SOME people might have been to a big Chinese banquet, with the food piled up on a lazy susan, allowing you to try little bits of many things.
It’s the way it’s done in China where families like to gather to enjoy the delights of food – a common theme in many countries, albeit varying cuisine.
That’s all good and well. But what if there are only two of you?
You feel like Chinese food, so you go down to the local and you find that the most you can fit in are two large dishes, maybe some rice or noodles, and a shared entree.
Anything more would be overdoing things.
Springwood Garden Vietnamese and Chinese Cuisine, tucked at the back of Springwood Tower, might have found a solution.
They’re offering up an all-you-can-eat menu for $40 per person.
That would, of course, be quite expensive if you were offered up a buffet from the local takeaway bain marie.
However, here there’s a selection of around 50 dishes. Each one comes as a half-plate, tapas style if you like, that you can taste and either order again, or move on to something different.
Sure, you’ll find some of the same choices you can get at the local shopping centre. If lemon or sweet and sour chicken is your thing, it’s there in perfect half-size portions.
But there are also a few more adventurous options. Kangaroo with a bulgogi sauce, for example, or barramundi fillet in teriyaki sauce, or New Zealand mussels in black bean.
Vietnamese salad is a nice switch-up, served with tofu, chicken, beef or crispy kangaroo.
Salt and pepper pork is a nice snack to put with the beer you can buy from the pub across the aisle of the hotel. And satay chicken is a reliable starter.
Finish off with some ice cream or fruit.
There’s probably better Chinese food around, but not with the variety you’ll get here. That makes it’s a nice way to get a taste of a number of things, without having to find an entourage of people.
Tables are clean, and seating comfortable. A radio station and some bangs from the pots in the kitchen provide the ambience.
