PROFILED BY DE GROOTS MEDIAJian Zhang and his wife opened the Golden Harbour Chinese Restaurant in 2006 in an unprepossessing, blink-and-you’ll- miss-it space on the waterfront where Hobart’s first settlers landed. Everything about the place is bright and sparkling clean; the tables are clothed, the chairs comfortably padded and you’re not overwhelmed by kitsch Chinoiserie or red-for-luck-and-happiness decor. There’s a small but adequate wine list, you can watch SBS as you twiddle your chopsticks, and the Chinese waitress’ ponytail is much longer than the menu which runs to a very short (for an Asian eatery) 39 dishes.
Zhang was a chef for seven years in Henan, south of Beijing, before moving to Hobart. His food is northern Chinese which is normally spicier, more robust, deep and earthily flavoured than Cantonese and Shangainese food. The style is epitomized in his traditional fiery beef with black pepper and braised pork su rou – each rich, complex and wonderful heart-warmers. In contrast, his minced pork and seafood wonton soup is an exercise in delicacy, subtlety and sparkling freshness, and so are the garlicky steamed scallops served in the half shell with bean thread noodles and a dusting of salt, sugar and Chinese five-spice. A very generous serve of fried salt and pepper prawns is delicious to the last crunch of their shell, the stir-fried scallops redolent of Sichuan peppercorns. And, in a small but telling detail, soy sauce is not a fixture on the table.
Graeme Phillips