PROFILED BY DEGROOTS MEDIARenowned Australian chef Kylie Kwong has a love of traditional Chinese cooking practices, as well as a flair for the unique and unusual, both of which are lovingly offered to diners in this beautiful Surry Hills restaurant. The venue’s no-booking policy (Billy Kwong has only one table that is open for reservations) ensures that every evening at 6pm there are dozens of eager patrons peering through the windows, waiting to see what Billy’s chefs will offer up next. Upon entering the restaurant, diners are met with dark wooden walls, traditional decorations and a thriving open kitchen reminiscent of traditional Chinese eating-houses. Coupled with the intimate space, this decor introduces you to the China that Ms Kwong wants to share with Sydney.
Yet the menu offers diners much more than traditional Chinese fare. Billy Kwong uses organic and biodynamic produce prepared fresh every day, and the chefs operate under a philosophy that the superb ingredients should be allowed to speak for themselves. The Tasmanian scallop wantons are plump and delicious, delicately set off by a light Sichuan chilli oil, and the white-cooked organic chicken is both delicate and zesty with its Shoyu soy, chilli and coriander sauce. The meals complement each other beautifully, and the immaculate ingredients and careful preparation pay off in this exquisite contemporary Chinese cuisine. Billy Kwong offers discerning and conscientious diners a taste of China that is both authentic and unique, and will leave them aching for more.
Claire Reilly, August 2008
