Empress Garden, Herne Bay

By EWAN McDONALD for viva

Yi Ya, the most famous chef in China during the Zhou Dynasty (1122-256BC), began his career in the kitchens of the Duke of Qi.

This was a scheming, ambitious duke; his chef determined to stun his master with innovative, exotic and rare creations.

One night, the duke summoned Yi Ya to his chamber and ordered him to cook the only flesh he had not tasted: a child.

According to legend (and that wonderful London-based Aussie food writer, Terry Durack) Yi Ya went back to the kitchen and prepared his young son for the table, steaming him while no doubt muttering the Mandarin equivalent of, "I'll bet Jamie and Nigella wouldn't have put up with this."

The chefs at the Empress Garden, amid the leafy inner-city avenues of Herne Bay, at the start-finish line of the 005 bus that has furnished my colleague, Brian Rudman, with the material for so many excellent columns, do not need to worry about their offspring.

For 22 years Joseph and Cilla Tsui have built a reputation among the locals and their compatriots from across the region with slightly more conventional dishes, the most famous of which is their renowned Peking Duck.

No, we won't be using such restaurant-reviewer words as "their take on …", or "inspired by …" or "had its roots in …" because this is a traditional menu, primarily the classic, mostly Cantonese, dishes that a loyal clientele demands: the roasts, the steams, the stir-fries, the sizzles, the stews.

Few descriptions would raise Kiwi eyebrows … maybe the cold jellyfish with boneless duck feet, if not the crabmeat and shark's fin soup.

But when that loyal clientele is keeping your converted corner store and attached villa packed for two sittings every night, seven nights a week, over two decades, would you change it?

Why even renovate the fading wallpaper and carpet in the several little rooms of the old house and shop that make up this unique restaurant?

On the other side of the world, there has been a cultural revolution, except that it's not in Beijing, it's in London, where Hakkasan has become the first Chinese restaurant in Britain to hold a Michelin star.

Featured in About A Boy, the temple to contemporary Cantonese serves its Peking duck with beluga caviar. Also on the menu: stir-fry of jellyfish, squid, bean sprouts and Chinese chives ($25.50), roasted silver cod with champagne and Chinese honey ($66), live native lobster noodle with ginger and spring onion ($115).

None of which you can expect to find in any of Auckland's burgeoning empire of Cantonese/Shanghai/Northern or Szechuan eateries, from the huge, bustling, modern Grand Harbour at the Viaduct to the little noodle bar next to the traffic lights just down the road from your place. Nor in the Empress Garden.

Perhaps that is its secret, and its charm.

Open: 7 days lunch noon-2.30pm, dinner 6-10pm

Owners: Joseph and Cilla Tsui

Chef: C.K. Ko

On the menu: Spicy beef with crispy vegetable leaves $15; stewed whole fish with beancurd and vegetables $33; scallop with Chinese whisky sauce $26; Kwangtung barbecued duck $22

Vegetarian: Many choices

Wine: Licensed and BYO

Smoking: Separate areas

Noise: No

Parking: Room to park a bus ... every 20 minutes

Disabled access/toilets: Tricky. Steps up to front door, narrow hallways

Bottom line: For 22 years Joseph and Cilla Tsui have built a reputation among the locals and their compatriots from across the region with classic, primarily Cantonese dishes, the most famous of which is their renowned Peking Duck. That loyal clientele keeps the converted corner store and attached villa packed for two sittings every night, seven nights a week.

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