First look at Gold Coast authentic Chinese restaurant featuring yum cha and live seafood
Live crustaceans, spicy sauces and handmade dumplings — this new Chinese restaurant is authentic and enticing. Check out what’s on the menu.
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OPENING a Chinese restaurant in Broadbeach felt like a homecoming for Ken Zeng, a chef and businessman who has spent much of his life globetrotting from kitchen to kitchen.
“Around 20 to 30 years ago I was travelling around Europe and Japan, finding and cooking good food, meeting different people from different countries,” Ken says.
“I was in the UK for eight years and then I came here, because I was travelling here when I was a kid.
“I have childhood memories of the Gold Coast. I love this area. It’s quiet, we have a beautiful seaside way, it’s very comfortable to stay in. I will spend my whole life here.”
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With a long career in hospitality, Grand Dynasty Restaurant in The Oasis shopping strip is a reflection of Ken’s experiences working behind the hotplates and front of house.
The restaurant serves traditional yum cha for lunch and a la carte options for dinner, with a strong focus on seafood and Hong Kong fare.
“All of the yum cha is hand-made,” Ken says. “The prawn dumpling, the barbecue pork bun, dim sums.
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“People know how to taste the difference between the fresh ones and frozen ones. People love the prawn dumpling, dim sum, rice noodle.
“For dinner time — beef with black pepper and honey sauce, the crispy pork belly and duck with plum sauce.
“We do a beautiful Hong Kong chilli mud crab. It’s dry chilli style like a salt and pepper, but much better. It’s the most popular dish in the restaurant.
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“We do a lot of live seafood here — live lobster, live mud crab, live fish. Because we’re Hong Kong style we love to do fresh seafood.
“The chefs are old-school people, but they’re consistent. Some traditional Hong Kong food takes preparation but they’re insistent on doing it the traditional way.”
Like many career restaurateurs, Ken learnt the ropes as a teen in family owned hospitality ventures in his home country.
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However, he says it was a mentor he met on the Gold Coast called Jack Sum that guided him towards opening his own venue.
“I did many things in my parents’ restaurant — I did a cashier job, I did a waiter’s job, I had to wash the dishes,” he laughs.
“Five years ago I worked with my teacher Jack Sum (on the Gold Coast).
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“He’s a very successful Chinese restaurant owner. He opened 10 seafood restaurants here.
“I learnt a lot from my teacher, I know the local customers, I know the international tourists. He was very kind.”
Off the back of busy Chinese New Year bookings, Ken is looking forward to welcoming new customers to try his authentic fare.
“I feel sorry for our local customers because I had to say ‘no, we’re booked out, booked out’. But they understand,” Ken says.
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“I try to provide good-quality food and warm customer service. I always tell my customers, ‘I want you guys to have a beautiful lunch or dinner here’.
“I will do my best to make everyone happy.”
Grand Dynasty is open daily from 10.30am for lunch and dinner at the Oasis Shopping Centre, Broadbeach
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