Citi Zen

LOCATION
Near the intersection of King William Street and South Terrace.

PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIA
Granted - yum cha is a deliciously fun way to dine - but let’s face it - we all know the best part is the pick and choose role we get to play with those trolleys. Laden with steaming baskets of plump dumplings, slippery rice rolls and noodles, squeaky clean Asian greens waiting to be snipped, and traditional chicken tootsies – each cart’s arrival at your table brings fresh hope for the next goodie. The anticipation of waiting for our favourites to come along - salt and pepper squid tentacles? Absolutely. Fried bean curd skin rolls? Sure. Preserved egg congee? I’ll give it a try. Honey tripe? Mmmm – let me think about it.

The patience of these trolleys’ pilots must wane. I know if I were dealing with me it would – but it is just so much fun playing out this routine. This is why you should get here on weekends for your yum cha fix. Trolleys galore wield over 90 suspects to pin down. On weekdays you can pick and tick them off a list, but that is not way as much fun. Ho hum.
The original location of this restaurant was all the way across the street. It is now housed upstairs in iconic Irish pub, The Brecknock – weird much? Yes, but Citi Zen’s new digs has a flash, plush fit-out with lighting to rival Vegas. There is a regular a la carte menu with salt and pepper everything and drunken this and that, but why not trip the light fantastic and stake out of the private rooms. Live it up with a Splemdid (sic) Banquet that might include Wagyu beef with black Perigord truffle and abalone sauce, Peking duck, coral trout, and golden dragon eggs. Or you could settle down to a single serve of shark fin supreme soup – the price bites though at $180 a pop.

Roz Taylor