PROFILED BY DE GROOTSWith gaudy neon signs advertising the “Cooking Man” and “Noodle Queen”, the Mandarin Centre’s second floor is one of Sydney’s most authentic Asian food courts. It’s not the place you’d expect to come for fine dining but Chequers, a very large, very typical Chinese dining room with decor straight out of a ’70s RSL club, is very fine indeed when it comes to seafood. Taped to the wall out the front of the restaurant is a pictorial list of all Australia’s most prized seafood species. Chances are, if it’s on this list, it’s been cooked up at Chequers at one time or another. This restaurant is serious about its fish.
Upon being seated you’re given a plastic menu of “live seafood specials” detailing the day’s catch. You’re given a choice of cooking methods and sauces; with seafood this fresh, simple options are your best bet. The giant oysters with ginger, shallots and chilli are heaven-sent, and the steamed river prawns are small but full of tender meat bursting with sweetness. From the a la carte menu try the five-spice baked chicken, with cracklingly crisp glazed skin and lusciously moist flesh. Chequers is renowned for its yum cha. The dumplings and chicken feet rival anything in Chinatown, but come early or you’ll be queuing outside with a numbered ticket in your hand.
Fiona Davies, May 2006
