There's no place like home; there is no phrase more true if you grew up in Cabramatta. The main streets and the narrowest alleyways are full of life, with hustle and bustle at each turn. A predominately Vietnamese and Chinese community, this small South-Western suburb put itself on the map for its diverse Asian culture, bargain fabrics and affordable eats. Where else would you find some of Sydney's best pork rolls, supermarkets selling exotic fruits like cumquat/durian/dragonfruit, and BBQ roast shops within a few steps from one another?

A growing little Asia metropolis that was once overshadowed by its dark past, these days you'll count yourself lucky to get a parking spot within 30 minutes and don't have to wait more than that for a seat at a restaurant. We were not so lucky for this Sunday morning unfortunately taking more than 40+ minutes to find parking... 

After vigorously fighting old ladies for parking spots, we finally made it to queue for Vinh Phat Yum Cha. Vinh Phat has been around for as long as I can remember, a small institution that planted their roots at the space across the road (now a Vietnamese street food restaurant). The previous space housed no more than twenty tables from memory, with apprehensive red curtains and worn down fittings. Still, they did well. Really well and enough for them to move to into the much bigger space they are located at now.

After a short 30-40minute wait, we got to the top of the stairs to see the whole space filled with happy diners. Hot tea, chilli sauce and menus were given to us as soon as we sat down, not as if we needed them though, we're regular yum cha eaters ;-) 

Since there were only two of us today, we didn't get to eat as many things - tip: always go in groups of three minimum (dumplings come in 3-4 per serving). We ordered a few things we wanted and also had a peak into the carts of the dumpling ladies pushing by. I always get this sense of excitement when they approach, wondering what surprises they have in their little carts, hoping it'd be something new or an old favourite.

Fried Prawn Spring Rolls 

Savoury Football (Ham Sui Gok)

Pork and Prawn Dumpling (Sui Mai)

Chives and Prawn Dumpling (Gow Choy Gao)

Chicken Feet

Eagerness: when you have no self-control and eat your dumpling as soon as it's off the steamer, thereby burning your tongue. 

As there's such a high turnover rate, all the food is so, so fresh. Most people shy away from the unconventional dishes such as chicken feet, but it's something I've grown up eating and love! The black bean sauce is the perfect combination of slightly sweet, sticky and chilli, and is full of flavour (though they do have their off days). The table standard sui mai had a generous filling of prawns and I love the sort of gelatinous pastry of the chives dumpling. Footballs, otherwise known as ham sui gok, has a chewy pastry similar to mochi but the outside is super crispy giving it that contrast of textures. I was a bit disappointed with the lack of filling in these, though they were still quite tasty.

Sweet Tofu with Ginger Syrup (Duofu Hua)

Mango Pancake

Finally desserts to top off your meal. I almost always get doufu hua, because there's not many places outside of yum cha where you can find it. Silky tofu layered with sweet ginger syrup in between, it is heavenly. Mum has always said eating more tofu would give you silkier skin, so get on it ;-). We almost always get mango pancake, which sells out surprisingly quick all the time, so have learnt now to just order it earlier on and save it for later. The hin crepe like pastry, fresh cream and lots of mango pieces (usually frozen) together is just a solid combo for me. 

Yum Cha dining has such a beautiful way of bringing families and friends together and the great thing is that there's a little something for everyone. We are quite spoiled here with the numerous of decent quality and moderately priced yum places and even dumpling joints for a take-home fix! What's different about the yum cha in Cabramatta is that there's a fusion of Chinese and Vietnamese influences, with some dishes you probably won't find in a yum cha joints in the CBD/Chatswood/Hurstville. And nothing compares to its price - the meal costed us less than $20 each! 

In a city where expenses are high, travel is long and full of mediocrity, there's really no place like home.