It’s a backpacker’s dream, it’s much needed relief for the student and its a quality option for the city worker and prisoners of mortgage repayments. It’s THE food court to end all food courts that sits somewhere in between shopping mall quickie and casual dining because of its location and because of the cuisines it serves. Take a hike Maccas, KFC, Oporto’s and Pizza Hut, there’s no room for you here…
Portion sizes seem to be bigger, its a no frills choice that presents restaurant like quality at food court prices without obviously cutting corners and its a formula that’s turned this venue into an icon in the Chinatown and Sydney markets experience with many food service owners outlasting so many over the decades.
MA’S KITCHEN: $10.80 each for your choice of Sweet and Sour Pork or Satay Chicken.
Out west, the standard is double that and the portion size is a little over half a regular takeaway container by normal standards here. Don’t ask how just order up! Yum! If you’re a real tight ass, you could actually get 4 meals out of this spread.
Both are served on a bed of steamed rice and it’s a great reward for the climb up two levels of escalators. For the lazy ones, you’ll find the lifts to the right of the ATMs entering Sussex Street before the chinese herbalist and after the mobile phone store.
YUMMY THAI FOOD: $12.90 Spicy Chilli Thai Basil Fish
Who else gave up meat for lent? Seriously it’s a whole goddam Tillapia fish! On a plate!! That measures approximately 40cm by 30cm in dipping sauce area…
What the serious %$!* – but wow. It’s definitely a head turner – you’d buy this dish not just for the mere generosity of serving but also for the gawking you’re in for during the procession from the counter to your table. Crispy on the outside – watch those bones! If you’ve been under a rock and have never been here before, that’s right – you carry your own meal to the table. AFTER ordering at the counter and having call for you by an assigned number or like an animal answering the bell they ring…
ICHIZEN JAPANESE RAMEN: $12.40 mixed snacks
It’s all about the Ramen here starting from just $10. This visit though, involved a curation of budget Japanese styled ‘canapes’.
The texture of the Pork Char Siu was like butter – roasted then simmered, running your blunt forced object or chopstick through it – it glides straight through like the sword of a samurai at a royal beheading. Takoyaki – not so yucky, Pork Gyoza – great!
HAPPY CHEF: $13.50 Seafood Combination Laksa
I counted one prawn and scallop for every 5 pieces of beef and chicken with calamari and tofu floating somewhere in between [see what i did there 😉 thankyou] .
This is going to go off during the winter with its homestyle cook and rich coconut broth. Rice Stick noodles was the choice out of the four (egg, hokkien, vermicelli).
Every possible laksa imaginable is available here from wontons, meat only, seafood only, vegetarian, tofu and a number of standard chicken / beef / marrow based broths on offer too.
MINH HAI BBQ: $12.80 Two meat choice
Chinese BBQ pork, roast pork with crackling and BBQ duck sold separately with all choices including accessories – steamed rice, steamed greens and a finger bowl of soup with two slices of carrot in it served on prostitute-orange-red plastic trays. It’s cute.
It’s all about that crackling and crispy skin and poultry that’s put through days of processing and temperature control prior to cooking and it’s unbelievably cheap.
You can also mix and match. It’s all carved up before serving.
Many of the places are open from 10-11am until late evening, it’s open plan seating and easy to work into your work day, chillax-session or change of scenery to work on an assignment if you don’t mind the noise.
One of the little places in the City of Sydney that’s at the crossroads of studentsville and work central with a balanced streak of tourists. That’s why its in its own category where its not quite restaurant and not quite food court.. Also, don’t forget to allocate $3-5 for drinks as there’s only one bar and beverage stand that serves the entire floor – fully licensed yes.
Bon Appetit!
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