Room 27, Sydney

EDIT: Room 27, Sydney has now closed

Have you walked past this door and never noticed?

Sandwiched between the cheerful yellow splash of Barby's bakery and a clothing store on the other side, is a black doorway simply labelled with Room 27.

Although there's a menu board of Taiwanese dishes at the front, it's hard not to be a little intimidated by the black walls and entrance, made all the more dramatic by the hanging crystal beads that twinkle, and a wall festooned with flashing blue and purple LED lights.

Night club? Strip club? Secret poker den or mah-jong room?

Buoyed by group solidarity, Billy, Minh, Suze and I head down the stairs. I'm flummoxed at first, because Room 27 is not written on a door, but a wall - a sharp left turn required until we meet this...



As Austin Powers might say... Yeah baby!

And doesn't the crystal curtain call out to your inner Masterchef judging panel?


Lychee de coco $3.80

We order drinks as we survey the largely abandoned glamour den. A long rectangular chandelier hangs over the bar area and Chinese music videos flicker non-stop on the plasma screens dotted around the walls.

Whilst there are plenty of alcoholic drinks available, we opt for teas and soft drinks. Billy's lychee and coconut juice comes in a glass which is deceptively made out of plastic. As we pick up teapots and ceramic-looking glasses, and our food arrives in bowls and on plates, it soon becomes apparent that everything is plastic. It feels a little odd, the lightness of our plasticware making me feel like I'm playing tea party.


Deep-fried pork chop $8.80

Much of the menu is fried, presumably why the lingering smell of deep-fried grease hits you when you first round the corner from street upstairs. Fried chicken pieces are a little limp and oily but the deep-fried pork chop has a better crispness to its edge.


Fried chicken pieces $7.80


Fried chicken wings with rice $10.80

Fried chicken wings with rice offers a mixture of flavours. The wings have a spicy coating, its crunchy skin a contrast against the silky smoothness of a mapo tofu that is fiery in heat.


Chinese special noodle soup $8.80

Chinese special noodle soup isn't all that special after all. The soup is bland and flavourless, and the noodles are barely cooked but still a touch cold on the tongue. A small muddle of simmered pork offers some sustenance, and the soy sauce egg, although rich in colour, is a touch overcooked and disappointingly dry.


Taiwanese-style stewed pork foot rice $10.80

There's no shortage of moisture in the Taiwanese-styled stewed pork foot (or hock). It's a glut of fat and skin and morsels of meat slow simmered in an aromatic soy stock.

Two days later, Billy and I are wondering where we should go with Peter G for a drink somewhere that's quiet. Billy and I look at each other and smile. "Room 27!"


Fried plate with jug of beer $27.00

This time it's a $27 special that's ordered, a party platter that's designed for snacking and comes served with a jug of beer (filled to only about three-quarters, we notice too late).

The deep-fried plate is every cholesterol lover's dream. We dig into deep-fried chicken, tofu and fishcake along with slices of fatty and juicy lup cheong preserved sausage.

I don't know that the food was the highlight here, but the chance to dine against a curtain of shimmering crystals? Priceless.


Crystal beaded curtain




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Room 27

EDIT: Room 27, Sydney has now closed
Basement level
27-33 Goulburn Street, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 8084 7880

Opening hours
Monday to Thursday 11.30am - 11.30pm
Friday and Saturday 12.00pm - 12.00am
Sunday 11.30am - 10.00pm

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Taiwanese - Ten Ren Cha for Tea, Chatswood