Since opening late last year, the Bob Hawke Beer and Leisure Centre has won the popular vote for best brewery in the inner west. If you thought winning a seat in the 1983 election was tricky, just try getting a stool at Hawke’s brewery on a Sunday.

And just when the hype was starting to subside, the beloved boozer has announced a new yum cha service in the Lucky Prawn bistro on the first Sunday of every month.

Lucky Prawn, which is helmed by former Cho Cho San chef Nic Wong, is a throwback to the Australian-Chinese restaurants of the ’80s.

It takes its culinary cues from the Kan-Tong era, when ice cream was deep-fried, prawns were drenched in honey, and sweet and sour pork glowed in the dark.

Occupying just a portion of the large, open-plan brewery, Lucky Prawn pays tribute to the Jade Dragons and Noodle Kings of our childhood, complete with tasseled lanterns and silky bamboo wallpaper.

To top it off, they’ve also installed a 120kg giant, gold crustacean called Shane Prawn above the bistro, which is a tribute to Australia’s iconic collection of “big things”.

This is yum cha as Bob Hawke would have liked it. None of that “tea” business, but rounds of cold beer on every table with plenty of crispy snacks on the side.

Brews arrive in dimpled glasses. We’re particularly partial to the easy-drinking, tropical tang of the Patio Ale as well as the Belgium Wit, a light, citrusy brew with a slice of orange on the side (it’s great as a shandy, too).

In place of the yum cha trolleys, there’s a ballot system, with order forms and pencils handed out to every table. Simply number your preferences, being careful not to miss the prawn toast. Lucky Prawn does a perfect rendition of the retro entree. Cut into triangles, each sesame-and-prawn-loaded piece is so crunchy you can hear it from the bakery across the road.

Keep spinning the lazy Susan until you see the fried rice come around. Not your average food court variety, Wong trades out the ham cubes for sweet, salty lap cheong sausage, egg omelette and shallots. The best part is the crispy rice pieces from its brief dance in the wok. Better still, scoop it up with a prawn cracker for extra crunch.

The kitchen team has given the prawn-stuffed eggplant a fair go. Silky half-moons of braised eggplants are filled with a prawn mixture, then splashed in a sweet ginger sauce. It’s tasty but not quite at the Sydney yum cha level just yet.

The energy, however, is spot-on yum cha chaos. There’s sizzling from the kitchen, glasses clinking, tables being set and reset as yet another group wanders in.

Like all good Chinese meals, it finishes with a fortune cookie. Crack it open to reveal who on your table must buy the next round – here’s hoping you get lucky.