Traditional Cantonese Taste first opened in Eastwood approximately three years ago. Despite noticing it on numerous occasions, we didn’t pay much attention until we saw the queues forming outside their new store in Burwood and learned that they had gained a steady following for their cheung fun and congee.

Cheung fun, a Cantonese dish hailing from Guangdong Province in southern China, features thin rolls crafted from wide strips of rice noodles. These rolls are filled with an array of ingredients such as shrimp, beef, or vegetables. Upon serving, seasoned soy sauce is commonly poured over the dish. Similar in construction to bánh cuốn in Vietnamese cuisine, cheung fun is often found as a dim sum offering in yum cha.

Roast Pork Rice Paper Roll ($13.00)

Typically, cheung fun is presented in a long, sausage-like shape resembling pork intestines, with the filling running along the centre. A serving usually comprises several rolls. However, we were taken aback to find that the version served at this store consisted of a single, thick sausage shape with the fillings rolled between the layers. We imagined it made for simpler and faster preparation, and similar to the modifications to the bánh cuốn at Bánh Cuốn Bà Oanh, Marrickville.

On tasting, the rice noodle was silky smooth, with an ideal thickness for maintaining structural integrity. The char siu, tender and succulent, struck a harmonious balance between sweetness and savouriness. However, due to the method of distributing the filling between the layers, numerous pockets were devoid of filling, leading to instances of solely rice noodle in certain mouthfuls.

Prawn and Scallop Rice Paper Roll ($15.80).

This version also featured the same thick, single sausage shape, filled with four prawns and four scallops nestled between the layers of rice noodle. While the scallops and prawns were tender and flavourful, their distribution was uneven, making it challenging to share the dish equally. As a result, one person would end up with a majority of one type. Nonetheless, the rice noodles maintained their silky smooth texture, albeit with occasional pockets lacking filling.

Overall, despite some room for improvement, the dishes were satisfying enough to warrant a return visit to enjoy the cheung fun and explore other menu offerings.

Traditional Cantonese Taste is located at Shop 9A/1 Lakeside Rd, Eastwood NSW 2122.