PROFILED BY DEGROOTS MEDIAOn a steamy Darwin day the entrance to Chinese restaurant Tasty House looks tremendously inviting with its deep, cool walk-through interior beckoning you in from the heat of Smith Street Mall. The main dining area is spacious and long with a clean, minimalist feel to the rows of perfectly aligned tables. Extravagant ceiling lamps glow orange, and Chinese motifs on a red, black and gold theme add to the elegant ambience. Even the crockery and chopsticks are meticulously placed. This is a pleasant venue for both a quick bite in your work break or a leisurely evening banquet with friends.
The Tasty House kitchen is a buzz of activity with busy chefs and impressive tiers of bamboo steamers. If you’re here with the kids, take them to have a peek – they will be mesmerised by the amazing tubular aquarium pipe decor at the entrance, complete with bubbles and fake fish! Then settle to a meal featuring quality, fresh-cooked Asian fare. Spring rolls, hotpots, Peking duck… The friendly and informative staff will guide you through the a la carte and banquet options if you’re stuck for choice. There’s also a special yum cha on weekends, starting at 9.30am. Choose from the array of small dishes such as steamed dumplings, little pork buns, sticky rice meat balls and more exotic tasters like chicken feet in black bean sauce. The more of you at the table the more fun this can be as you can share more dishes. Tasty House is BYO and opens for lunch weekdays, dinners Monday to Saturday, and yum cha Saturdays and Sundays.
Merridy Anne Pugh