Mascot Chinese Cuisine — Restaurant in Sydney

If you walk 100 metres further down from Woolworths, Oliver Brown, etc. you will discover Mascot Chinese Cuisine, hidden behind the greenery. They specialise in Dongbei cuisine from Northeastern China. We ordered some classic Dongbei dishes and had a hearty, delicious, affordable meal. It's now one of my favourite restaurants in Mascot.

They get quite busy as the evening wears on, but we had no problems getting a table arriving at 6. We started with the tossed clear noodles in sesame sauce (东北大拉皮) which is similar to liangpi, chewy translucent wheat starch or potato starch noodles (served cool) tossed in soy, vinegar, chilli, sesame paste (warm) and coriander. Love the chewy texture of the wide, flat noodles paired with the creaminess of the sesame paste, which the chilli and vinegar cuts through.

One of their most unique dishes is the spicy lamb spine with soup (香辣羊蝎子). The Chinese name translates to "fragrant spicy lamb scorpion", which was coined based on the shape of a whole lamb spine (including the ribs and tail), which resembles a scorpion. The dish features segments of lamb spine with plenty of meat clinging on, which have been stewed with chilli and spices so that the meat is incredibly tender and flavourful. The chilli level is approachable, it's more spice than heat. A must-order Dongbei specialty.

Guobaorou (锅包肉) is Dongbei's version of sweet and sour pork. It originated in Harbin in the far north of China, neighbouring Russia, and was created to appease the tastebuds of Russian diplomats. The main characteristics of guobaorou are that the pork comes in large flat slices (tenderloin), the vegetables are slivered (pickled carrot and onion) and the batter is pale in colour. Potato starch is used for the batter, which yields a crispy yet slightly chewy and mochi-like translucent batter.

We also had the disanxian 地三鲜 ("three treasures of the ground") which is not written on the menu but is a classic Dongbei dish that features both on home dinner tables and during special occasions. The "three treasures" are potato, eggplant and capsicum and they are flash-fried to create glossy vegetables with a thinly crispy crust and melt-in-your-mouth interior. The veggies are then stir-fried with gravy. Flavourful and tasty.

We also tried their cumin lamb ribs takeaway and were very satisfied - the portion size is generous and the lamb ribs are large and meaty (which is the kind I prefer over small ribs with little meat) with well-rendered fat. Flavourwise, the cumin is deliciously prominent while the dried chilli is quite mild but the aroma of fried capsicum and onions comes through...

Staff is friendly, atmosphere is good. However, the quality of the food served is what the restaurant should focus on most.

My hometown is in NorthEast of China, and the dishes today disappointed me. I would not recommend this restaurant to any of my friends. They are not really “Dongbei” style.

The Candied Sweet Potato “surprised” me as it looks exactly the same as the sweet potato fries that you can get from Costco. This is the worst Candied Sweet Potato I have ever had and I have to pay for almost $20 for this?!

This is my first time and also will be the last time dining here. Not...

Great spot for Chinese cuisine and we visited on a Saturday evening and the full restaurant with Chinese patrons is a good sign that you came to the right spot.

Dumplings were nice and was juicy and the fillings piping hot and had great texture. Beef brisket noodles with handmade noodles had a generous portion of meat, good depth of flavour in the soup and was an absolute delight for a winter night. Chive pancake was an standout, pancakes that were soft in the inside, crispy on the outside and was delicious. Great value meals and a well run Chinese restaurant in the...