Since Canberra's first Chinese restaurant, Happy's, opened back in 1962, the city has hosted a steady flow of Chinese restaurants that whisper tales of dynasties, dragons and distant kingdoms.
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Destinations such as the Golden King in Phillip, Ruby in Dickson, and Emperor Court in Yarralumla have fed hungry public servants, starving students and of course, Chinese-speaking families, here for many decades.
These "old school" Chinese restaurants usually displayed vistas of the Great Wall of China cascading across the walls, along with strategically placed cats that wave their paws within close proximity to the cash register.
Little Steamer brings a modern feel to this tradition - airy bamboo lighting, blonde wood panelling and creative bamboo steamer artwork taking the place of once dominant emperors and kingdoms. The tables have a thick layer of clear perspex, which keeps the French newspaper print tablecloths underneath pristine. Soft padded cushions are tied to the seats and the cat here is waving with both arms.
We are here on a Tuesday night in school holidays, to give the kids a chance to practise their chopstick dexterity. The menu represents a bona fide, almost rural Chinese style, with rustic dishes such as honey golden potato, tomato braised basa fish and soy-preserved radish featuring on a menu which also houses some of the steamed, stir-fried and hotpot "classics".
They promise the best authentic Beijing roast duck in Canberra, $98.80 for a whole duck. Its trimmings include 24 pieces of pancake, spring onions, cucumbers and hoisin sauce, along with a combination of rice, soup and noodles. There is also a selection of dishes cooked in "golden sand". The kids ask "Is that why there is a massive packet of Weet-Bix behind the bar?" But it turns out that "golden sand" is a coating of liquified salted egg yolks. And the Weet-Bix are for chef's afternoon tea.
The first litmus test is, naturally, the Shanghai pork dumplings ($13.80). They are excellent; plump and bursting with juicy pork, as well as that little pool of piping hot soup inside that your mother warned you about. My daughter's mother warns her as well, but she bites into it regardless and the tasty juices explode everywhere.
The mastercut baby eggplant ($16.50) comes deep fried and doused with a few splashes of dark vinegar, ginger and garlic-infused soy. The first bite is delicious, but the oil, which also comes from the eggplant skin, takes over by the end of the dish. The steamed egg custard ($10.80) comes piping hot to the table and is silky, creme caramel-like in its texture. With a house-made soy gently lingering on the surface, it's a simple, satisfying dish. We all put the chopsticks down for this one.
The steamed pork belly ($19.90) is beautifully succulent and arrives as five juicy slices, served with three bao-style pieces of steamed Chinese bread. It reminds me of an old Steve Martin movie where he complains that his hot dogs come in packages of eight, whilst the buns come in packages of 12, alluding to some grand conspiracy between the respective companies to swindle the American public. At these prices though, I feel like we might be the ones doing the swindling.
Given the confident statement about having the best duck in town, we order a half serve ($52.80). I love the Chinese tradition that so many prices have the number eight in them. In addition to the luckiness of eight, the number is symmetrical and even, representing harmony and balance. The Chinese will never be accused of under-thinking these things. The duck is very good, without blowing my mind. The best I've ever had was at Spring Moon at the Peninsula in Hong Kong, but that was triple the price and two decades ago. This one is certainly one of the best in this town and is more than enough to feed a hungry family of four. The five-year-old rates the pancakes as a 10 and discovers that they can be used for wrapping dumplings, fried rice and egg custard as well. Lucky she can't reach the Weet-Bix.
BYO wine is a classic tradition in Australia that started around the same time Happy's opened. It was a way for restaurants to work around restrictive and expensive liquor licences. With corkage here pitched at the remarkable 1980s price of $10 a bottle, I can imagine the local wine club booking this place out to eat the duck with their vertical line up of Central Otago pinots. Don't be surprised if the local chapter of the beefsteak and burgundy club is here next month.
The kids each wolf down a hot waffle with ice cream ($11.50) and the restaurant starts to fill up on this Tuesday evening. Public servants, students and Chinese families all start to wander in. As the cat waves us its duo of goodbyes, I wonder what Chinese restaurants may look like in Canberra by the middle of this century. In the same way that the kingdoms of Ruby and Emperor Court continue their reign, I suspect that Little Steamer, too, will be here for a very long run.
Little Steamer
Address: 38 London Circuit, City
Phone: 6193 8577
Website: littlesteamer.com.au
Hours: Monday to Saturday, 11.30am-3pm and 5pm-10pm
Chef: Wei He
Noise: Not a problem
Dietary: Options available
