Fortune Village Chinese Restaurant

LOCATION
On York Street; a five-minute walk from Town Hall Station. Opposite the Queen Victoria Building.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
Fortune Village Chinese Restaurant pulls a pretty neat trick – one moment you’re walking through the casual surroundings of Bowlers Club of NSW and the next you’re in a Chinese restaurant haven. Not bad, not bad at all. Loud club carpet transforms into a toned-down, Oriental-inspired floor covering, bright down lights are replaced by lanterns and instead of pokie machines, white-set round tables with napkins standing to attention give you their welcome. Another fascinating (and slightly magical) quality of the restaurant is its tiered structure. When you walk in you are faced with a stairway of sorts – a curved ground level that boast a few tables to the right and left, a raised level surrounded by a wooden balustrade and finally a third level containing highly sought-after private dining rooms. The entire space – from wood carved mahogany doorway to sophisticated maroon and white tones – is set for elegance.

No matter how impressive, the decor is not the main reason why Fortune Village draws a loyal corporate following. This can be attributed to chef Jerome Fong Peng, who has put together a stellar menu of Chinese classics with a bit of his own character thrown in for good measure. The a la carte menu boasts loads of Chinese classics like chow mein, various stir-fries and rice dishes, but if you really want to get the most out of your experience, go straight for the Billy Kee chicken or the salt and pepper soft shell crab. If you’re heading in with a larger party, Fortune Village’s banquets offer a good cross-section of the menu and value for money. Sip them down with a cool glass of wine and allow yourself to pretend, at least for a couple of hours, that you are in an exotic palace, far away from the Sydney mayhem outside.

Agnes Gajewska