Illawarra Food Reviews: Blue Ocean Restaurant, Windang

After another visit to the Windang foreshore we decided to give in to our rumbling tummies and visit the Blue Ocean Restaurant on Windang Road, Windang. I had spied a $7.50 lunch sign in the window and within moments I knew that the Szechuan Beef with boiled rice would be my choice. After some deliberation, Phil settled on BBQ Pork with Plum Sauce .

Unfortunately I had left my Pentax digital slr's at home so I snapped these with our mobile phones. Apologies for the quality but I am sure to return again soon as the flavours were amazing and we are definitely going back another day.


Szechuan Beef - tender pieces of beef with flavours of hot bean paste, szechuan pepper, sesame oil, rice wine, ginger, garlic and soy as well as szechuan spices. Make it yourself with Neil Perry's recipe or call in and visit to experience it yourself.

BBQ Pork with Plum Sauce and Fried Rice

An amazing dish that was so nice we ordered another to take home. A bargain at $7.50 and despite the fact we were full we couldn't help but go back for more. Sooo good! Flavours included garlic, plum sauce, hoi sin, chinese five spice and sesame oil. Delicious!

There was an interesting moment after ordering when we asked for 'no capsicum' and due to a language barrier the chef and waiter thought we meant Philip was allergic to carrot. After some trial and error the chef brought out a selection of vegetables and I pointed to the capsicum. Relief all round and my husband was so happy to be able to sample both meals for a change. You'd be surprised how often capsicum is added to dishes in restaurants and cafes. I must remember to print out my "NO capsicum" cards and keep some in my wallet. Better safe than sorry :)

As we were enjoying the last of our Chinese (Green) Tea a couple with their baby entered the restaurant. They are regular diners at the Blue Ocean restaurant and can't recommend it enough, eating there at least once a week. I can't wait to try their Satay Chicken and Prawn Chow Mein.

LUNCH SPECIALS $7.50

Szechwaun Chicken, Beef, Pork or Lamb
Garlic Chicken, Beef, Pork or Lamb
Sweet and Sour , Beef, Pork or Lamb
Chicken, Beef, Pork or Lamb with cashews
Satay Chicken, Beef, Pork or Lamb
Mongolian Chicken , Beef, Pork or Lamb
Curry Prawns or Chicken, Beef, Pork or Lamb
BBQ Chicken, Beef, Pork or Lamb in Plum Sauce
Prawns or Chicken or BBQ Pork Omelet
Stir Fried or Steamed Mixed Vegetables
Vegetarian or Mushroom Omelette

Prawn, Chicken, Beef, Pork Fillet, BBQ Pork or Vegetable Chow Mein

Blue Ocean Restaurant,
Windang Rd. Windang
NSW 2528 Australia

Melbourne: Restaurant Review: Post Mao Cafe

Walking down Little Bourke Street in Melbourne is quite an experience. We were greeted by a hostess from the Post Mao Cafe, aka Chairman Mao's Unique Chinese Cuisine. Specialising in Hunan cuisine, their chef's master chef is 93 years old and used to cook for Chairman Mao Zedong. The waitress showed us the menu, pointing out the Three Cup Duck meal on the menu (simmering in crucible with a cup each of wine, vinegar and chilli oil) - a sign that this was the perfect place for us to dine. We love duck, and chilli duck sounded wonderful.

Who would have known that Chairman Mao had his own unique, delicious recipes and that there was a little restaurant in the middle of Melbourne's Chinatown that was devoted to the man who wrote 'The Red Book' that creates such wonderful meals.

I loved the decor. If you tried hard enough you could imagine yourself transported to China. The sights, smells and sounds were authentic enough. We waited patiently for our meal, enjoying the ambience.



The menu was extensive and I wish we had more time to explore it and the delicacies contained within. Alas, we had but 24 hours in the wonderful city of Melbourne so we settled on two Hunan meals and daydreamed about coming back again soon.

Hunan Three Cup Duck in Claypot $24

The first meal served contained capsicum despite the fact we clearly communicated to our waiter that there should be no capscium in the dish due to a very strong allergy to it. We were left with a bowl of rice whilst they re-made the dish. The wait was worth it. The chilli duck was very flavoursome and definitely something I would try again. It reminded me of a sczechwan dish I had many years ago.

Next we decided to try the chilli dumplings, also delicious. We would definitely be back again, despite the mixup with the ordering.

Chilli Dumplings - $5

113 Little Bourke St
Melbourne 3000 VIC Phone: (03) 9663 6003