Exotic Upscale Asian Dining in Ascot

Aquarium Seafood Chinese Restaurant 
Location: 202 Great Eastern Hwy. Ascot, WA 6104
Phone: 08-9478-1868
Offers: Dine-in, Party Room, Banquet, Functions, Bar 
Dining Concept: Upscale 
Cuisine: Authentic Cantonese and Northern Chinese Cuisine
Signature Dishes: Golden Snow Crab, Lobster Lettuce Wrap
Year of Establishment: 2006
Website: www.aqcr.com.au

Aquarium Seafood Chinese Restaurant is the brainchild of owners Kelvin & Kathy Keung. They have channeled their creativity into the restaurant and in the process have instilled it with tasteful ambience for the enjoyment of discerning diners.

Stepping into the spacious, acoustically pleasing space, you will find yourself transported to a vast underwater universe with soothing images of marine life gracing the walls.. With a 9.5m long aquarium forming the backdrop of the restaurant, it is clear to guests that the restaurant is designed to bring the unique and exciting idea of “aquarium dining” to the community of Ascot. To create this stunning space, Kathy consulted award-winning architect Peter Otto to realise and expand on her vision. The result is a serene yet exciting space with an enticing combination of materials, colours, and textures. Notably absent is the “traditional Chinese look.” Instead, the interior has a plush and contemporary feel. Kathy’s influence is felt throughout the restaurant in its elegant lighting, the wooden white-linen covered tables, and in the decorative pictures.

”I want to avoid using loud and predictable colours such as red in my Chinese restaurant to express something fresh and creative,” says Kathy. “The complete fine dining experience goes beyond food to interior design and overall ambience, and the vibe is important to me for the enjoyment of my dining guests.”

A restaurant’s vibe is created and maintained by its owners. At Aquarium, it is quite clear that Kathy has a knack for presenting customers with an unforgettable dining experience. On weekends, it will be hard to find an empty seat in the 600 square metre restaurant as diners soak up the lively and elegant atmosphere.

Dining options for large groups are further enhanced by the newly remodeled function room. It is designed for gatherings of up to 50 people and is perfect for holding banquets, birthday parties, anniversaries, and even cocktail parties. Whether for business or for pleasure, those who choose to celebrate at Aquarium Seafood can rest assured that they will be celebrating in style.

The sleek and chic interior décor that wows patrons is matched by Aquarium Seafood Chinese Restaurant’s impressive menu. Their extensive plethora of gourmet delights include snow crab, lobster, abalone, scallops, king prawns, tooth fish, oysters, silver perch, and more. Prepared with authentic culinary flair, the dishes exemplify the best of Chinese cuisine.

Aquarium’s menu showcases the freshest and finest seasonal ingredients that Ascot has to offer, and generously accommodates authentic Cantonese and Northern Chinese dishes as well as Australian style Chinese dishes.

The yolk-coated, golden fried Golden Egg Style Snow Crab and the innovative Lobster Lettuce Wrap are favourites among regular diners. Aquarium’s Lobster Lettuce Wrap is a tasty reinterpretation of the classic Chicken Lettuce Wrap. Featuring a mix of lobster meat, lettuce, and crispy rice noodles, it is one of the restaurant’s “must-have” treats.

Innovative menu creations pepper the entire menu. Owner and main chef Kelvin Keung, who has devoted more than 20 years to mastering the culinary arts, provides leadership to his kitchen team by encouraging them to experiment with new tastes. Based on Chinese cooking styles and bolstered by  Western flavours, the menu is filled with original items like appetizers flavoured with sauces, herbs and spices from a variety of eastern and western culinary traditions. A longer-than-usual menu list reflects Kelvin’s own particular take on the restaurant industry. He maintains his own viewpoint while also listening to his customers and incorporating their ideas into the restaurant’s offerings. The unimitable Aquarium versions of Chilli & Pepper Fried Squid Tentacles, Stuffed Lychee, Sizzling Bean Curd with Chicken & Salted Fish, , Vegetable Wrap, Tender Chiu Chau Stewed Duck, andSichuan Duck Feet are some of the legendary treasures that can be found at the restaurant.

Foodies are always happy when they discover this culinary gem along Great Eastern Highway. In 2009, Aquarium won the coveted “Best Chinese in Australia Award” presented by Restaurant and Catering Australia (RCA) an authoritative national organization on fine dining.

As a veteran businessman, Kelvin began his career at the iconic Regent Hotel in Hong Kong more than 20 years ago and further honed his skills in Australia before opening Aquarium in 2006. He heads kitchem operations, ensures food quality, and flawless dish presentation while refreshing the menu periodically with new and exciting dishes. Kathy is responsible for staff training, financial planning, and other communication work, as well as IT support, which makes full use of her IT background from Hong Kong. Technologically savvy Kathy has equipped the restaurant with a complete and advanced ordering system as well as acoustically sensitive design, to create a complete dining experience in a welcoming and noise free atmosphere.

The knowledgeable staff is trained to provide diners with appropriate menu recommendations, and to help the owners improve existing recipes. Experts are occasionally invited to the restaurant to update the staff on current and emergin dinning trends and also to offer their thoughts on the future of Asian dining. Kathy provides a conducive work culture where her experienced team can constantly upgrade their knowledge and expertise, as she believes high-calibre  staff makes a great impact on the quality of service experienced at her restaurant.

Aquarium’s customers often find it effortless to give positive feedback after their happy dining experience at Aquarium. A typical customer comment would, "The staff was all very helpful when it came to ordering and was attentive when serving us. They even took an extra second to tell us what the dish was and also told us to enjoy our meal before leaving."

Kathy is dedicated to her career, and to always being able to provide customers fresh and tasty dishes in a premium setting. This passion has kept her motivated and always on the search for new ideas. These ideas are collected and delivered to Kelvin and his staff. Many of those ideas have been used and some of the tasty creations have become customer favourites.
 
Within close proximity of Perth’s main airports and Burswood International Resort, Aquarium Seafood Chinese Restaurant is a popular dining destination for interstate visitors, international guests, and also the locals. It is happy to add a fresh and exciting dimension to Perth’s vibrant dining scene.