Hong Bao Chinese Restaurant

I called in to this little shopfront restaurant to get some takeaway fried rice, so I can’t really review what’s on offer based on that generic takeaway dish. However, there were a couple of things about the place that compelled me to write about it anyway.
First, I’m no scholar of the Orient, but the three guys running the place looked and sounded Korean to me. No bad thing, since the fried rice tasted very natural and fresh without some of the flavours added in many Chinese restaurants, and it was cooked while I waited — well, the vegetable and meat parts were — rather than just ladled out of some huge wok.
To while away the time, I asked the front of house bloke what Hong Bao meant. He didn’t know, or said he didn’t, but Wiki knows. Hong Bao was a eunuch sea captain of the Yongle dynasty who in 1421 may have sailed as far as Mogadishu and Mecca, and maybe, according to some experts, to Australia. Wherever he went, the special fried rice from his namesake restaurant is very good.
So that’s about it. The place is small, neat and clean. Generous serves of rice and noodles are $ 14, with ‘cuisine’ dishes $ 20 for small or $ 35 for large serves. I’m guessing that two people could share a noodle or rice dish and a large ‘cuisine’ dish.
The menu is fairly short — nine rice or noodle dishes and six cuisine ones. Again, I’m guessing that they could knock up other dishes by request. Two Asian ladies who were dining in while I was there looked pretty happy with their lot.
There are pictures of the meals on the wall to help you out, and there’s a small fridge with beer in it.
It appears that there’s nothing too fancy happening here, but it all looks fresh and good value for money. Next time, I’ll try dining here rather than just taking rice away.
So, all good, but I didn’t really do more than scratch the surface, thus 3 stars.