Suzie Q

THE VERDICT

Oh Suzie Q, I love you and I can’t stop thinking about your barbeque pork buns. Suzie Q is going to be a thing. Before you know it every event you’re going to will be there. 

When you walk in, the vibe is the first thing that strikes you just like szechuan pepper. It’s like an old school Chinese diner turned into a disco. The tunes are bumping, lairy-coloured cocktails are stacked up on the bar ready to slake thirsty punters. 

Upstairs there is a giant selfie mirror, private karaoke (coming soon) and everything is kitted out in neon strip lighting, making it perfectly intimate but also giving the whole venue clubby and location taggy vibes with just a touch of hedonism and good food thrown in.

Apart from those pork buns with candied pork, chilli relish and red coral lettuce that you *absolutely* have to order, we crunched our way through bowls of the beef and black bean tartare that you dish up on prawn crackers and you must too. Ordering the kingfish with white soy vinaigrette, burnt chilli and goji berries is obligatory. There's a number of vegan and veg options but we dunked and dipped chinese donuts into the jiggly mapo tofu with shiitake sauce. The menu is a who’s who of Chinese dishes, but with a fun and fresh twist on them.

Drinks-wise, there’s those cocktails like the delectably tangy Heaven On Earth; a kiwi citrus mash-up with whipped cream on top and the but also a very accessible wine list, and a handful of taps ensuring there’s something for everyone.

The retro oriental charm is just one part of what the latest venue by the Mamas Dining Group (the guys behind Hochi Mama in the city and newly-minted Windsor Wine Room down the road on Chapel Street) has to offer. Suzie Q is named after owner Thai Ho’s aunty, who had an underground Chinese restaurant in San Francisco in the 1980s, and that 80s vibe is definitely back in a big way.

Book your table here.

Image credit: Suzie Q | Supplied

Words: Navarone Farrell

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