The Asian taste invasion continues, with yet another relatively new and very Chinese restaurant in Newcastle. It looks like Stowell street is longer enough to contain the abundance of brilliant Chinese cuisine that's being cooked up in Newcastle, as a new restaurant seems to pops up in the surrounding areas every other week. Keco is a strange one, but being strange doesn't mean it can't be utterly delicious. Situated next to the ever vulgar diarrhoea-mongering Chicken Cottage, Keco has a swath, clean cut finish unlike some of the more rustic siblings in the heart of China Town. This dark but seductive theme, along with it's very central location means it's not a bad place for nice evening meal followed by drinks in town.
Like many of the other Chinese restaurants on and near Stowell street, they feel compelled to offer a weak 'Western menu' (or Westren menu as they like to call it), offering dull sweet and sour generics and pitiful 'curry' <insert meat> dishes. They also have some poorly placed Thai dishes pasted into the menu for further pointlessness. Are there still culinary Neanderthals out there eating this muck? Thankfully, Keco has more than redeemed itself with a particularly strong Traditional menu, which boasts deeply intense flavours and interestingly delicious cuts of meat - indicative of truly authentic Chinese cuisine.
The Fat Spoon's life advice of Chinese restaurants? Always always always opt for the traditional/Chinese menu. There may well be some risk involved, but without that risk you wouldn't have the opportunity to sample something new and brilliant. Keco encompasses the sheer passion of Chinese cuisine in their monstrous hot pots, fiery hot dried beef, oddly-named man and wife offal slices, and their outstandingly rich belly pork dishes. Don't be afraid of dishes served cold. Don't be afraid of dishes with weird names. And definitely don't be afraid of eating offal. The Chinese have mastered these dishes for centuries and Keco can replicate them at a fantastic standard. One of the greatest benefits of living in a multicultural city is having access is to these foreign wonders of taste. The large portions mean the food is very well priced, and although English might not the be the serving staff's first language (or second of third), they are ultra friendly and welcoming. Visit soon and try something that would probably scare your Grandma. 83%
Many people seem to be of the impression that the restaurants and cafes of China Town are all the same. Surely they all cook up the same standard Chinese dishes to satisfy all, what does one offer that the other doesn't? Wrong, there's a world of difference between many of the random venues on Stowell Street. Sky is so much more than a run of the mill Chinese buffet that is a popular regular dining experience for Newcastle's growing abundance of radgies. Sky is the very aptly awarded and indisputable king of Dim Sum.
For those that are unfamiliar with Dim Sum, it's essentially the Chinese analogue of tapas cuisine, small and flavoursome dishes, ideal for sharing with large or small groups. It's more than just wicker baskets with rank chicken feet or testicle like squidgy balls filled with some dubious meat, which is what some buffet restaurants like to present in their shady and forsaken Dim Sum corner. There's much more variety and quality available at Sky. And their food is as real as it gets, so don't expect to like/understand/feel comfortable with every dish on the menu. As proper Chinese food is a million miles away from the typical Western approach on food. There are a few 'interesting' cuts of animal on the menu, but dining out is all about trying new things. It's not like they'll ask you to eat cat placenta, so just be adventurous.
The host of steamed dumplings and the super special noodles (includes sizable chunks of every species from Old MacDonald's farm and more) are among the Fat Spoon's favourite dishes here. The service is as cheerful as most of Stowell Street's better restaurants, but unfortunately, despite the slow elevator ride to the restaurant you don't get a particularly great view of Newcastle as the name 'Sky' would suggest. The restaurant itself is nice enough and the fact that you can play 'spot the westerner' as you enter the restaurant validates that the food here is truly authentic. 83%
