Ginger And Shallots

What’s open on New Years Day? A selected few restaurants in Eastwood and Ginger and Shallots was the perfect place to shake off the NYE fatigue. We were greeted with friendly staff who provided a high chair and baby cutlery for our little one … we’re sold!
The menu provides many options to choose from and has a lovely drinks menu to match. We had the pan fried dumplings, beef brisket hot pot and a sparkling lemonade with plum. The beef brisket hot pot was divine and the meat melted in your mouth. This dish was easy to share and was quite filling. The dumplings were flavorsome and obviously hand made. What are the downsides? Well our dumplings and drinks came after we finished our main course which is a big no no for me, however the food was so delicious I was happy to wait.

Ginger and Shallots is located in the heart of Eastwood and occupies what was previously a KFC. Parking is conveniently located on the street and across the street in a large council carpark.
Went there in a group of three (two adults and one baby) on a Wednesday night. Reached there at about 6.30pm and got a table rather easily at what is usually a very packed restaurant (Sits about 40 to 50 max).
The fit out is acceptable and relatively clean but the downside is that there is only one toilet. In tune with most Asian restaurants, Ginger and Shallots has two televisions broadcasting Hong Kong news.
Service was prompt and a clean baby seat was provided as well as child friendly bowl and spoon. The restaurant feels rather cramped and is not pram friendly.
The menu is quite extensive and offers a wide range of Chinese and Hong Kong food. We ordered a salt and pepper squid with rice ($ 10.80) and a Fukien fried rice ($ 14.80).
A very positive aspect of the restaurant and perhaps a declining feature if Asian eateries is that free soup is provided. Even better was the fact that the soup was quite flavoursome, as opposed to some of the more bland servings from other restaurants.
Our food took about 15 to 20 minutes to arrive, which was great given that the place was by now pretty packed. The Fukien fried rice looked home cooked in regards to the way that the meat and vegetables were cut. Flavour wise it was good but not the best that I have had. Serving was generous and in line with how most Fukien fried rice is served.
The salt and pepper squid with rice was also generous in serving and we’ll priced for $ 10.80. It was refreshing to get some really hot chopped chili as well. Interestingly the dish came with fresh vegetables at the bottom of the squid but it’s good that it did given that deep fried squid isn’t exactly the healthiest thing around! Taste wise this dish was great.
The service was prompt and acceptable especially for an Asian restaurant. Overall the restaurant is well presented and serves good food for a decent price (drinks were around $ 4). The downside is that it’s not the most family friendly joint in terms of design and it can be quite difficult to get a table during peak dinner times. Minimum EFTPOS is $ 30.

Yum, yum! A nice, tasty, and CHEAP Chinese food joint in Eastwood. Went here on a rainy Sunday. We had no reservations, but got seated pretty quickly. Everything we ordered was good! Place was cleaner and food was fresher than some of the daggier Chinese places I’ve been too haha. Will definitely come back for my cheap Chinese food fix.