Chinese cuisine’s best kept secret
Some restaurants spend a fortune on fit-outs in the trendiest parts of town, while others prefer to let their food do the talking. Three Elements Chinese Restaurant is among the latter, which makes its discovery all the more exciting.
Located upstairs in a large, nondescript building on a residential street in Riccarton, Three Elements is almost certainly the best Chinese restaurant you’ve never heard of.
The restaurant opened in 2011 at what was then the Riccarton Club but is now the New Zealand Institute of Sport.
However, it wasn’t until 2016 when Jollie and Jacky Zhang took over that the restaurant started its climb to the culinary heights that today make it a top pick among chefs and Chinese foodies from as far away as Auckland.
The husband-and-wife team are passionate about the fare they create and providing customers a relaxed, low-key place to explore the offerings.
They are best known for their barbecue and hot pot dishes, and Jollie says chefs from other restaurants often stop by late at night to sample the meals and make comparisons.
The restaurant stays open until 1am to cater to this late-night crowd, and is fully licensed with a gaming room and pool table to keep the good times rolling.
Their popularity has now reached the point that lunch services are being introduced.
From next week, Three Elements will be open for lunch from 11.30am to 2pm, before reopening for dinner from 5pm, when the barbecue gets fired up.
A $10 lunch special is among a number of new dishes joining the menu since the recruitment late last year of two additional Chinese chefs.
One chef made the journey south from Auckland and the other was discovered by Jollie’s own parents at a restaurant in northern China and flown in especially.
Jacky is the kitchen’s barbecue expert, producing delicious skewers of lamb, beef, seafood and vegetables that can have their spiciness dialled down by request.
With the two new chefs on board, more sweet-and-sour and other familiar Chinese dishes are starting to make their mark. Jollie is usually front of house to help with inquiries and give advice to uncertain diners.
‘‘I love food and cooking and talking about food – anything to do with food makes me happy,’’ Jollie says.
‘‘We make everything from scratch and we have lots of special dishes that other Chinese restaurants don’t have, like our sour and clear noodles, Chinese bao burgers, sesame sauce noodles and egg pancakes. From the bottom of our hearts, we really love food, so we make sure it’s the best quality. If it doesn’t taste nice, we wouldn’t want to give it to a customer.’’
Three Elements Chinese Restaurant is child-friendly and has a play area for young ones, as well as plenty of off-street parking right outside the door.
From the bottom of our hearts, we really love food so we make sure it’s the best quality. Jollie Zhang Three Elements Chinese Restaurant