East Taste Chinese- Adelaide
I was first introduced to East Taste in 2003.
We had found out about it in the usual way - a friend of a friend had recommended it to a friend’s friend, you know how it goes. I was living and working in the Barossa Valley at the time, and it quickly became our Sunday night hangout. If we could get rid of the Sunday crowd from our own restaurant (10.45pm seemed to be about the cut off) we could make it to Gouger street in time for our Asian food fix.
The chef I was working with at the time had become obsessed with the cuisine of Asia, he was not only mesmerised by the flavours, but the techniques and methods of his Eastern counterparts. He was right to be. This was definitely a break away from the usual “designed for Australian palate” style of Chinese cookery. Tea smoked duck quickly became a favourite, and a clay pot was always a must. You could have anything salted and peppered and you’d be crazy if you left without having a short soup.
Owner and Chef, Michael Chau would sit with us toward the end of our gorging session and engage us with his adaptation of being a restaurateur. There were some very interesting cultural insights as to how service staff are perceived and treated in the East. He was adamant and outspoken on the fact that anyone entering his eatery would be respectful of his floor team. He always ensured there were ample staffing levels to provide swift service, which gave credence to his philosophy that unoppressed wait staff will deliver a seemingly seamless performance every time. These values have stayed with East Taste and the service is as sharp and cheerful as ever.
Michael would also quite often send out something not on the menu. I’m still not sure whether we were guinea pigs for upcoming specials, or he just wanted to see what extremes he could take us to. I’ve no doubt we provided a source of amusement for the East Taste brigade as we took on any dish with gusto. I can just imagine the banter in the kitchen - “Quick, run next door and see what they’re serving as the staff meal tonight,” and before you knew it, hey presto, a bowl of Vietnamese tripe stew would be sitting on our table. “These crazy Aussies will eat anything”.
After moving away from South Australia the urge for the fun and flavours of East Taste would constantly reverberate round my stomach. There are of course plenty of fantastic Asian eateries throughout Australia. Tippy Heng’s Orient Express at Byron Bay is a stand out favourite. East Taste is by no means the most sophisticated eatery, nor is it at the cutting edge of Asian cuisine in Australia. It is however a friendly, well priced, Gouger Street café, and when in need of that late night fix, two words automatically ring out in my head. EAST TASTE.
Having returned to South Australia, I recently revisited my old friend, cautiously, for I was well aware that sharing food and wine at the end of a long days work can heighten an experience, and the elation of those moments can corrupt the memory into thinking that things are actually better than they are. Of all the dishes that were served upon my homecoming visit, disappointment was not among them. The staff scurry about collecting orders, delivering food and clearing and resetting tables with the usual bravado. The food is as satisfying as ever, and as if the tempo of our order sparked some distant memory, Michael looks up from behind the counter of his bustling eatery. With his smooth easy smile he approaches our table to enquire about my absence.
“I’m back in town my friend and I’m pleased to announce my late night hangout is as good as I can remember.”
I think I’ve only eaten at East Taste once before 10pm. It’s more likely I’ll be laying down my chopsticks around the same time Michael’s team begin to clatter theirs as they enjoy their end of day staff meal. I don’t really care what happens in the early hours of the night, but I’m always confident that around 10.00pm a well seasoned wok and an unoppressed service team will be able to deliver me, my late night Eastern Taste.
