Chat Thai

Honest and authentic Thai fare

Constant queues and loyal Thai patronage provide the best endorsement here. Authentic curries, salads, whole fish and marinated grilled meats range from mild to fiery and the dessert offerings are wide and mouthwatering. The supper menu kicks in at 10pm with bite-sized morsels like fish ball skewers and satay sticks available until 2am. A sweets order of par tuhng go is essential, deep-fried doughnut sticks made fresh and served with pandan custard.

Address

20 Campbell Street

Phone

9211 1808

Dae Jang Kum Korean BBQ

The best part about eating at a Korean restaurant is 'banchan', a spread of complementary side dishes that include salad, pickled vegetables and kimchee, fermented Chinese cabbage with Korean spices. Chilli lovers will relish the 'teok bok ki', spicy rice cakes and the 'bo ssam', pork belly boiled in a master broth best served with lettuce, chilli, and radish kimchee. It's not all hot - there are grilled cheese oysters, 'jap chae' clear potato noodles and crunchy fried chicken. Fully licensed, BYO wine available with $5 corkage.

Address

35 Goulburn Street

Phone

9211 0890

Delima Restaurant

Never tried Indonesian cuisine or would like to recall a fun filled journey in Bali? Delima offers a good start, set in tasteful surrounds with warm, wooden furnishings. The extensive menu has pictures of every dish, making ordering easy, but it's hard to go past Indonesian classics like chicken satay, 'Nasi Goreng Indonesia' or cubes of fall-apart-tender beef rendang. Fried chicken fans should seek out the ayam goreng kalasan, covered in a blanket of crispy spices for extra crunch.

Address

69/ 1 Dixon St, Haymarket

Phone

9267 7045

Din Tai Fung World Square

Award-winning restaurant originating in Taiwan

At world renowned Din Tai Fung, the creation of each dumpling is an art form. Made with extreme discipline, the pastry and filling must be weighed to an exact size and thickness. Watch the dumpling artisans at work through the wallto- ceiling windows while you queue to be seated. Don't miss Din Tai Fung's signature soup dumplings, Xiao Long Bao. Our tip: dip the dumpling quickly in the sauce, place it in a spoon, pierce with a chopstick to release the hot soup before popping into your mouth.

Address

Shop 11.04, Level 1, World Square, 644 George Street

Phone

9264 6010

East Ocean Restaurant

Live seafood cooking and quality yum cha

With an emphasis on modern Cantonese cuisine, East Ocean is known for both its fresh seafood and quality yum cha. A recent shift to an a-la-carte yum cha menu sees your dumplings now cooked to-order and served piping hot from the kitchen to a quieter and less chaotic dining room. It also means no need to constantly look out for the elusive dessert trolley. For dinner try the lobster cooked in ginger and shallots, plucked live from the fish tanks, or the cold-served abalone. Peking duck and XO pipis are always a hit, or splurge on the King crab, divided and served three different ways.

Address

421-429 Sussex St, Haymarket

Phone

9212 4198

Emperor's Garden

Exquisite Cantonese cuisine

A specialist in Cantonese cuisine, the newly renovated Emperor's Garden Restaurant seats a total of 350 diners over two floors. Curry crab is the signature dish here, a thick spiced yellow curry with coconut cream and a secret blend of Chinese spices that includes lemongrass, curry powder and a touch of dried chilli. Soak up the rich sauce with steamed fluffy mantou buns. The two-course Peking duck is also popular, or try the pan-fried barramundi with pork mince and vermicelli. Otherwise join the yum cha hoards at lunchtime and enjoy your pick of dishes from the roaming trolleys of steamed and fried dumplings. Sit outside in Dixon Street mall and watch the world go by as you feast beneath the iconic red gates of Sydney's Chinatown.

Address

100 Hay St, Haymarket

Phone

9211 2135/9211 2268

Golden Century

One hat winning restaurant

The wall of fish tanks at the entrance tells you how seriously Golden Century takes its seafood. Pipis in XO sauce are a must-have - mop up the spicy seafood sauce with batons of golden brown deep-fried bread. Live seafood from the tanks include parrot fish, abalone and prawns. Open until 4am every day, it's the perfect spot for a late night fix of salt and pepper squid or Chinese rice porridge congee.

Address

393-399 Sussex Street, Sydney

Phone

9212 3901

Mamak

Authentic Malaysian Cuisine

Check out the live roti-making show in the windows before ordering the flaky roti served with curry sauce. Other highlights include Malaysian style fried chicken, smoky chicken satay sticks and sweet roti tisu glazed with sugar.

Address

15 Goulburn Street

Phone

9211 1668

Marigold Restaurant

Exquisite yum cha spot

Every lunchtime, Marigold is bustling with yum cha trolleys and diners eating their way through a menu that spans over 100 varieties of dim sim. There's no shortage of choice and staff are happy to lift a bamboo steamer lid for you to take a look if you're not sure. A new night-time dim sum degustation is one way to beat the crowds - a set menu of 11 dishes is available Sundays through Thursdays during dinner.

Address

Level 4 and 5, 683 George Street, Sydney

Phone

9281 3388

Mizuya Japanese Restaurant & Karaoke

Authentic Izakaya dining

Booth seating and touch screen menus as well as 24 private dining rooms equipped with karaoke facility. Browse through the extensive drinks menu with 180 options including Japanese style cocktails and mocktails.

Address

Basement 614 George St, Sydney

Phone

9266 0866

Red Chilli Szechuan Restaurant

Tongue-tingling sensation of Sichuan

Chilli fanatics will revel in the tongue-tingling menu that comes with a helpful chilli grading for heat gauge. The newer Harbour Street restaurant focuses on modern Sichuan dishes - the stir-fried mud crab with pork mince, preserved vegetables and dried chilli is a bestseller. At their original venue on 51 Dixon Street, expect more traditional dishes like kung pao chicken and mapo tofu.

Address

Shop 3, 51-53 Dixon Street (entry via Little Hay Street)

Phone

9211 8122

Red Chilli Szechuan Restaurant Harbour Plaza

Tongue-tingling sensation of Sichuan

Chilli fanatics will revel in the tongue-tingling menu that comes with a helpful chilli grading for heat gauge. The newer Harbour Street restaurant focuses on modern Sichuan dishes - the stir-fried mud crab with pork mince, preserved vegetables and dried chilli is a bestseller. At their original venue on 51 Dixon Street, expect more traditional dishes like kung pao chicken and mapo tofu.

Address

Shop 108/25-29 Dixon Street, Harbour Plaza (entry via Harbour St)

Phone

9211 8130

Seoul Ria

Diverse mix of Korean and Japanese cushiness

Not sure whether to have Japanese or Korean? Seoul Ria offers both in this fusion restaurant that's bigger than you'd expect. Take the lift and you'll find yourself in a huge eatery flanked with modern wooden tables and chairs. Try the Jok Bal, cold slices of boiled pork leg served with kimchee or NakJi Duk Bbok Gi, octopus and chewy rice cake in a spicy sauce.

Address

Level 2, 605-609 George Street

Phone

9269 0222

The Eight Modern Chinese Restaurant

You're bound to be in luck at The Eight - considered a lucky number by the Chinese - a stylish modern restaurant with a comprehensive menu that runs from traditional to new-wave fusion Chinese dishes. By day it's yum cha central, with over 70 dishes to choose from. It's hard to resist the glamour of Peking duck carved at your table: a two-course affair that starts with crisp duck skin in soft pancakes and finishes with duck sang choy bow lettuce cups. Wok-seared beef with foie gras paste is one of their signature dishes, and live seafood from the tanks is always popular.

Address

Level 3, Market City

Phone

9282 9988

The Meeting Point

Try The Meeting Point's signature dish - collagen shabu shabu, made with all natural ingredients. Sample this and other dishes inspired by traditional Taiwanese cuisine with a dash of Szechuan style. The restaurant space evokes an old industrial feel, holds regular live music on weekends and has free Wi-Fi. Check their Facebook page to keep up to date.

Address

Shop R1.01B/9-13 Hay St, Haymarket

Phone

9280 3680

Uighur Cuisine

If you like lamb, you'll love the kebabs at Uighur Cuisine, chunks of juicy lamb dusted with cumin and grilled on sword-like skewers. There are also stir-fries, handmade noodles, and dumplings available steamed and pan-fried. Halal food is also available.

Address

1/8 Dixon St, Haymarket

Phone

9267 8555

Umi Kaiten-Zushi

Modern Japanese dining bar

An impressively long fish tank provides a tranquil backdrop for patrons at this modern Japanese dining bar. Take a seat at the sushi train and pick and choose from the sushi plates - colour-coded by price - that trundle past on the circular conveyor belt. Salmon, tuna and prawn are joined by more unusual items like surf clam, sea urchin, turban shell and the Japanese favourite, natto femented soy beans. All fish is bought daily with specials dishes on offer depending on what has been sourced at the markets.

Address

Shop 1 LG Floor, Sydney Central, 477 Pitt Street (Cnr Hay & Parker Street)

Phone

9281 2006

Umi Sushi + Udon

The recently opened Umi Sushi + Udon offers both traditional and creative sushi options alongside a focus on Sanuki Udon, characterised by its firm, chewy texture using a special type of wheat traditionally grown in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. Enjoy a traditional Kyoto style decor as you venture through Umi Sushi + Udon's specialty Japanese cuisine.

Address

Shop 19, Darling Quarter, 1-25 Harbour Street

Phone

9283 2006

Zilver Restaurant

Contemporary and classic Chinese dishes

The east-meets-west menu at Zilver is matched by decor that is modern and sleek with bronze pillars, timber screens and billowing silk canopies overhead. The menu runs the gamut of both contemporary and classic dishes, with a section dedicated to fusion dishes. Specialty dishes include the deep-fried live mud crab tossed in salted egg as well as the seafood curry with pumpkin. Those seeking something a little different should try the roasted pigeon or the wok-seared beef with wasabi sauce. The flaming pork ribs with mayonnaise is always an attentiongetting spectacle. At lunchtime, Zilver is buzzing with yum cha patrons keen on getting their dumpling fix. A dedicated bar area is perfect for drinks before or after dinner.

Address

Sydney Central Building (opposite Capitol Theatre) Level G, 477 Pitt Street (cnr Hay and Pitt Street)

Phone

9211 2232

ZoZo

If you've always fancied yourself as a chef, then Korean barbeque is the perfect chance for you to show off your cooking skills. At ZoZo you can order marinated meats and seafood and then take charge of the sizzling barbecue on the tabletop hotplate. Waitstaff are always happy to lend a hand if you're not sure what to do. Prefer to relax and let the kitchen do all the cooking? Then check out the crispy seafood pancake, fire chilli chicken and bibimbab: a traditional crispy rice dish served in a hot stone bowl. A special lunch menu is available Monday to Friday.

Address

Shop 10/26 Liverpool Street, World Square (under Monorail station)

Phone

9267 8040