Walking through Dickson is something akin to turning the corner into a side alley market. A place somewhere along the Silk Road where all Asian countries are represented: Korean, Thai, Indian and at least three Asian supermarkets. Representatives of the far off European countries are dotted through the market along with the alternative foods contingent.
Secreted on the second floor of Woolley Street, standing above all other eateries, The Scholar is the place for Yum Cha. Up a narrow stair case, bypassing all the other choices of food and drink, the space opens out into a deceptively large restaurant, trolleys filled with all sorts of game, red meat and sea creatures from lobster dumplings and salt and pepper squid to crispy chicken and of course tea. Yum Cha is great when you want to try everything and food envy is non-existent inside the walls of The Scholar.
Dickson is also a great place to go for those with very specific dietary requirements. Vegetarian and vegan digestive systems are catered for with Au Lac serving all forms of flavoured tofu and vegetables and Kingsland Vegan Restaurant just around the corner. Widening out in proximity My Rainbow Dreams, a vegetarian restaurant resides on the other side of Dickson.
Wandering in another direction and turning around another corner, passing two Indian restaurants, a traveler would stumble upon the very small South American quarter, featuring Cholo’s Peruvian Cuisine, nestled out of sight and almost out of Dickson. This exotic restaurant offers a taste of Peru. For some the taste is an unfamiliar one but the Pollo a la Brasa (Peruvian BBQ chicken) alone will open eyes and pallets to the variety found in this hidden gem.
Amazingly, a place for brunch can be found on the same side of the street as Cholo’s. The muted sounds of oasis like calm spill out of Trev’s @ Dickson and over into the street. Regal and quietly keeping itself to itself, the little café/restaurant boasts quality and local produce, Australian cuisine in a cosy atmosphere. With such multicultural choices, Challis Street is a section of this international market that is well worth a stroll.
Back in the centre of Dickson, Sub-Urban takes over a prominent corner, with space for a delightful beer garden, a stage and dance floor near the bar inside. Acting partly as an extension for the fantastic Italian restaurant next door, Sub-Urban takes pizza orders for Belluci’s, melding delicious food with the bar atmosphere and the pleasant outdoor ambience of the beer garden.
Dickson comes alive during the middle of the day and then again later at night, bursting from the seams twice a day like a bustling market bridged by a contrasting siesta highlighting the busy periods on this side of the world.
