Rife with options up to being submerged, it is without any surprise that Sunnybank's Market Square area would have some yum cha and being the de facto Chinatown, it is even less of a surprise that the yum cha is some of the most well known in the city. One of the best things about it is that you can get a bunch of people together really easily and try all sorts of food. Such an example is that of Landmark Restaurant.
In going here, a woman with whom I do regular volunteer work with had a fundraising event that was on, with so many people booked in to go. Along with her boyfriend, I have met with them a few times and it is known that I do like my food (IRL, she knows about this site and that I am often on here). She does dragon-boating in her spare time, and this was to fund her trip over to China to compete in a tournament. It was going to be a big night. This was a 10 course yum cha dinner, and how on Earth could I say no? So, paying in advance and awaiting it I was willing to tuck into a lot of food. In the end, it was better than nothing - I have had worse, but this is not up to standard with what this part of town can offer.
First though, let's get what is undeniable out of the way. The standard of design, as with close to every yum cha place, is practically flawless. The size of the room is massive, it could almost be a ballroom; plenty of tables are put in there, practically making you trip over the chairs. This can be a bit claustrophobic. On the ceiling is some beautiful lighting, plus the mirrors at the far end make it look even bigger than it is. Over 400 people can be seated in here at one time, and there are smaller private rooms for bookings and meetings. The fish tanks are right at the front, and it is hard to believe that this is just adjacent to the food court. If there is anything to take home, this would be it.
I'll go easy on the service this night. Imagine having to feed literally 100s of people in one night, with all that food, and managing to keep it under order. Yeah, I think that is it. For their worth, the waitstaff remained really professional and were working very hard. It is very commendable, and I applaud them.
The menu here, whether a la carte or yum cha, is a massive one with all kinds of options. It starts out with soup, which is given a cost per person and some require a pre-order. Then it is all sorts of entrees being some of the basics from any old Chinese place. Costing a market price, live seafood (hence the fish tanks) comes as a special treat then there is the non-live seafood - also a good treat. That has all types of fish, seafood and whatnot - it is almost one of their specialties you could say.
Afterwards is "sizzling" - hot meat on a hot plate, cooking away right in front of you. Sometimes part of why to order it is just to see the science occur in person; the good food is also an incentive. All bits of poultry - chicken, duck and whatnot - is the next section, followed up by meat. That is lamb, beef, and pork in several varieties (as per usual). Being a Cantonese restaurant, they could not go past some Cantonese hot pot - one of the big winners at any one time. Finishing it all off are the sections of barbecue, omelet, vegetarian and noodles. There is so much that you could stare at the menu all day and still not be too sure what to have for dinner.
Two of the courses were quite basic, and essential parts of the meal. These were bowls of steamed rice which were always on the table, and bottomless tea in which hot water kept on being poured into the teapots when they were low. There is not much to really discuss about the steamed rice - as it is simply steamed rice - and the tea was lovely and soothing. As it got further towards the bottom, it had a deeper amount of flavour.
Getting onto the food, for the most part I was impressed. There were one or two that I could have easily given the miss in retrospect. All up, it was filling and I definitely left satisfied and with a full stomach. How it went was that the waitstaff were in constant motion, going back and forth collecting and placing plates and such onto the tables. Since plates piled up with scraps, bowls got dirty and tables got crowded, I doubt there was even a collective minute that they could even catch their breath while out. Displacing any chance for interaction, this is where yum cha really shines in their service levels - you can't deny the attention to detail that they have.
Starting off, as any self-respecting Chinese banquet does, is the soup of the day. I did not quite catch what is was, but from observing there were heaps of vegetables in it and bits of meat floating around. Most of these bits of meat were small bits falling off the meat bone. This gave a small bit of flavour to the broth, which I recall being beef, and the vegetables were fresh and plentiful. Not the most heavy or full-on soup, but a decent enough starter. We have a ways to go yet.
After that was one of the highlights of the night - a barbecue combination combination platter. And boy howdy was it a carnivore's treat. There was roast pork belly, slices of barbecue pork and bits of roast duck. With the pork belly, it had the perfect contrast of textures - soft, buttery and fatty flesh that went down a treat mixed with a crunchy crackling that could break teeth. Both a great, not good for the heart, and essential as each other. The barbecue pork is almost a garnish to me now, slices of well roasted pork that I could gobble constantly. Which leaves us with the duck. It was tender, the skin was marbled well, and as a whole it was tasty. Bits of bone were there, so it made it fun to eat around and get every last bit of succulent meat that was possible. The skin was delicious, the meat was dark and tender, and all three bits were great. Thumbs are way up for this one.
The course after that was King prawns with ginger and shallot, E-fu noodles. This was one messy dish, since the prawns were still in their shell and had to be individually broken and peeled. Not that I am complaining or anything, it can be a bit of fun. After the peeling, the prawn meat was sweet and crunchy. It was a treat, and working for it helped. The noodles I could take or leave, but I definitely liked the sauce covering it all.
I could definitely tell that the steamed barrumundi was meant to be a special dish. It came out on a platter, whole, and people simply picked bits off of it as the night went on. The flesh was soft, and the flavour was gentle and soaked up the soy and ginger sauce which it rested in a bed of. The garnishes all over it were nice, and this centerpiece suited being the midway point in the banquet.
By saying that last one, I may have appreciated it a bit more than others but it was not my favourite by any meas. That would either be the salt and pepper pork ribs, or the crispy chicken with prawn chips. For so many years, I tried running from it, but ultimately I have to confess that I like it deep fried or battered. There is just something more filling, and substantial about it - or goodness knows why. The pork ribs were a winner, with the rub of salt and pepper seeping into the batter. It gave it a distinct bitey flavour, and the pork meat was simply delicious. As with the crispy chicken - one thing has to be said and that is it is fried chicken (enough to convince me for life). The batter was great, the flesh was tender and juicy and the thick sauce that was with it made it all complete. Also, the prawn chips are always good on the side. Whether they are authentic or not - who cares?
Then we get onto the stir fried squid with broccoli. If there was any dish that was outright bad on the night, this would be it. And that is a pity, because I always look forward to the squid meal each time. When something is not right, I try to give it a bit more but I just couldn't here. The squid was bland and the texture was almost like leather. I also like broccoli, and that was not too bad; but this needed a good sauce of some sort to wrap it together. This one gets a big miss.
It was then time for the penultimate dish, oyster greens. Simply put, steamed green vegetables - usually bok choy - covered in oyster sauce. That is more or less all that is needed to describe them. The vegetables were fresh and crunchy, and the sauce was thick, dark and tasty. Nowhere near as flavoursome as the rest, but some freshness is needed from time to time. It was about now that the stomach was groaning from having so much food in it, and there was still some dessert to go. I knew that I had to at least try to have a bit of it, just to be a completionist.
Lastly we get to the dessert of the day. This was a red bean paste. A bowl of it I had, and it was interesting. I am not too used to this yet, and I could not not be reminded of legumes such as baked beans slurping them down. The molasses sauce they were in was thick and sweet and the beans were solid in texture. I could get used to it, but that will take a few more tries. It is more the texture than the flavour, which those accustomed to really sweet desserts might get a shock. As well as the red bean paste, they had a platter of oranges which in Chinese fashion meant that the party was all over. A few wedges here and there, it was juicy and just that bit astringent.
This place has the look and feel of something that could be 4.5 or even a solid 5.0, but what mars it from being so is the inconsistency. With the service, c'mon now peoples this night they had literally dozens of people to deal with and bring out the food at a consistent rate. Yum Cha was never known for its level of service anyways, that is part of the experience. Some of the food was good, but in a few parts it was not up to scratch and sometimes even not good. I like it overall, but to sum it up briefly it is a mixed bag.
Company often maketh more of the meal than the food. That is usually up to the quality of the people whom you are with. Well, it turned out fairly well as I was seated with some people that I knew (one from far back), and the night was good with lots of good conversation and some entertainment up the front. For my friend, I am very happy and wish her luck in the dragon boating that this dinner helped fund. In turn, the meal was decent in parts and I got to have a good night out - that is something that doesn't happen all that often. Likewise with all that in mind, Landmark still hits the mark - just not quite the bullseye that I wished it did.
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