Mother's Day Lunch at Emperor's Garden

I actually posted this a couple of days back, but since blogger was really retarded and it sort of malfunctioned, I'm editing everything all over again. POO.

My 5th birthday party!
The theme was fairies and pirates?
Something like that.

I think my mum is wonder woman. I know it sounds quite funny and maybe even a tad bit retarded, but it's entirely true. 

Here are some of the reasons why:

1. She manages to do so many things in one day. She has said before that she wants to be a stay at home mom, but we all know she can't cause she's a stress junkie. 

2. She pretty much cooks all of our lunches and dinners.* Mind you, it's not just cooking for the sake of it, she actually plans a menu and makes sure that we have a balanced diet. Plus she makes most of the stuff from scratch too.

3. She tutors my little sister who is really tricky and naughty**

4. Did I mention she works full time as well? She handles all sorts of difficult people, she's also the glue that binds the company together.

5. She's always got everybody's back no matter what situation we are in.

6. She gives the best advice.

7. She knows how to turn a gray day into one bursting with sunshine.

You see, I've always loved eating.
In this case, it was cotton candy.

Now, do you see why I think she's one in a million wonder woman? I guess her efforts were acknowledged but sometimes under-minded in the past since I'd expect all mums to be flawless like her. But since I've migrated to Australia to study, I've realized how much effort she actually exerts for my life to be such a breeze. She's the BEST! 

The poeple flooded streets
of Chinatown on Mum's Day!

Obviously, I wasn't able to spend mother's day with her. I did however spend it with my auntie and my cousin.

Two MAGICAL words!

We decided to head to the city for lunch which is really quite unusual because everybody tends to want to sulk at home after an early morning at church. Initially, we wanted to go to Marigold for Yum Cha cause it's the best by Time Out. But then we got there, it was already 2:00pm and the line was absurdly long. We then went to Chinatown and tried to spot a good restaurant over there offering Yum Cha.

Yum Cha trolley.

The Yum Cha search ended at Emperor's Garden. There was a fair line out the door but the customers seemed really pleased with the meal- that was it! Now, it's photo dump time.

Shrimp Rice Roll.
The best ones are still in beloved HK.

Prawn Dumplings.
I never fail to order these!

Beef Dumpling!
It's beef ball in dumpling form, okay.

BBQ Pork Dumpling.
I'm a sucker for BBQ Pork, but this was so FATTY. Obviously I was disappointed.

Bean Curd Roll!
My ultimate favorite yum cha dish!

Prawn and Scallop thing.
It was like one of those meatball things shoved
in a wrapper. Go figure.

Beef Tripe.
I've learned to love tripe.
It's pleasingly squishy.

Fried Dumplings.They were mediocre really.

Ham Soy Kok.
Slightly chew skin with an ultimately crisp exterior.
The filling that lies within is DELICIOUS.

And this is what the cross-section looked like.

Fried SQUID.
I love my squid regardless of how it's cooked.

Prawn Toasts.
I love the sesame crust on these.
They actually imparted a lot of flavor!

So that was EVERYTHING that we ate. A fair amount hey? What can I say, my family loves to eat! Nobody is exempted from that. I guess overall, the Yum Cha was good, but not staggering great. I think Zilver does better Yum Cha still, and of course, the next to try would be the famous Marigold.

Emperor Garden Restaurant

96-100 Hay St
Haymarket NSW 2000
(02) 9211 2135

* She doesn't cook breakfast cause we really make do with oatmeal which the help could easily cook, bread with peanut butter, or doughnuts! When I was small she used to make carrot, tomato, and celery juice for me.

** It's in her nature being naughty and all that. She's harmlessly cheeky.