
BRISBANE
Gyoza Bar ANN
The pint-sized, corner eatery at Emporium (pictured left) has a
lovely organic feel, with plenty of wood and earthy tones. Its
namesake gyozas are little, thin-skinned, juicy flavour bombs which
arrive with appropriately well-tanned bottoms and receive a nicely
balanced sauce poured at the table while they sizzle. Grab a seat
for lunch and a tower will yield half a dozen pot-stickers - try
the pork - a stash of rice and green salad for $14. Drop in and say
"Hai" soon. Shop 26, 1000 Ann St, Fortitude Valley, Qld, 07
3172 3020 FIONA DONNELLY
SYDNEY
Yok Yor
Okay, so I'm a bit bitter about the bacon pad kaprow being taken
off the specials menu so quickly, but luckily there's been plenty
of other good, out-there stuff to take its place. Yok Yor opened a
little over a year ago, but in that time has quietly cruised into a
position where Thainatown-watchers (myself included) have begun to
view it in similar terms to the Campbell Street axis's anchor
tenants, Spice I Am and Chat Thai. The core menu is strong: the red
curry of pork comes garnished with both blood jelly and pork rinds,
while the boat noodles are testament to the time head chef Mek
spent running his own soup stall in Bangkok. But it's the specials
that really push this place into the zone. Khanompung na goong, aka
a Thai-style prawn toast, comes with a chilli-vinegar-shallot
dipping sauce, while the likes of mussels and sour bamboo, the red
curry of whelks and betel leaf, consistently pleasing kanom jeen
noodles and the sweet finish of waffles with Thai tea ice-cream
keep interest levels high. Shop G3, 323 Castlereagh St (enter
via Campbell St), Sydney, (02) 9280 0001 PAT NOURSE
MELBOURNE
Baby
Yes, it's brash and loud, doesn't take bookings and has a
genitalia-themed neon sign that seems cynical rather than naughty,
but Baby (from the folk who brought you brash, loud Chin Chin)
still manages to deliver a fun night out. The pizza is pretty good
here, but the pasta can be excellent, particularly if you keep it
simple. Try the excellent slow-braised beef ragù number served with
rigatoni - it's classic, deep-flavoured comfort food. 631-633
Church St, Richmond, Vic, (03) 9421 4599 MICHAEL HARDEN
PERTH
Malaysian Dining Delights
Malaysian Dining Delights looks a lot like your average suburban
Asian eatery. Fairy lights twinkle in the window and a steady
caravan of takeaway containers gets carried away into the night.
But what about the throng of would-be diners permanently camped out
front on Friday and Saturday evenings? Like those lucky enough to
snag a table, they're here for chef Eason Koh's keenly-priced
cooking. Invariably, most will be crestfallen by news the kitchen
has (yet again) blown through the day's supply of thrillingly flaky
house-made roti. I certainly am when I hear the bad news, but a
plan B of utterly addictive salted egg yolk chicken softens the
blow splendidly. 111 Manning Rd, Bentley, WA, 0424 522
486 MAX VEENHUYZEN