China Lane, Sydney

I went for an impromptu dinner at China Lane the other night, the offshoot to the ever popular China Doll which I also visited for the first time this year.

I have to say, I loved the decor and the vibe, and how easy it was to get a table. The food isn't too expensive, but it certainly isn't cheap either. It is all easy to eat, flavoursome fare which was perfect for the girly night we had planned and so we didn't want to have to think about the food too much.

(Note the better photos were taken on my S100, others on iphone oops!)

We started with these pulled pork buns - these were really cute and awesomely soft and fluffy. They had a spicy flavour which I really liked and overall these were a big thumbs up!

We had the pork belly (which I'd also tried at China Doll) and this was tasty and melt in your mouth, though pork belly has never been my favourite thing.

They have this amazing private room which looks moody and intimate, and has the perfect asian food round table which looks to seat around 8 people. I'm definitely keeping it mind for any future events or dinners!

We decided to try dessert because of the name which included something along the lines of 'szechuan meringue'. What could that be, we asked? The waitress didn't explain it too well so we thought we'd find out ourselves and this is what appeared. It was tasty (I mean, who doesn't love meringue?) and colourful with the beetroot jelly and strawberries but not particularly deconstructed or szechuan as the menu had described.

And I love the outside dangling lanterns/lighting and outdoor seating. If it was a warmer day I would totally have asked to sit outside!