Albee's Kitchen, Campsie

How could you possibly improve on the juicy fattiness of a pork rib? You deep-fry it, of course. We stumble upon these nam yue pork ribs ($14.80) at Albee's Kitchen in Campsie, marinated in red fermented bean curd, then dipped in flour and deep-fried to a golden crunch. There's a sweet saltiness to this dish, underlined by the flavour of fermented tofu - slightly alcoholic and yeasty - but in this dish it's the batter, cloaked around tender pork, that will form your primary focus.


Teh tarik $3.80 hot

Albee's Kitchen bustles with activity on the weekend, filled with a constant stream of local families and friends loading up on Malaysian classics. The counter display at the front holds an assortment of homemade kuih like layered coconut jellies and pandan-flavoured sweets all packed to go in takeaway boxes.

The restaurant is bigger than you think as well, with not one, but two dining rooms hidden behind the kitchen. Getting to them involves a hair-raising walk through the middle of the narrow and chaotic kitchen, past the colanders filled with fresh vegetables and the cook tossing a wok filled with char kway teow noodles.


Kangkong sotong (Sarawak style) $13.80

There's a comprehensive range of items available here: a total of 171 dishes and 23 different drinks. The chicken karipap curry puffs ($2.50 each) are a popular choice but we head straight for the kangkong sotong, a Sarawak-style dish of cuttlefish and water spinach drenched in a dark sauce of shrimp paste and chilli.

The cuttlefish has a rubbery texture that may be off-putting to some, but I enjoy the feistiness of this dish, a contrast of textures with chewy cuttlefish, tender water spinach and the crunch of peanuts on top. A good hit of shrimp paste and chilli will command the attention of your tastebuds too.


Foil wrapped chicken in hot plate


Foil wrapped chicken in hot plate $15.80

Foil-wrapped chicken in hot plate is a bit of a house specialty, involving a sense of spectacle as the silver parcel is ceremonially snipped open. Surprisingly it's quite a simple homestyle dish, nobbly chunks of chopped up chicken leg steamed in its own juices with strips of ginger, salted black beans and goji berries.


Hainanese chicken (half) $13.80

Hainanese chicken is soft and moist, but I find the soy dressing a little too sweet and distracting. We eat this on plain rice with dabs of chilli sauce and plenty of shallots sauteed with ginger.


Char kway teow $10

I'd been keen to try the Penang Assam laksa ($11) but we've mistimed our visit, as this dish is only available on Wednesdays and Saturdays. We settle with a plate of char kway teow instead, a jumble of flat rice noodles stir-fried with bits of prawn, egg, discs of Chinese sausage, bean sprouts and flat chives at high heat until charred and smoky. There's a caramelisation bordering on bitterness in this dish that I relish.

There's much to explore at this restaurant, and the rotating daily specials means you'll have to visit on at least four different days to try them all. Plan ahead for your visit by checking out the Daily Specials summary below!


Albee's Kitchen Daily Specials
Monday
Pan mee handmade noodles in anchovy soup $10

Tuesday
Kolo mee Kuching-style dry noodle with bbq pork $11
Char siu wonton kolo mee KL style $11

Wednesday
Penang assam laksa with mackerel, pineapple and mint $11

Thursday
Mee rebus noodles Nyonya-style in spicy sweet potato sauce $11

Friday
Laksa Kuching Sawarak sour tamarind and coconut milk laksa $11

Saturday
Penang assam laksa with mackerel, pineapple and mint $11
Laksa Kuching Sawarak sour tamarind and coconut milk laksa $11

Sunday
Laksa Kuching Sawarak sour tamarind and coconut milk laksa $11



Albee's Kitchen 
282 Beamish Street, Campsie, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9718 8302

Opening hours:
Monday to Sunday 10am-10pm


Related Grab Your Fork posts:
Malaysian - Aseana Food Village, Randwick
Malaysian - Kopitiam, Ultimo
Malaysian - Makan at Alice's, Thornleigh
Malaysian - Malay Chinese Takeaway, Sydney
Malaysian - Mamak, Haymarket
Malaysian - Mamak Village, Glebe
Malaysian - Temasek, Parramatta

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Food bloggers. We know how to picnic.

And to everyone who came along to the annual Sydney food bloggers' picnic organised by Suze and I, thank you for making it such a fantastic and successful event. We had 70 food bloggers attend, with everyone contributing to a phenomenal spread that could have easily fuelled an army. Or two.

Half the joy of food blogging is not just about the excuse to eat, but meeting so many other like-minded people. It was fantastic to meet so many new faces, and to see how the Sydney food blogging scene has grown, and with such hungry enthusiasm!

If you are an active Sydney food blogger and missed out on an invitation to this event, please add your details to my Sydney food bloggers list and make sure you have a contact email address on your website (otherwise email it to me).

To check out all the blog posts on the food bloggers picnic, head over to Chocolatesuze's summary post.


Sydney Food Bloggers Picnic 2011
Photo credit: Simon from The Heart of Food