wanly noodle shop @ carlingford village, carlingford

Just because two people like food doesn't automatically mean they'll see eye to eye on everything about food. Take for example my dad, he's the cook in the family, loves food and he's not shy to spend money on it. I love his cooking like no other yet when we go out, more often than not, we'll end up in some lengthy debate about what to eat and what to try, and well, dad being dad, usually gets his say.

That's not to say that between us we haven't compromised and lately I've noticed dad has been more willing than he has been in the past. Dad's always been of the thinking that good food is going out to the places you've been to who are known to cook up a good dish and well, what that defaults to is eating the same dishes that have been ordered before. He doesn't think trying new restaurants is a good idea - there have been exceptions (notably when a restaurant is recommended as being cheap) but largely, he sticks to the same places where people end up getting to know us my our names (which is great when it means we get a bit more service).

So where's the compromise? Well lately dad seems to have seen that eating the same thing at the same place every time is quite boring. He's been a bit more adventurous and despite going to the same places, he will break out a little and try something new. Wanly Noodle Shop in Carlingford is a place regularly visited my parents and this what we had the other night:

Something new - Eggy Prawn sitting on a base of crispy fried vermicelli noodles. I'm a fan.

One of the regulars - Curry Beef. It looks like a lot of onion but tastes great.

Seafood with vegetables.

A new take on the omelette. It was a mixed omelette with seafood and meats, served with a sweet & sour sauce.

Dad is a big fan of the head chef who cooks here. It's basically a one-man show and he does a great job at it (and I would agree!). The dishes are all cooked to order, ready in no time and taste great. In Cantonese they would say that all the dishes have good 'wok air' - which really is a compliment to the chef that he's mastered the use of the wok and the food that he cooks out of is superb.

My dad's only warning is be prepared for a substandard quality of food when the head chef isn't there. I guess even with the places that my dad loves to go to aren't always perfect, but I mean, is there really a perfect restaurant out there? If you think there is, let me know!

Anyway, great to see that dad's trying new things when he goes out and eat. And I'll just keep working on pushing him so he tries some of the restaurants which at the moment, only happens when a place closes down and needs to be replaced. Dad will always be Dad!