Ode to The (New) Dong Dong Noodles

our beloved family Chinese restaurant

Hello and welcome to ‘Say When’, a (semi-) regular newsletter about the things I eat, recipes I follow and opinions I have about food.

Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce is a must

Hello again! We’ve skipped February, but I’ve decided that’s ok because it was a short month and time is simply slipping away from me. To reward you for your patience, I’ve decided to spill the best kept foodie-secret I have.

The New Dong Dong Noodles, or what we just affectionally call “Dong Dong”, is a long-standing restaurant on Anzac Parade in Kingsford serving delicious Cantonese food – think pork chop with Peking Sauce, salt and pepper squid, Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce.

We’ve been going as a family for close to 15 years, and in that time we’ve seen the restaurant grow and change (no longer does it only take cash and no longer can we “drop $40 on dinner like we used to”, Dad always reminds us). Our standard order has evolved over time too, through changes to our preferences, the menu or the addition of a new member (Oscar is very lucky to be granted such an opportunity).

Regrettably, I have very little photos of the food we eat here. The featured photo is the most recent I have, taken in 2021, and features Shan Tung Chicken (an Oscar addition), a ‘snack’ portion of roast duck and roast pork (it’s always a lucky day when this is available!), pork chop with Peking Sauce, snow peas and broccoli with garlic and steamed Chinese broccoli with oyster sauce. Our standard usually doesn’t deviate too far from this, with the addition of a few must-haves – salt and pepper squid, Dong Dong fried rice, steamed rice for two (Mum and I), Chinese herbal tea for three or four, depending on who’s with us, and at least two large dishes of chilli sauce. The final two items are often on the table as soon as we sit down.

While we’re not unique in having a family restaurant, and probably not even unique in that Dong Dong is ours, it nevertheless feels like we’ve come upon something really special. We’re welcomed in with enthusiasm, hands always pointed towards the most prime position in the restaurant (one of the large round tables), our order is relayed to us by-heart without us so much as picking up the menu and the food always comes out swiftly, pipping hot and delicious (the Chinese broccoli is often a “good year”, as Dad would say).

I also want to acknowledge something a little shameful. For a restaurant so close to our hearts, we know close to nothing about the wonderful front-staff and talented chefs. At fine dining restaurants, the culinary talent or team are almost always the centre of the establishment. So why do we so often overlook them at ‘ordinary’ restaurants? Well, I think it’s because places like Dong Dong see themselves not as an independent entity providing for others, for the community, but as part of the community. You don’t get to know the table sitting next to you (though sometimes my family is like that). They’re just there with you – part of the same thing you are.

In any case, I think we’re long overdue to get to know the names of the team that place their food in front of us and duck our heads into the kitchen to say thank you for it.