Where to live in Canberra if you love a good Chinese feed

Wanniassa

The south side just keeps on coming up trumps this year, what with being home to Canberra’s ‘Vatican city’ and Wanniassans simply raving about how much they love living there.

Now it turns out little old Wanniassa (aka the Erindale Shops) is home to one of the best Chinese restaurants in the whole city. It’s called the China Tea House and its menu is organised by which sauce you prefer, not which meat. Are you a Mongolian, Beijing or Plum type of family? It’s garlic sauce for us.

What to order: The Peking Chili Shredded Beef (and make sure you get a side of prawn toast, it’s delish.)

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Holt

We’re not sure what happened to Rebecca but Rebecca’s Chinese Inn at Kippax Fair is now just known as the Chinese Inn. The food is superb, whether you’re in-house at the restaurant or at home cheering on the Raiders from the lounge room on a Sunday night.

Authentic Chinese and Malaysian food is on the menu at the Inn, and if you eat in, you’ll be able to order drinks from the cocktail bar. We also hear you can have your wedding there?!

What to order: The Shantung Chicken.

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Queanbeyan

New Cathay Chinese Restaurant has been an icon on Queanbeyan’s main street for around 20 years. In Queanbeyan, you’re either a New Cathay family or a Diamond Chinese family (the Diamond has been operating at Karabar Shops since the 1980s).

It’s fair to say New Cathay is leading the charge at this point, with wait times for delivery on a Friday night hitting close to two hours.

What to order: Mongolian Beef or Char Kway Teow.

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Kingston

There’s really only one Chinese restaurant that springs to mind when it comes to secret political conversation over the lazy-su, and that’s Portia’s Place.

Since 1996, Portia’s has been a restaurant of choice for out-of-towners during Sitting Week, with many a prime minister enjoying a couple of spring rolls and a san choy bow lettuce cup or two between meetings.

I’ve always been too shy to head into Portia’s, so I now just get it delivered by an Uber driver.

What to order: Fillet Pepper Steak.

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Dickson

Hands up if you grew up in the inner north and had family birthday parties at Ruby Chinese Restaurant? When it opened on Woolley Street in 1982, Ruby set a new standard for Chinese food in the nation’s capital and people would drive in from Belconnen for the huge array of seafood on offer.

What to order: At $48 a head, go for ‘Set Menu A’ which includes (among its six dishes) garlic butter king prawns, fish fillets in spiced salt and chilli, and satay beef with mixed veggies.

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