Review: Nan Tien Temple Tea House: Dew Drop Inn

One of the hidden gems of the Illawarra and Berkeley (near Wollongong) is the Nan Tien Temple's Tea House. The temple is the largest in the Southern Hemisphere and the architecture is very similar to Imperial palaces found in China. The tea house itself has stunning architectural features such as arches, wooden timber, antique details and makes you feel as if you have stepped off the plane in China.


Whilst they don't advertise it as Yum Cha, Wikipedia gives the following definition of Yum Cha:

"a dining experience which involves drinking Chinese tea and eating dim sum dishes... Dim sum is a varied range of small dishes (a concept similar to tapas) eaten for breakfast, brunch or afternoon tea, as part of the yum cha dining experience. Dishes are usually steamed or fried and may be savoury or sweet. They include steamed buns such as char siu baau, assorted dumplings, siu mai, and rice noodle rolls, which contain a range of ingredients, including beef, chicken, pork, prawns and vegetarian options. Typical desserts include egg tarts, sai mai lo (tapioca pudding) and mango pudding. Many dim sum restaurants also offer plates of steamed green vegetables, roasted meats, congee porridge, and soups. Dim sum can be cooked by steaming and frying, among other methods. The dim sum are usually small and normally served as three or four pieces in one dish. It is customary to order family style, sharing dishes among all members of the dining party. Because of the small portions people can try a wide variety of food."

Sample menu from the Dew Drop Inn website includes Yum Cha type dishes as well as Noodle dishes

[ Yum Cha ]

• Spring Rolls Rice noodle, vegetarian mince and shredded or $2.00 each vegetables wrapped in rice paper, and deep fried.
• Curry Puffs Curried Vegetables wrapped in puff pastry and deep fried.
• Combination Platter 2 Spring Rolls and 2 Curry Puffs
• Jade Dumplings
• Steamed Dumplings
• Bok choy and vegetarian mince encased in Gow Gee pastry, served with soy sauce.
• Fried Wonton Vegetable and vegetarian seafood wrapped in wonton pastry and deep fried, served with sweet chilli.
• Veg. Nuggets (per plate) Bite-size pieces of crumbed soya bean.
• Veg. Drumsticks Strips of bean curd rolled into a drumstick, crumbed and deep fried

Also recommend their Laksa which is a HUGE serving and well worth the cost.

[ Noodle Soup or Dry Noodle ]

• Hot Pot Stewed ramen noodle / vermicelli with veg. ball, tofu & vegetables in soup, served in an iron pot
• Tom Yam Pot Stewed ramen noodle / vermicelli with veg. ball, tofu & vegetables in Tom Yam soup, served in an iron pot 
• Curry Laksa Potato, carrot, bean sprout, cabbage, broccoli, snow peas and tofu cooked in curry and coconut cream with noodles.

• Mushroom and Tofu Noodle Soup
• Veg. Mince and Ham Noodle Soup
• Wonton Noodle Soup
• Fried Wonton Noodle Soup

The Dew Drop Inn only sells vegetarian meals but believe me ,you will not be missing out. The flavours are amazing and the setting is so authentic most people think the photos were taken in China.

SPECIAL TEA
Lotus Tea     fragrant lotus bud; looks great and tastes beautiful.
French Rose Tea     a fragrant floral tisane; relax and enjoy the glorious aroma.
Jasmine Tea     hand shaped into tiny pearls which are infused with fragrant jasmine blossoms; subtle and aromatic.
High Mountain Tea     an exquisite oolong from the taiwanese high mountains; reveal a complex and deep aroma with floral overtones.
Amber Tea     oolong leaves with french rose buds; gentle elegant flavour.
Osmanthus Oolong Tea     a chinese classic; green tea leaves with dried golden sweet osmanthus flower; pleasant aroma with a delicate taste.
Japanese Rice Tea     a combination of Japanese green tea and roasted hulled rice kernels; refreshing with a distinctive nutty flavour
Kumquat Tea     fresh kumquat brewed with passion fruit syrup; wonderful taste, soothing and refreshing.
Chai Tea     a well know indian blend; complex, spicy and incredibly tasty; with or without milk.
Black Forest Tea     a heavenly combination of fruit; luxurious flavour.
Lemongrass and Ginger     fresh herbal taste; relieve nausea and soothe headaches and stomach aches.
Organic Chamomile Tea     nourish your spirit and restore your calm.
Lipton Black Tea     with or without milk.

The Dew Drop Inn only sells vegetarian meals but believe me ,you will not be missing out. The flavours are amazing and the setting is so authentic most people think the photos were taken in China.

Dew Drop Inn, Nan Tien Temple

Berkeley Rd, Berkeley NSW 2506, Australia‎
Phone (02) 4272 0600 to make a booking‎

illawarrafoodreviews.blogspot.com/2010/05/review-nan-tien...

View the Tea House website for the full menu
Dew Drop Inn, Nan Tien Temple
Berkeley Rd, Berkeley NSW 2506, Australia‎
Phone (02) 4272 0600 to make a booking‎

Oriental Expression - yum cha part 2

We revisited Oriental Expression for their Yum Cha since we loved it so much last time.

Meals ordered:

• Aromatic duck pancakes (plate of aromatic pork with pancakes (4)
  
• Garlic king prawns (4 - $5.50)
• Tempura king prawns (4 - $5.50)
  
• BBQ Meat Platter (BBQ Duck and Pork - $12)
• Vegetarian Tofu with Satay sauce (8 pieces - $5.50)
• Scallop and vegetable dim sims (4 - $5.50)

Aromatic Duck pancake was as delicious as it had been on Valentines Day when it was part of Peking Duck banquet.

The garlic king prawns and tempura king were delicious. I would definitely order them again. BBQ Meat platter was amazing value and would make a good starter for a group whilst they make up their mind on what to order. The pork was done in a char sui style and the duck had a delightfully crispy skin and lots of flavour.

The vegetarian tofu was creamy and silky with satay sauce which was used with other yum cha meals as well. We ended on the delicious scallop and vegetable dim sims which we had ordered last time.

A lovely yum cha experience washed down with an Iced Bubble Green Tea

Restaurant: Oriental Expression - yum cha - scallop and vegetable dim sim,

I was in the mood for Yum Cha so we headed down to a favourite restaurant of ours - Oriental Expression on Keira Street, Wollongong. Our first visit was on Valentines Day, for their set banquet menu and second on Chinese New Year, both very memorable experiences. Today would be no different. We were escorted to our table and given the Yum Cha menu. Meals ranged between $3.50 for 3 pieces to $9 for a large serve.

After looking the menu over we settled on

• Thai Duck Spring Rolls (3 pieces for $3.50)
• Crab and Spinach Dim Sim (3 pieces for $4.20)
• Scallop and vegetable Dim Sim (3 pieces for $4.20)
• Prawn Meat Dumpling (3 pieces for $4.20)
• Beef Satay Sticks (3 pieces for $5.50)
• Salted Chili Pork Chop (large serve for $5.50)
• Egg Custard Bun (3 pieces for $4.20)

All meals were shared three ways, perfect since most of the dishes had three pieces.

After ordering our yum cha banquet I saw the 'Super Value" Iced Bubble Green tea for $1 extra with any purchased meal and thought 'why not!' I love green tea but until now had not liked iced green tea which is usually sold in a can and contains preservatives. As I watched our waiter put ice, green tea, syrup and bubbled water together I began to get excited. When I tasted it I was in heaven. It has a very fresh taste and reminds me of the flavour of green tea icecream. It was sweet but not sickly, refreshing and very easy to drink. I will definitely order it again.

Our first course was the Thai Duck Spring Rolls which were very tasty. The duck meat flavour was subtle but definitely discernible. A very nice start to the meal.


Next was the Crab and Spinach Dim Sim (or dim sum in the USA).
The flavours of crab and spinach blended well with crab flavour subtle
but unmistakable. All dim sims were served in a bamboo dish with a layer
of leaves.

We were looking forward to the scallop and vegetable dim sims.
You could really taste the scallop within the dim sim casing.
The flavour was amazing and left me wanting more

Followed by a most delicious prawn meat dumpling.

Here they are together on the one plate to show size


Next was the beef satay sticks . I have to say that I have never experienced anything quite like it. The meat was fried rather than grilled and had a lovely texture to it which was complemented by the tasty satay (peanut sauce).

The Salted Chili Pork Chop course was very tasty. We were just in the middle of saying that the chilli wasn't very hot when I swallowed a chilli seed and had a burst of heat in my mouth very different to t he gentle warmth of the rest of the meal.







Around this time I was very close to being full but there was room for dessert of egg custard bun. Make sure that you remove the paper layer or you will be eating it. It was nice but a little too doughy for my tastes. Stan liked his, and ate Philip's as well!

An amazing meal shared by three very pleased patrons. It was our first yum cha at Oriental Expression but it won't be our last! Our bill came to $47 including three beers, two green teas and the meals. Very reasonable prices and great service with a smile. What more could you ask for?

Oriental Expression
157 Keira Street Wollongong NSW 2500
(02) 4227 4222 Fax: (02) 4227 4772
Opening Hours: Monday-Saturday 8.30am to late
Sunday 8.30 - 5.00pm
Licensed/BYO: Both

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