China Republic
A true representation of China
By Arnham Markac
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Asian food, as well as culture, has always been a massive part of my life. However, Chinese food has always been too “hit and miss” for me to put my trust in as a choice for a Saturday night restaurant. I grew up in Melbourne next door to Victoria Street, which is widely known for fantastic Vietnamese food, so I never really varied my tastes. I was wrong. Or at least I was wrong about China Republic in Sydney’s CBD. China Republic isn’t just a Chinese restaurant, its gallery of food, culture and the future.
On first impressions, China Republic has an authentic aesthetic look and feel mixed with stunning new aged lighting and decor. Terracotta worriers meet you at the front of house, as well as an open kitchen perfect for people who love the feeling of being intimately engaged with their chefs. Spectacular private rooms boast interiors of beautiful light fixtures and furniture. The attention to detail in this establishment is sure to surprise and gives you a true feeling of being in China. We especially love the wooden interlocked shelves that display striking clay teapots.
After being blown away with the interior, the food will take you to a new level. Our eyes first turned to a wine list to be revered.
The menu is relatively inexpensive for such a well-established Sydney restaurant. We started with the spicy beef spring rolls. The long, cigar like rolls, were elegantly presented on a stone tile. Delicious beef slice through the rolls and fiery spices definitely took our breath away. Next were the Pork dumplings. These were made to perfection, the pork filling was a new level of juicy I am yet to find a comparison of. These were then met with the Sweet and Sour pork ribs. I am not a fan of sweet and sour, which is a problem as these ribs definitely swayed my opinion. Tender pork was met with a fiery sauce we concocted from the table’s chili and the sweet and sour sauce.
After being blown away by the entrees we moved onto our main course. My favorite Chinese dish has and always will be Peking duck. China Republic does not disappoint. The duck was cooked to perfection; the flavors that accompanied were incredible. I have never been so satisfied with a Peking duck. Next was the Chicken Kung Pao. The tender pieces of chicken almost melt in your mouth whilst a kick of chili perfectly rounds off this dish. We decided on a simple dessert, steamed rice cake with sweet stuffing, due to not being able to fit much more in. I don’t love Chinese desserts but this was fantastic, I could honestly not fault it.
After our banquet, we have all decided that this is truly a Chinese experience, from start to finish. I was blown away by the service and attention to detail found at China Republic. This restaurant is perfect for all types of dining experiences, a romantic night for two, to a 30 person sit down menu.
