There aren’t many places in Adelaide where you can have Yum Cha in the evening and an Asian inspired Martini to go with it. Lucky Cat Bar & Dim Sum, formerly known as Suzie Wong’s Room, fills that void. The re-branding of the venue has seen a shift from Eastern European cuisine to the owner’s (Nina) favourite Yum Cha picks. The menu isn’t as extensive as Yum Cha place in Chinatown, but all the classic mainstream options are there.

In line with Chinese tradition, red is considered to be the luckiest colour and this place certainly takes advantage of that. The abundance of red lanterns creates a more intimate setting, and is complemented by the backlit bar that runs on one side of the room. Customers have the choice of booths or communal tables which will depend on your group size. There are also stools along the bar if you’re just in for a drink.

The Vegetarian Spring Rolls are more of western favourite. Inside the firm crunchy exterior are strings of glass noodles and soft delicate vegetables. The sweet chilli dipping sauce adds balance to what is a great start to the proceedings.

The Pork, Prawn and Coriander Dumplings are perfectly cooked with none of the skin sticking to the greaseproof paper. The dumpling skin is slightly thicker than usual, but I think it’s a great thing, as all too often, the dumpling falls apart. Inside are succulent morsels of juicy prawn and well refined minced pork that is nicely flavoured.

The BBQ Pork Baos are a Yum Cha favourite. A bit smaller than what I’m used to, the exterior is soft and fluffy, and it’s hot surface indicates it was just taken out of the steamer.

The barbecue pork filling is sweet and full of flavour. Other places like to use fatty bits of pork, but there was no such problem here.

The Broadbean, Beancurd and Cabbage (BBC) is popular amongst my vegetarian friends. Mixed in the firm well cooked broadbeans is a small amount of chilli which adds excitement to the evening.

The Thrice Cooked Pork is simply amazing, and in my mind, was the best dish out of the lot. The meat is soft and delicate with a perfect amount of sweetness. Some might argue the pork is a little fatty, but that’s the nature of pork belly and adds to the overall richness of the dish.

The Salt and Pepper Tentacles were a slight let down as they were over cooked. The tentacles are supposed to be soft and tender, but instead they were hard and rubbery. Having said that, the dish was well seasoned.

The Egg Fried Rice was well executed for a dish with so few ingredients. The grains of rice were nice and firm, and it’s light brown colour indicated just the right amount of soy sauce was applied. The rice wasn’t too oily and was a perfect accompaniment to the other dishes.

The dishes come in five different sizes and are priced from $6.80 to $13.80. The menu goes one further and indicates the number of portions to a serving if applicable. When it came time to getting the bill, they provided Fortune Cookies which I thought was a nice touch and in line with the theme of the establishment.

While the service was pretty good, the whole experience was taken to the next level with the presence of Nina. With a smile that can radiate an entire room, she builds instant rapport with everyone around her and ensures the smooth operation of the business.

Lucky Cat Bar & Dim Sum has a vibrant and yet intimate setting. It’s a well thought out concept that brings together both food and atmosphere. Whether you’re coming to or from The Gov or The Entertainment Centre, it’s a perfect place to visit for a drink or a bite to eat. With a tram stop virtually across the road, there’s no excuse for not coming here!

WHERE: 120 Port Rd, Hindmarsh