China Doll, Woolloomoolloo

Asian

Being of Chinese heritage, we don't go out to eat at Chinese restaurants as often as one might think. I'm a big fan of the cheap, no-frills Chinese restaurant for a good noodle feed or family yum cha, however we seldom dine at restaurants on the higher end of the price spectrum. But the iconic China Doll is no ordinary Chinese restaurant, so when time came to choose at place at which to celebrate my birthday recently, I knew that that was where I wanted to go.

Dumplings ahoy at Yang's Dumpling, Burwood

Burwood

This dumpling eatery has cemented a spot in our hearts as one of our favourite dumpling places of all time. If you haven't heard of Yang's Dumpling before, then be you'll be itching to try their dumplings by the end of this post.

A look into a Chinese Wedding Banquet at Rhodes Phoenix

Banquet

Chinese wedding banquets are big affairs. They are a quintessential part of the traditional Chinese wedding, and often whole restaurants will be booked out for the special occasion. Family and friends will gather after the wedding ceremony to share an impressive feast can consist of more than ten different courses.

Old Town on Barangaroo

barangaroo

With the opening of the new tunnel connecting Wynyard to Barangaroo, it's now a whole lot easier to access Sydney's newest harbourside precinct. The dining and retail portion of the area is marketed as 'The Streets of Barangaroo', and walking through the clean, modern streets gives rise to the exciting feeling of exploring a newly developed community.

Hot Pot at iPot, Darling Harbour

Chinese

The first thing that you will notice at iPot is the sauce station. Filled with more than 24 different sauces, this is the ultimate DIY experience that is sure to both excite and overwhelm you. 

Tim Ho Wan, Burwood

Asian

When Michelin-starred Tim Ho Wan opened it’s very first Sydney restaurant in Chatswood early last year, dim sum fans came from far and wide to get a taste of those revered dumplings and that famous bbq pork bun.

Flower Drum, Melbourne

Chinese

The thought of Chinese restaurants brings back old memories of grand banquets and traditional weddings at the esteemed Marigold and Dragon Star restaurants (when the latter was still operating) in Sydney’s bustling Chinatown. The delicious, crispy crack of suckling pig skin and wobbly jelly noodles, messy sang choy bow and fragrant whole steamed fish come flooding back into mind.

Going it spicy at Spice Temple, Sydney CBD

Chinese
It amazes me how interior designers are able to integrate alluring spaces into the most unsuspecting areas. Spice Temple’s inconspicuous entrance - a hologram-like doorway tucked into a crevice to the side of Rockpool’s grand façade on Hunter Street - is a case in point.

Walk down the yellow-tinted stairwell to basement level, where you’ll emerge into a dimly-lit abyss marked by red slat screens and dark mood lighting. It’s instantly calming, and one can be forgiven for forgetting that busy Sydney city sits only a few stair flights away.

Black Sesame Tong Yuan

Chinese
Imagine if someone told you that all the best features of Asian sweets existed in a single dessert. The sticky, chewy texture of mochi, the roasted aroma of black sesame, ginger's signature hot zing, and the warm fulfilment of a sweet dessert soup, melded together to create what encompasses the pinnacle of everything that I love about Asian cuisine. 

Chinese New Year, for many Chinese families, is a celebration bigger than Christmas. It's a time when multiple generations get together, exchange well wishes, and gather to eat a banquet of traditional, well-loved foods which are destined to give good luck for the new year.

Pho Toan Thang, Flemington

Chinese
People naturally gravitate towards queues. Perhaps it's curiosity. Or perhaps it's the intrinsic human need to be where the crowds are, to feel included and in the know. Either way, a queue outside a restaurant indicates more often than not that it is one that you should visit. If you have the time and stomach capacity to wait, that is.

At Pho Toan Thang in the inner west Asian hub of Flemington, you will find a queue snaking outside the restaurant, tucked inside an arcade, every day. Some times, if you arrive early enough, you may be rewarded with a short queue, perhaps only two or three groups long. Or if you're really lucky there may be no queue at all. This Vietnamese-Chinese restaurant is well known among the local community for its cheap, consistently delicious food and fast turnover. So don't let the line deter you, it simply indicates a level of popularity and cult-like following signals a good feed. It's not the kind of place you would take someone for a good chat or catch-up, but rather the eatery you would turn to for a quick, low-cost but extremely filling, satisfying meal.