10 Sydney Restaurants Celebrating the Lunar Feast for Chinese New Year
Sydney does not want for delicious Asian food. During the Chinese New Year celebrations taking part across all of Australia this weekend, several Sydney eateries are offering delicious, dedicated menus. These set-price menus are bookings-only, so call in soon to make sure you don’t miss out on these delectable dishes.
Spice Temple
One of two Neil Perry restaurants in the same city-centre site, Spice Temple is a Chinese restaurant with influences from Cantonese, Sichuan and Hunan flavours. The scent of incense as you enter gives you the feel of leaving Sydney for another world for your dining experience, and the fairly subtle Asian accents provide for a beautiful setting. Spice Temple’s New Year celebration includes food that promotes health, wealth and fertility for the year of the sheep.
Old Town Hong Kong Cuisine
If you’re looking for a fancier but still affordable Chinese New Year Celebration, Old Town is your go-to. The fun and funky restaurant setting creates a cool vibe with its exposed brick and blinding neon sign out front. The non-Cantonese Chinese cuisine delights with big food: handmade XO noodes, bau, roast-duck congee, bird’s nes dumplings and their dedicated dim sum menu combine to make a menu that would feel right at home in Hong Kong. New Year menu includes peking duck with buns, xiao long bao, pork, vegetables, deep fried prawns, fried rice, dessert and a cocktail.
Mizuya
Mizuya offers Japanese Izakaya dining, with easy-to-use touchscreen menus and an astounding 200 traditional and contemporary Japanese dishes. Executive Chef Jon Miyauchi’s food offers an incredible harmony of flavours which include rare ingredients and beautiful presentations. Their Chinese New Year menu includes an Izakaya appetiser plate, assorted grill skewers, grilled miso chicken and green tea cheesecake. Perhaps the best feature? Karaoke!
Chat Thai Haymarket
This authentic Thai restaurant has a quarter century history in Haymarket. Dishes are inspired by the streets and markets of Thailand, and chefs make food with premium quality ingredients that are sourced locally. This place has an around-the-clock-queue, which speaks to its quality food and fun atmosphere. New Year menu includes aromatic Thai sausages, snapper fillets in red curry, jasmine rice, Singha beer or a glass of sauvignon blanc.
Chefs Gallery
The aptly-named restaurant (as you have gallery views of the kitchen from the dining room) is best-known for its freshly made handmade Ramen noodles. Chefs Gallery has influences from Sichuan and Shanghai, and serves delicious and creative small plates to share. A modern twist on Chinese fusion, this popular restaurant is always packed. New Year menu includes good luck cold share plates, good wealth chapas and good health dessert, with free flow of Chinese tea.
The Eight Modern Chinese Restaurant
One of the largest contemporary Chinese restaurants in Sydney, The Eight is owned Henry Tang and Chillie Poon, restaurateurs of Zilver. The restaurant itself was created by well-known Hong Kong designer Danny Chan. Har Gow, yum cha and other delicious plates will easily convince you to venture into the heart of Chinatown. To celebrate the New Year are BBQ tasting platter with scallops, beef, salt & pepper calamari, chicken, fried rice and fresh fruit platter.
Zilver
Zilver launched in 2005 with the idea to provide “modern sensibility to classic Chinese cuisine” to Sydney’s central business district. The dim sum carts are a main attraction, and the egg custard tarts are a favourite among restaurant goers. Its location next to Central Station means it’s always busy, but worth the wait. Zilver shares the same New Year celebratory food as The Eight.
Fat Noodle
Located amongst The Star’s Baccarat action, Fat Noodle serves up fun, funky, dynamic Asian street food. Celebrity chef Luke Nguyen has a kitchen staff full of chefs from all over Asia who provide their own flavour to these comfort food dishes. Nguyen’s signature dish is a 20-hour beef broth, with thinly sliced Angus sirloin and brisket, bean sprouts, fresh Thai basil, fresh chilli and rice noodles. The location is celebrating its 5th birthday this Chinese New Year with a choice of pork ribs, salmon sashimi and ribs, or salmon, ribs and ricecake.
Ms G’s
This four-floor, modern and decidedly Asian restaurant provides a dining experience quite unlike any other. Their Chinese New Year menu is an eight-dish feast that covers all aspects of Chinese cuisine. As one review says, “fabby food, funky ambience, friendly service.” Yep, that about sums its up.
Fei Jai
Fei Jai, meaning Fatboy in Cantonese, is a traditional Cantonese Chinese eatery. The restaurant provides authentic Cantonese cuisine using the best, freshest seasonal produce available with a commitment to cooking with simplicity. Fei Jai is pursed in a small ambient space in the food hub of Potts Point, designed with dark, smouldering finishes with low lights & cool tunes. Also celebrating their fifth birthday, Fei Jai is offering an eight-course meal for the New Year.