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.
We had a really busy Wednesday recently. We kept trying to get lunch but unfortunately factors outside of our control meant that we weren’t able to, and our first meal of the day was at 5PM.
I had previously had Like Noodle at Wolli Creek, and enjoyed it. There’s a post somewhere on Zomato (which may get transferred here) where I made specific note of the gymnasium style interior design.
The Spicy Diced Pork Noodles ($13.80) was well priced and well portioned. The taste was good, but I put too much of the chilli in the noodle and wasn’t able to drink the soup. We also had this around the time when the break room was full of nursing colleagues and I felt pressured to eat quickly.
The pan fried pork buns (sheng jian bao – $11.80 for 6) were an abject disappointment. Not crispy at all, and the dough was not the right consistency. I only ate 2 of the 3 allocated to me. We didn’t finish this dish.
I think overall Like Noodle Hurstville is well priced, and a safe option for a cheap noodle lunch. I wouldn’t stray too far from the noodles however.
I wanted to go to Canton Noodle House after work last night. I was so keen that I asked my girlfriend to drive me from work straight to the restaurant to optimise parking time. Unfortunately when we arrived at 8:45 the restaurant which had advertised itself to close at 9:45PM was already closed. So we went across the road to The Good Kitchen instead.
I was initially drawn to the Good Kitchen by a photo of 皮蛋瘦肉粥 on its Zomato page. This implied to me that it would be a quick and easy place to get a quick and easy feed. It was only until we were situated and tea had been served that I realised that The Good Kitchen is very much a legitimate restaurant, complete with its own live seafood tanks (more on that later), and not as accommodating for a quick and easy meal. My girlfriend will attest that I deliberated leaving after looking at the menu, but ultimately stasis was the basis of my decision.
Hokkien Fried Rice
I enjoyed the Hokkien Fried Rice. It was a large portion, with plenty of topping. The flavours were adequate but not what I was expecting from Canton Noodle House.
Spicy Eggplant with Minced Pork in Claypot
We felt that the Spicy Eggplant with Minced Pork in Claypot was somewhat middling. The eggplant we felt was not cooked enough and required too much biting and chewing. My girlfriend, who is the local expert in spicy eggplant and minced pork also felt like it was not spicy enough.
Eight Treasure Tofu in Claypot
I am an absolute sucker for combination braised bean curd hot pot and was sad and alarmed not see it on the menu. The closest I could find was “braised tofu in hotpot”, however upon asking the staff we were dismayed to find that this particular dish was tofu only. Taking a gamble on the Eight Treasure Tofu in Claypot was a great decision. I didn’t know if it would be what I wanted to be, as eight treasure soup is just eight different beans, but it was. And it was good.
It is important to mention that our meal was rudely interrupted by a lobster cage match which broke out in the left lobster tank. I think that when you are a Chinese restaurant your threshold for putting more aquatic animals into a tank is that as long as there’s water on 3/4 of the animal’s surfaces then it’s plenty of room and more can be put in there. While I’m not the world’s strongest advocate for the welfare of delicious crustaceans I do think that overcrowding may have been involved in the 7-way free-for-all that transpired during our meal. We were also witness to a vertical fish in a socially distanced tank far away from the lobsters.
Overall The Good Kitchen wasn’t what I was looking for, but it ended up being what I needed. A protip for new players is that eight treasures is literally combination. I would rate The Good Kitchen four angry lobsters out of five.
The Good Kitchen 171 Forest Rd, Hurstville NSW 2220 (02) 9579 1688
