No. 1 BBQ House, Chinese, Campsie

The line for takeaway at No. 1 BBQ House went out the door.  Luckily for me on this cold Wednesday evening, I could get a seat inside to dine in.  And within minutes my order was taken and my dish is delivered.

Radio 2UE Easter Show Live Broadcast with Tim Webster today from 5.30pm

Noodlies, Sydney food blog will be talking food on Tim Webster's Food, Wine and Dining segment on radio 2UE at their outside broadcast live from the Sydney Royal Easter.  I'll be on from 5.30pm to 6pm.  Kim Coverdale food editor of Australia's best selling food magazine, Super Food Ideas will also be joining us.

Noodlies, Sydney food blog will be talking food on Tim Webster's Food, Wine and Dining segment on radio 2UE at their outside broadcast live from the Sydney Royal Easter.  I'll be on from 5.30pm to 6pm.  Kim Coverdale food editor of Australia's best selling food magazine, Super Food Ideas will also be joining us.

Crazy Wings, Chatswood

I've been raving about Crazy Wings in Chinatown, to just about anybody I knew.  And all the friends who have taken up the recommendation have been delighted (phew!).  Since December, Crazy Wings have opened a second restaurant and it's in Chatswood.  Noodlies Sydney food blog decided it was time for a second visit...

Crazy Wings Chatswood is located in the popular new-ish Eat Street precinct, and it's much bigger and grander than the Chinatown sibling. The decor is imperial Chinese, with a lot of rustic wood.  Crazy Wings is a celebration of Chinese street food, single skewers that you order and eat quickly.

Happy Chef Chinese Restaurant, Newtown

Happy Chef is a Newtown institution, it's been around for at least a couple of decades, noodlies Sydney food blog has been neglecting an old favourite, we last visited over a year ago.  It's time to re-acquaint with some of our favourite dishes.

At first glance Happy Chef offers a bewildering choice of all your favourite Chinese dishes, Mongolian, honey pepper, sweet and sour, satay, black bean, with the usual combination of chicken, lamb, beef and seafood.  They've got a good selection of soups too; wonton, satay, laksa etc.

Super Dish Chinese, Cabramatta

Super Dish is a new restaurant in Cabramatta and it's not Vietnamese.  We're seeing more and more non-Vietnamese restaurants opening in the area recently including, Yummi Thai, Red Sichuan Chinese, Dai Jang Gum, Malaysian House (now closed) to name a few.

I'm guessing the second generation Vietnamese aren't interested in the 7 days restaurant business.  And the void is being filled by others attracted by the sheer number of people who flock to Cabramatta, especially on weekends.

Super Dish is Chinese (Canto) style fare, the sort of restaurant you see in Chinatown, it's no accident they all have similar names like Supermeal and Superbowl. It hasn't been open that long... and you can see from the video above, the crowds flock to anything new.

Taste of Shanghai, Chinese, Sydney

Noodlies Sydney food blog came to the World Square branch of Taste of Shanghai because a friend recommended it.  I've been to their Ashfield restaurant which is always busy and is remarkably authentic and good.



The handy location at World Square is a big plus and I came expecting a lot.  The food came out fast, presentation was very good - stunning for the dumpling plate below.  But for taste, we tried both types of fried dumplings and came away underwhelmed.  While they came out hot and the juice just squirts out upon first bite (I like that!), I couldn't get the flavour I was expecting.

Similarly, the sauce of the hand made noodles Beijing style was a bit plain (maybe that's the Beijing style), but again, I was expecting more spice and flavour.

Have you been to Taste of Shanghai, World Square?  What do you think of their food?

My favourite dish was the fried sweet buns with condensed milk. The skin was golden and inside the dough was fluffy ready to absorb the condensed milk.

Have you had the same experience, or have a different point of view? Let me know what you think.

Taste of Shanghai
Shop 907 World Square
644 George St, Sydney
(02) 9261 8832

U.E. Chinese Restaurant, Cabramatta (Secret Sydney)

UE wins the title of hardest restaurant to find in Cabramatta and that's saying something because there's a few hidden eateries in Cabra town.  Entry is via a street off the main drag, there's minimal signage and you have to go down a tiny, dark alley, dodging abruptly swinging toilet doors and you finally reach U.E. Chinese restaurant.  Watch this noodlies Sydney food blog video and you get a feel for the tomb raider adventure you go through to get to this restaurant.



I've got no idea what U.E stands for, but the restaurant serves Chinese style egg noodles (Vietnamese go for the rice noodles called pho).  We weren't given a menu but a quick scan of the hand written signage stuck to the walls (check out the video) confirms that egg noodle soup is there specialty.  And it's traditional Chinese egg noodles so wonton and boiled duck or beef are all catered for, the relatively version of crispy skin chicken made famous by restaurants like Tan Viet are too much of an innovation.

Walter ordered the wonton version, which was strong in prawn flavours, so be warned if you're not a fan of seafood.  The soup was clear and sweet, shallots and garlic chives adding additional bite.  I recommend adding some fresh chilli for that extra kick.  Remember to dip the wonton into the provided chilli sauce if you want extra spice.

The soup in my duck noodles were darker, no doubt coloured by the meat, which was a tad over cooked and making the skin soggy and flesh a little tough.  My bowl also contained extra offal which made the whole experience rather busy.  The egg noodles were thick and strong, very much to my taste.

Tan Viet and other noodle places can relax, while U.E. may win the crown for the most impossible restaurant to find, it's not quite there in the best restaurant when it comes to the noodles.  On the plus side, it's a fun adventure just getting there and might be a good choice when all the other places are packed.

It's been around for a couple of decades by my reckoning, so it must be doing something right.

This is another Secret Sydney post. Secret Sydney is a new noodlies Sydney food blog project to uncover authentic, diverse food and culture all around Sydney.

U.E. Chinese Restaurant
4A/117 John Street (Enter via Hill St)
Cabramatta
9727 0014

The Meeting Point, Haymarket

By Noodlies, Sydney food blog guest reviewer, KLui.

This new Taiwanese restaurant has taken over the place from an Internet Café, and that explains its cyber interior.

Mixed “jewels” and dried tofu in special soya sauce: this is a very extreme dish. I think you can guess why (hint: have a look at the cuts of meat)

Deep fried pork chop noodle soup: the clear stock is so rich and thick that you’ll fall in love with it!

Beef noodle soup: this beef soup is very rich as well but it’s a different story from the clear soup above. The hot and sour tastes from the chilli and tomatoes have made the soup very exciting!

Grapefruit Green Tea and Roselle Tea: both refreshing drinks are great after a big meal.

By Noodlies, Sydney food blog guest reviewer, KLui.
The Meeting Point
Market City Ground Floor
Shop R1.01B Hay Street, Haymarket
(02) 9280 3680

Sydney Beijing Restaurant, Chinese, Ashfield

What's so different about Sydney Beijing Restaurant when it's in a strip of so many others, all with red signage with bold Chinese writing? Firstly it's Beijing style while the flavour of the month seems to be Shanghai Chinese that is popping here and everywhere - noodlies Sydney food blog has seen quite a few!

For me the main difference is that they are all so nice from the waiters to the owner!  You wouldn't go to a Chinese restaurant expecting to be served by sweet lovely people, but it was such a pleasant surprise.  Admittedly they had just finished rush hour (because there were a few tables still not cleared) so it was relatively quiet, but I'm sure I was greeted with sincere smile by the young waitress.  And the owner too, seemed to be genuinely smiley and happy with everyone, me included when I got up to pay.

The Beijing hand made noodle beef soup was hot (as per the waitress' polite warning).  It was a relatively straight forward affair: beef - a lot of beef with tendons, noodles were thin a little too consistent to be handmade me thinks, but it was starchy (I like that) and hearty, bok choy and a lovely chilli hot sauce (as opposed to peppery spice you'd get with Xibei noodles).

I've fallen in love with this place - it's not any more efficient or amazingly better standard food than some of the better Chinese restaurants, but the staff were just so sweet.  It's reminded me that good service does make a world of difference

Sydney Beijing Restaurant
355 Liverpool Road, Ashfield
(02) 9716 5523

Chefs Gallery Restaurant, Chinese, Sydney

After a few months of trial and testing, Chefs Gallery had its official opening today.  Noodlies Sydney food blog was lucky enough to be invited.  We were treated to great food and wine.  The marinated cucumber was both delicious and stunning, it was crisp and light in flavour, makes a great starter.

Red Sichuan Chinese Hotpot, Canley Vale

I've always thought with the greater number of Chinese moving to the area that we're over due for more authentic Chinese restaurants. Red Sichuan opened on 8 November and is a new restaurant in the Cabramatta area.  It's going down the Holy Basil path of offering good service in an upmarket surrounding - at a premium price.  Tonight, it seems to have attracted their target audience of young, hip, second generation Asian-Australians.

Chefs Gallery, Chinese, Sydney

Tataki Wagyu beef with Sichuan style dressing

Chefs Gallery is a labour of love by owner Kaisern Ching, who originally brought Dai Tin Fung to Australia, and Edward Zhao his executive chef.  The restaurant has been opened for a few months now after a couple of months spent developing and testing the menu.

Noodlies was invited to sample the menu.

My overwhelming impression of Chefs Gallery is a sense of confidence which comes from exacting attention to detail.  The confidence exudes from the strong, bold front signage, the sharp angular lines, open liberal use of glass, through to the innovative menu.

Camira Noodle House, Cabramatta

It was late on a weeknight, I was working late and I really felt like duck egg noodle soup at Camira.  But to my disappointment, no bbq duck left tonight.

So I went for combination, which was tasty but really just wasn't the same as what I was craving for.

Camira Noodle House
50 Park Road, Cabramatta
(02) 9728 1052

Golden Sichuan Chinese, Chinatown, Sydney

It must be heart breaking to be located next to Mamak and seeing the long queue for lunch and dinner, but that's what Golden Sichuan, on Goulburn Street in Chinatown must contend with.  Mamak has seen off many, many restaurants next door.

In fact, in what must be a compliment, Golden Sichuan is probably one of the longest running restaurants on that site.

We really don't like to queue, even for Mamak, so Golden Sichuan is great for a feed without the wait, although you do pay for that privilege.

Bund Restaurant & Karaoke, Chinese, Chinatown

By Noodlies Sydney food blog guest reviewer, KLui.

Shanghai cuisine is not as rich as other Northern Chinese cuisine, but they are so yummy. This is a great place to be on a Friday evening. This fun place has a modern touch to it – unusual for Shanghai cuisine, plus it’s full of TV screens for Karaoke lovers as well.

Vegetarian dumplings

A unique way to wrap their dumplings – open top with split fillings. The split in the middle makes the whole dumpling different from the others. The pastry in the middle helps the filling to spread evenly.

Noodle Boy, Chinese, Maroubra

By Noodlies: Sydney food blog, guest reviewer, KLui.

Noodle Boy is probably one of the many small but comfortable and clean restaurants in the Maroubra and Kingsford area. Although I haven't been there for a few years, it has a special place in my heart, simply because the menu hasn't changed a bit (except the price).  Eating there reminds me of my teens when I was working in the area.

Prawn laksa

The Prawn Laksa is still cooked by the owner and is exactly the same as I remembered. The spiciness and the coconut flavour is so well-balanced. The "crunchy" prawns and the laksa-soaked tofu puff were really delicious!

Wooden Bowl, Korean/Chinese, Strathfield

The Boulevarde in Strathfield offers an amazing range of restaurants... admittedly mostly Korean.  Today we wanted to try a different one, with mixed results.

Marigold Citymark: HSBC Moon Festival Lunch

Salted prawns

One of the perks of the job is well, lunch and dinner for key cultural celebrations like Moon Festival.  Was lucky enough to attend the HSBC lunch today at Marigold in chinatown.

Chinatown Dumpling Restaurant, Melbourne CBD

Spicy Chicken Noodles

There are so many dumpling places around it's hard to spot the difference.  Chinatown Dumpling Restaurant in a great location on Swanston Street and great food too.  The frontage is narrow but the restaurant is deep with seats in every possible possie.  We were lucky enough to score a table at 7pm on a Saturday night.  Within minutes the place was full.

The spicy chicken in hand made noodles was hearty and generous.  While tasty, it didn't go overboard on stronger spices like cumin or chilli for that matter. It was still authentic to its north-western Chinese origins.

Beef steamed dumplings

The beef steamed dumplings were a highlight too.  Dumpling casing was a little thicker and stronger than I'm used to, but for me, was perfect for a cold Melbourne evening.  So too was the beef filling, coarser, fuller and thicker mince gave this dish a much greater footprint and also very much to my taste.

The staff were young, efficient and fast. Price was very reasonable around $30 for both of us.  Highly recommended - if you can get a seat.

Sichuan Dining Room, Melbourne CBD

In the Mid City Arcade, this place is a real find, nice, no nonsense Sichuan Chinese.  The cold noodles were thinner than I'm used to, but actually that makes them harder which works well with the chilli sauce.

Grandma's tofu was spicier than I'm used to, both chilli and cumin, but delicious.  The servings were pretty generous too.

Not bad, but the garlic cucumber is my least favourite here; it's much plainer than I'm used to, probably not a bad contrast to the other dishes, but it was just a bit too plain for me.

Sichuan Dining Room
Shop 3-5 Mid City Arcade
194-200 Bourke St
Melbourne
03 9663 5472