Golden Century, Haymarket Chinatown

It's midnight at Golden Century and the place is packed. Sure they've closed down access to the second floor, but the first level is still teeming with diners feasting on siu ye, a Hong Kong tradition of late night snacking.

Friends, couples, businessmen and families chatter amidst the click-clack of chopsticks and the occasional spin of the lazy susan. We spot not one, but two whole lobster sashimi being served, a envy-inducing spectacle that is hard to miss, arriving on a huge platter in a dramatic shroud of dry ice mist.


Congee rice porridge with cod fillet $10.50

Siu ye is more often than not all about congee, a thick rice porridge that is usually eaten for breakfast. We order a bowl to share, warm spoonfuls of boiled down rice flavoured with pork broth and filled at the bottom with thick tender chunks of cod.


You tiao (yao char gai) fried bread $3.00

Because congee is pretty much fat-free, there's not excuse not to order a plate of you tiao, Light and crispy, I love eating these airy fried bread batons dunked briefly in congee, giving a perfect contrast between dry and wet, soggy and crispy, white and golden, tasty and tastier.


Salt and pepper squid and white bait $18.80

Salt and pepper squid is always welcomed. We order a combination plate which comes with white bait. The squid is a little chewy, but the white bait is wonderfully delicate. I would have preferred a little more crushed Szechuan peppercorns, but this doesn't stop the happy scrabble of chopsticks toward this dish.


Fried noodles $16.00

There's a minimum order of $9 per person after 10pm at Golden Century, so we continue the feast with a platter of fried noodles. A crunchy nest of deep-fried noodles is lubricated by a saucy mix of pork, long yellow onions and fresh bean sprouts.


Gai lan chinese broccoli $13.80

A plate of gai lan chinese broccoli, bright green with freshness, provides all the vitamins your mother could hope for. The stalks are crisp and crunchy, although somewhat potent with liberal use of fresh garlic.


Complimentary fruit and sweets

Complimentary house desserts include cold wedges of super-sweet navel oranges and a plate of sugar biscuits and pastries dusted with icing-sugar.

We'd done well. Dinner at 6pm, a Sugar Hit at 9pm, another Sugar Hit at 10.45pm, and then a round of siu ye to round off the night. Oh yes, all four posts took place on the same Saturday evening.

Gluttons? Guilty as charged.

Would I do it again? Absolutely.




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Golden Century Seafood Restaurant
393-399 Sussex Street, Haymarket, Chinatown, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9212 3901

Open 7 days, 12pm-4am

Related Grab Your Fork posts:
Golden Century (Jan 10), (Oct 07), (Nov 06), (Oct 05) and (Jul 04)