, is always a welcome addition to any scone dish, whilst the “dessert lime marmalade”, which I can only assume is a play on words based on the “desert lime” its made of, was a less sweet, more bitter concoction. My wife enjoyed this dish more than me.
The ham and cheese scroll ($9) was up next. Though plucked from the display cabinet, it was served warmed up, semi-gooeyfying the relatively large high density of cheese within this pastry.
The layers of the scroll were very buttery and dense, contributing to an overall sense of luxury to this scroll, though again, similar to the marmalade, there was an overall hint of bitterness to it.
The rice congee with paperbark smoked barramundi, with karkalla, samphire and finger lime with a toasted croissant crouton ($19) was completely different to everything else on offer at Hearthe. The croissant “crouton” functioned much like a youtiao, though tasted a bit burnt and was on a whole less good than the traditional alternative. The native greens (karkalla and samphire) weren’t that tasty, and the finger lime was not able to be found or tasted.
Looking past the croissant and native greens, the dish as a whole was an extremely traditional rendition of a Chinese congee. The flavour was umami and warming, and just as a classic congee, not overly rich. The flakes of barramundi within the bowl were perfectly proportioned, and permeated through each spoonful. It did a really good job as a congee, much better than many Chinese restaurants we’ve been to, and despite the superficial attempt of being fusion, was deeply traditional in its overall execution, tasting more of shallot and fish than it did of native things. It’s a shame we didn’t see any of the other (non-Asian) patrons ordering it.
The unforgettable cake ($10 for a small slice), was actually much more forgettable than Hearthe proprietor Christopher Thé’s original claim to fame, Black Star’s strawberry watermelon cake. Though it was built in a sandwich like construction featuring jelly and cream between multiple layers of sponge, I didn’t feel that this really made up for the relatively uninteresting and subdued flavour, and it ultimately ended up seeming like too much structural effort for little flavour pay-off. At least it wasn’t too sweet.
The paperbark cake ($10) had a nice, floral and peppery top layer, with a honey-drenched mimille feuille centre and a rich, chocolatey, dense mousse-like base. This was probably the most “native Australian” tasting item on the menu, though overall too sweet for my liking.
UPDATE – We found our way across the bridge to a community cultural event, where Christopher The was doing some live baking with his kids whilst one of his other kids played music.
We were served these very unassuming tarts with kiwi and mango pearls on arrival.
The music was intermitted by these fresh-out-of-the-oven blueberry cupcakes, which had a taste of self-raised flour. I reiterate add at this point that the whole thing was one professional baker and his kids, who are definitely not professional bakers and just there to do their best to help out.
The cherry strudel with fresh and sour cherries, anise myrtle, and a coffee and wattle seed ice cream turned out to be quite good, despite Christopher leaving his dry flour at home. We enjoyed the tartness of the sour cherries, and that it was overall not too sweet.
A surprise showing of a work-in-progress next generation strawberry-watermelon cake. I think it would be better with less sweetness.
OVERALL Despite criticisms, I enjoyed my meal at Hearthe, and the little Australian twists present in most dishes. It almost felt like what BUSH should’ve been, and it just happens to have some of the best fish congee around.
If you’re really into classical guitar and live North of the bridge, the live-baking thing could be a thing too.
Another family birthday, another cake from somewhere in Sydney – this time from Maki’s Patisserie, the bakery run by the Japanese daughter-in-law of an Auburn Singaporean restaurant patriarch.
Ordering was simple via text message and payment via bank transfer, and pickup was from within Peranakan Place Nonya Cuisine, a Parramatta Road restaurant I’ve driven past hundreds of times but never eaten inside.
As I waited for my cake to be brought out, I had a nice chat with the (very nice) owner of the Singaporean restaurant, and promised him that I’d try to eat there in the future.
We had the Strawberry Shortcake (small – $51), which was a deliciously light sponge, with multiple layers of cream, strawberries and a diplomat cream and strawberry topping. It was very moist, creamy, and fit the bill of being not-too-sweet – perfect for the East Asian palate.
I haven’t thought about this place in a decade, but digging through old photos for this fortnight’s low effort nostalgia post led me to this photo of bukkakeontama ぶっかけ 温玉, which cost an unreal $4.90 in the 2015 era. This was my first bukkake experience, and just delicious – such a simple meal with plain, muted flavours that brought the creaminess of egg and the bounciness of the noodle to the forefront.
Great quality to price ratio at the time, and even now it is only $9.90 in 2026. I wonder if it still good.
Menya Mappen Shop 11/537-551 George St, Sydney NSW 2000
My parents have been going to Golden Sands for yum cha for just over ten years now, which corresponds loosely to around the time they made their way out of the West (where my heart still lives).
I find it generally hard to review yum cha restaurants because you always eat so many different things, and for the most part it’s hard to tell good quality from quality that simply isn’t terrible. Through all of my visits I’ve never had a bad meal, which I guess is saying something.
Please enjoy the following as photographic evidence I’ve attended
Prawn and Chive dumplings 韭菜饺 – my go to at any yum cha restaurant that has them available (serious red X next to Vinh Phat Cabramatta). Pretty good, good chive flavour.
These egg tarts 蛋挞 were sadly missable. We ordered them (not off the cart) and yet they still came lukewarm.
These shao mai 烧卖 were fine. I wouldn’t even know an English name for them.
These steamed pork ribs in black bean sauce 豉汁蒸排骨 I actually didn’t enjoy either. I guess thinking back on this meal there was more to discuss and complain about than I had imagined. I thought that these pork ribs were too fatty, too ‘porky’ in flavour, and did not have as much black bean to them. I’m not looking for saltiness – just the black bean flavour itself.
The sticky rice chicken 糯米鸡 was great. Always something I enjoy.
My wife has absolutely ruined me, because once upon a time I definitely would’ve had some of the mixed beef offal 牛杂, but having been with her for over ten years my culinary landscape has contracted.
The century egg and lean pork congee 皮蛋瘦肉粥 was ok, at least that’s what I think it was. I can’t really see any century egg in the photos and my memory fails me. Kind of an unusual thing for yum cha but we had like 10+ people.
The fried dough sticks / you tiao / 油条 were actually excellent. Amazing. So fresh and crispy. So savoury. We got a second order.
The BBQ pork puff pastry 叉烧酥, again not something we normally have, was not too sweet. A bit cool though.
After having the world’s best chang fen 肠粉 at Traditional Cantonese Taste I can’t take any yum cha chang fen seriously any more. I think this was beef?
The braised chicken feet 凤爪 never miss. A true cultural export.
The fried dough sticks wrapped in rice noodle 炸两 is something my wife’s family usually gets at yum cha, not mine. We enjoyed it – more opportunities to enjoy Golden Sands’ fried dough crullers is always welcome.
More chang fen? Why?
These deep fried prawn and chive spring roll things were pretty good, but I still like the steamed dumpling version better. It just feels cleaner.
The radish cake was whatever.
Mango pancake served in cling wrap.
DINNER VISIT It’s hard for me to present too many views when I’m not the one ordering or paying for dinner. Thanks mum and dad.
This abalone/shark fin soup was nothing special. The price to enjoyment ratio just isn’t there.
The lobster with e-fu noodles. No complaints.
This char siu was really good! The roast goose was too.
The beef in this was pretty tender. Nice.
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I did not enjoy this fried rice. I agree that there was good separation between grains, but thought that overall it was too dry. Definitely not a special special fried rice.
Dinner Visit 2
Small coral trout for $148. At this point Chinese people are just going here to get scammed.
Small lobbywith e-fu noodles on a meal deal.
Hokkein Fried Rice ($33.80) is solid.
The steamed pork belly and pickles ($38.80) is salty, but not oppressively so. Reasonable with rice.
Salty Egg Tofu ($33.80).
The roast goose is very muscular.
Thoughts Overall good, but not the best.
Golden Sands 金沙酒楼 Hurstville Times Plaza, Level 2/127-141 Forest Rd, Hurstville NSW 2220
