Chatswood BBQ Kitchen is a Cantonese-style restaurant that opened in 1997 and with a solid following for its barbecued meats as well as its more extensive eat-in menu. We visited for lunch to catch up with D’s extended family over the Christmas holidays.
BBQ Combination (three choices, $28.90) (char siu, roast duck, roast pork).
The pieces were juicy and tender, but we were disappointed by the meagre number of pieces, which were propped up on a bed of cabbage for fuller appearance.
Live Mud Crab with Vermicelli (1 kg, market price).
The crab was juicy, sweet and meaty, and accompanied by a very generous amount of vermicelli that soaked up all its flavours.
Combination Fried Egg Noodles ($21.90, + $2.00 for a cold drink)
There was a generous amount and variety of beef, chicken and char siu slices, along with some complementary greens. We usually prefer flat rice noodles to fried egg noodles and this was no exception.
Pan Fried Beef with Flat Rice Noodles ($21.90, + $2.00 for a cold drink).
We enjoyed the decent wok hei of the noodles with a good amount of tender beef slices. A touch more bean sprouts would’ve added better crunch and freshness.
Hong Kong Style Milk Tea (cold, $6.50).
This was one of the better versions of this drink that we’ve had at Cantonese-style restaurants in Sydney. Here, the flavour of the tea came through without marked astringency, overt dairy notes or excessive sweetness.
Hong Kong Style Coffee with Tea (cold, $6.50)
The coffee added a subtle acidity to the milk tea base, giving the drink a surprisingly fruity depth.
Overall, Chatswood BBQ Kitchen was an enjoyable experience with reasonably attentive staff. That said, the air-conditioning was sorely lacking at midday on a 33ºC day.
Chatswood BBQ Kitchen is located at 3/387 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood, New South Wales 2067.