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Zilver Restaurant

Editorial Review

Editorial Review

Despite a recent, very expensive overhaul (Zilver now occupies what was formerly Silver Spring), Zilver still looks very much like a traditional Chinese restaurant. Seating up to 550 people, the massive dining room has large banquet tables, each draped in a mushroom-pink tablecloth, neatly arranged with china tea cups and rice bowls and equipped with the ubiquitous lazy susan. A theme of silver and slate-grey is contrasted by a stately red and gold feature wall behind a raised timber platform, used for the many events in Sydney's Chinese calender. A stone-clad display of live seafood consists of eight crowded fish tanks running along one wall; one tank houses several enormous crayfish.

Jack Ng's menu spans a volume of 140 dishes. As well as traditional Chinese staples and meals more familiar to Western palates, there are some interesting, modern interpretations of classic Asian ingredients. Chef Ng's speciality is crab and there's a full page of enticing lobster and crab dishes to choose from. Try the salt and pepper crab claw or braised mud crab served in a claypot with pork and vermicelli. Mouth-watering flaming pork ribs arrive in a dramatic, fiery procession to the table and noodle dishes are dressed up with exotic additions like prawn roe and abalone sauce. Desserts range from fried peanut dumplings with ice cream to flambe seasonal fruits.

 

Fiona Davies, November 2005