Parra on a Plate: Temasek reopens, Parkroyal hotel hosts bottomless high tea

A Parramatta mainstay finds a new home, bottomless high tea flows at a hotel and dumplings are on offer at a Middle Eastern debutant. Find out the latest on Parramatta’s flourishing food scene with Parra on a Plate.

Jeremy Cho at Temasek’s new location in Parramatta’s CBD.

Parramatta institution Temasek has relocated its new home in the CBD while the city finally has a regular high tea to savour on Sundays.

Meanwhile, at Merrylands, Middle Eastern restaurant Iftar is leading a cluster of restaurants bringing the flavour to a new apartment complex.

Welcome to Parra on a Plate, where you can find what’s new with Parramatta’s delicious food scene.

Temasek

For 33 years, Temasek had no trouble pulling in flocks of Sydneysiders while it was tucked away in the Roxy Arcade where diners feasted on simple but sensational cuisine.

Now, after the small restaurant fell into disrepair, it has relocated slightly further down George St to a more prominent position fitting of its status as a mecca for authentic Singaporean and Malaysian dishes including signature laksas and chilli crab (which must be pre-ordered).

Inevitable teething problems have crept into the new premises (patchy airconditioning, new machinery in the kitchen and using iPads instead of writing pads).

Temasek’s new location is at 2/100 George St, Parramatta.

Nasi lemak with beef rendang.

It didn’t help that the first day of trade at the new venue, at the corner of Smith St, was Lunar New Year, which gave owner Jeremy Cho a bit of a headache.

But make no mistake, Temasek is still flourishing.

Cho, whose late mother Susan Wong established the restaurant in 1992, says “at least” 600 laksas are served each week.

On a Wednesday evening visit, it didn’t take long for the 120-seat venue to fill up, with several tables reserved and a queue patiently waiting outside for a nosh.

Many hanker for the popular Hainanese chicken rice.

Diners continue to travel from all points of the city to Temasek.

“These customers, they come from the north shore,’’ Cho says as he points to two men waiting for their group to join them over the lazy Susan.

They are also waiting for him specifically to cook their raw fish dish to mark the Year of the Snake.

Jeremy Cho keeps the crowds happy.

Return customers has been key to Temasek’s success.

“Give them a reason to come back I guess,’’ Cho says.

“We don’t have a view, we don’t have a wine list. We’re trying to offer more food items.’’

The assembly of seven chefs rarely changes – perhaps another key to its success.

“The staff is always the same, we’ve been working for a long time,’’ Cho says.

“So if you eat chicken that person’s been doing it for 20 years.’’

Cho’s specialty is the oyster omelette, a delicacy that is limited to 15 a week.

When Cho’s mother left her job in the banking industry to open the restaurant in 1992, it mainly attracted Malaysian and Singaporean customers and the first night was a mere 10 diners.

That soon changed when a businessman visited after he was keen for the cuisine he pined for while living in Singapore.

Word spread and Temasek’s customer base is a true cross section, from local couples, white-collar workers to Eric and Linda Wong – the owners behind another iconic Asian restaurant, Golden Century.

Temasek in the Roxy Arcade in July 2008.

In his 20s, Cho, now 48, followed in his mother’s footsteps to work in the banking industry and completed a finance degree.

He was only supposed to help his mum at Temasek for a “couple of months” but that was 22 years ago.

“I can’t escape now,’’ he says.

He has witnessed three generations of customers.

“Some times I see boyfriend and girlfriends dating then they come here to eat and they have children, but the sad part is you see the regular customers pass away,” he said.

His mother worked in the finance industry and then catering before branching out to start her own business with her sister Gladys.

The second born of seven children, Susan was a self-trained chef who learned how to master dishes by observing vendors at hawker markets in her homeland of Singapore.

Temasek replaces a string of restaurants at its existing site, including a Greek, which could not survive the wrath of Covid.

But, like Cho, we think Temasek is here to stay, hopefully for another three decades.

Bottomless high tea

Flavour-laden sandwiches and petite pastries paired with a soothing tea and bottomless sparkling wine – Parramatta finally has a regular high tea sitting to savour with the Parkroyal hotel now hosting the elegant dining experience each Sunday.

Guests and visitors are invited to free flowing refreshments and beverages over a leisurely afternoon with topped-up sandwiches, along sweet and savoury pastry treats including classic smoked salmon croissants and chicken coronation pinwheels.

Endless sandwiches and drinks await at the Parkroyal’s high tea. Picture: David Li

They are served with the sparkling wine and unlimited tea and coffee in the hotel’s stylist Club Lounge.

“Guests will be welcome to indulge in a perfect combination of delicious sandwiches, Instagram-worthy desserts, and endless tea and coffee to enjoy, all while relaxing in a chic, elegant atmosphere,’’ a hotel spokeswoman says.

The experience is welcome in Parramatta since the beloved Gatehouse Tea Rooms in Parramatta Park ceased two years ago.

The Parkroyal’s high tea runs from noon to 2.30pm each Sunday. Adults $88, $48 per child (aged five to 12).

Wood-fired bread and burrata.

Dumplings are part of the imaginative menu at Iftar.

Iftar

If you don’t think you can find dumplings at a Lebanese restaurant, think again.

Merrylands resident and Iftar owner Jeremy Agha is all about addings twists to Middle Eastern cuisine since the restaurant arrived in the Mason and Main complex in December.

And that includes its dumplings, which have proven quite the hit, thanks to the Wagyu beef kafta-stuffed parcels with house made teriyaki sauce and crunchy chilli oil.

Be prepared to wait for a spot at the 75-seat venue where other dishes include spiced manoush, lamb shawarma tacos and wood-fired sourdough.

Agha proudly named the restaurant Iftar – meaning breakfast in Arabic – but it is also a nod to his mother Rita, with the letters of her moniker in the name.