Steamed veggies… including Chinese broccoli and bok choy with oyster sauce. Photo: Wendy Johnson

The meat from the half duck was carved and artfully plated with a fan of thin pancakes, as well as petite dishes of cucumber, spring onion and Hoisin sauce. Photo: Wendy Johnson

Sizzling beef tenderloin… with black pepper sauce. Photo: Wendy Johnson

Honey golden potato… finely grated potato with a combo of honey, chilli and orange juice. Photo: Wendy Johnson

Dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON throws support behind one of the (struggling) restaurants in the light rail construction area and indulges in the chef’s masterfully created, authentic Beijing roast duck.

The light rail construction continues to take its toll on businesses in the city depending in part on walk-by trade.

With this in mind, we headed into the zone to visit Little Steamer, to throw our support behind one of the (struggling) restaurants in the area and to indulge in the chef’s masterfully created, authentic Beijing roast duck.

A delightful Chinese restaurant, Little Steamer was entirely fenced on our visit at the front entrance on London Circuit (the second entrance at the rear is in quiet Hobart Place, perfect when the weather suits). 

Despite the chaos outside, we were greeted by welcoming staff and led to a table in a corner of the quiet, calm restaurant, admiring the light, bright interior and walls decorated with cultural artwork and charming wall displays of Chinese bowls and bamboo steam baskets.

Little Steamer was opened by chef Wei He and wife Kim Zhang, who are passionate about serving dishes that comfort the soul and super specialties that draw loyal fans back time and again. 

The restaurant is renowned for its house-specialty duck. The chef visited our table and said the process for this incredible dish takes two full days. It involves marinating the meat overnight, placing it in boiling water, brushing it with a special mixture, leaving it overnight once more, and then finally whacking it into the oven, cooking it to perfection. 

The meat from our half duck ($52.80) was skilfully carved and artfully plated with a fan of perfectly placed thin pancakes, as well as petite dishes of cucumber, spring onion and earthy Hoisin sauce.

So as not to waste any duck, the chef creates several accompaniments. Included in the price is a choice of fried rice, duck soup, stir-fry noodle, or salt and pepper bone. It’s an inventive approach and adds value to the price charged. 

The duck was to die for and is worth a visit to Little Steamer. The stir-fried noodles were not just good, they were amazing.

A first-try dish for all of us was honey golden potato. The mini mountain of finely grated potato is made with a delicious combo of honey, chilli and orange juice ($12.80). It looks sensational and is truly addicting.

Down the hatch went the sizzling beef tenderloin ($29.80). The beef with black pepper sauce was melt-in-the-mouth. We balanced the flavours out with steamed veggies, including Chinese broccoli, bok choy and oyster sauce ($14.50). 

Formally trained in Beijing, the chef has added to Little Steamer’s menu creative steamed chicken feet in homemade sauce ($16.80) and “golden sand” dishes (with the coating made from secret ingredients that create great flavour and a crumbly texture resembling sand). The “my style” section of the menu is worth exploring.