Fei Jai Next Door: Where Cantonese cuisine and cocktails collide

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The general sentiment within the industry was that if there was ever a venue that could withstand the full force of the lockout laws it was Barrio Chino — the ultimate playground for Sydney’s beautiful people.

Not kidding, they would spill out of the famed taqueria every night, juiced up on tequila and tostadas, and totter off to further debauchery over at the now-abandoned Hugo’s or Backroom.

But as deflating as Barrio Chino’s demise was, it allowed Lew and Galloway to snap up the site next to their other institution, Fei Jai at Potts Point — a spot previously occupied by The Sardine Room (which relocated to Manly) on swanky Challis Ave.

Dubbed Fei Jai Next Door, the idea, says Lew, was to create a holding pen of sorts, where patrons can nibble dumplings and sip cocktails while waiting for a table at its big sister restaurant Fei Jai.

A Cantonese dumpling aficionado, Lew, who is the nephew of Melbourne Flower Drum founder Gilbert Lau, beefed up the snack menu and tacked on a few fresh dishes to mark the new digs.

A few months in, Next Door is proudly a flourishing little entity in its own right, where people are quite happy to spend an entire meal either propped up at the cocktail bar or slotted into one of the tables which — it should be noted — are on the smallish side.

A ripper cocktail list was also put together and, speaking as someone who can take or leave a $20 glass of sugary alcohol, they are must-try stuff.

As many as you can, in fact (provided your liver can take the weight), but if you must limit to one then plonk down $18 for the Gooseberry Mule — a mix of vodka, ginger, five spice agave and lemon. Sensational.

The dumplings, says Lew, come from recipes nabbed from Uncle Gilbert in Melbourne and include soup-filled xiao long bao ($12 for four) as well as a combo of prawn scallop and broccoli stem ($15 for four), though I found the texture of the latter a little sludgy on my visit.

Far better were the tuna tartare spring rolls (two for $14), which are deep-fried and stuffed with a sweet and super-fresh, soy-infused tuna mix.

Crabmeat in varying forms appears all over the menu — in an egg white omelet, in a rice congee or mixed into spanner crab cakes.

We go for the braised eggplant and blue swimmer crab ($30), which is incredibly tasty and great with rice but, unlike the picture below, has just one small sliver of nipper meat resting on top.

Staff cheerily recommend the twice-cooked duck ($34) and they’re right on the money. The bird, roasted then flash-fried just before serving so it arrives in all its salty, crispy delicious glory, is pepped up by a rich crust of tamarind and garlic and finished with eschalots and lychees.

A full night of cocktails, wine and several dishes may set you back a bit — our tab came in at just under $300 — but it could be done cheaper with some smart navigation.

The staff have to be contenders for the most affable (and gorgeous) in Sydney — both the guys and girls. Something for everyone.

Yes, Barrio Chino may have gone but be sure its legacy of excellent food served to the devastatingly hip is shimmying away in style just down the road.

FEI JAI NEXT DOOR

Where: 31 Challis Ave, Potts Point

Phone: 8668 4424

Web:feijai.com

Style: Cantonese and cocktails

Open: Saturday to Sunday noon-10pm, Monday-Friday 6pm-10pm

Highlight: The tuna tartare spring rolls

Lowlight: It’s Potts Point pricey.

Like this, then try these

● misschu, George St

● Tim Ho Wan, Chatswood

● East London, Paddington.

All meals are paid for and visits unannounced