No. 1 BBQ House, Campsie

Want the best Chinese barbecue shop in Sydney? No 1 BBQ House in Campsie is the business, which is why you’ll find a queue of customers spilling out onto the footpath no matter what time of day. And while the shop does a roaring trade in takeaway – the Lunar New Year queues are legendary – eating in is much more fun.

Just five tables dot the interior, mostly filled with single diners smashing down a plate of glistening roast duck or caramelised barbecue pork with rice. You’ll pay more to dine in than takeaway but it still makes for a bargain meal, with no washing up.


Roast duck and roast pork with noodles $13

The menu is one A5 laminated sheet, but the best stuff is on the back – that’s the side starting with combination BBQ – a mixed meat platter of all the good stuff hanging in the front window. Pick what you want and then the man with the cleaver will chop it up with alarming speed and precision.


Roast pork with crackling

There are two dishes with no English translation. Intrigued? Ordering one will net you a platter of offal. The other scores you a soy sauce duck head. Both are a part of a Southern Chinese traditional dish known in Cantonese as lou mei, usually meat, offal or offcuts braised in an aromatic and slightly sweet soy-based master stock.


Lou mei offal platter with tendon, tripe, pigs ears and intestines

Go to town with duck tongues, pork liver or fatty pork intestines. Braised pigs ears are a wonder that deserve broader appreciation, contrasting a gelatinous outer layer against the gentle crunch of soft cartilage. And if you love tendon, you’ll be in heaven here. It's a never-ending pile of soft and sticky luxury.


Soy sauce cuttlefish $14.80 

Get the soy sauce cuttlefish too. The orange tint comes from an added food dye but it's the texture that wins on all fronts, somehow both tender and crunchy at the same time. It's a phenomenon the Cantonese call “song”.


Complimentary house soup

Free tea and complimentary house soup make this a perfect pit stop for a cheap and hearty feed. That's why it's number one.






No. 1 BBQ House
152 Beamish Street, Campsie, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9718 6147

Opening hours
Daily 10am-8pm


This article first appeared in Time Out Sydney. Read this article online or read more of my Time Out Sydney reviews.

Shanghai Dumpling, Ashfield

The secret to a great dumpling? Don’t ever underestimate the dumpling skin. Most diners prioritise the filling but if the wrapper is wrong, you’ll know about it. Too thin and your dumpling will break apart. Too thick and you’ll notice its rubbery doughiness immediately. We reckon that’s why Shanghai Dumpling in Ashfield – with its gossamer thin dumpling skins – has such a loyal following. It might be separated from the main hub of dumpling houses along Liverpool Road, but at any given time you’re bound to find the modest dining room – just 24 seats – filled with dumpling enthusiasts.


Preserved duck egg and pork dumplings with chilli bean sauce

You won’t find xiao long bao soup dumplings here. Nor pan-fried buns. The focus here is the classic wonton dumpling, folded almost tortellini-style, but bigger. Stick with the standard pork and chive; chicken and cabbage; or tofu with mixed mushroom, or level up with their daily specials, available in limited quantities. These include preserved duck egg (century egg) with pork; prawn with bamboo shoots; salted duck egg with pork; and a springy fish cake with shredded ginger and shallots. They all come in serving sizes of five or ten so you can mix and match as you please.


Shredded ginger, shallot and fish dumplings $9 for 5 / $15.80 for 10

Get them plain, with chilli sauce, with noodle soup or pan-fried. The latter three options will cost a little extra. On a budget? Here’s a tip: You can raid the condiment trolley and make up your own dipping sauce of vinegar, chilli sauce, lemon and soy.


Preserved duck egg and pork dumplings $7.50 for 5 / $12.80 for 10

It’s worth savouring your first dumpling unadorned. That’ll give you a chance to appreciate the subtle flavour of the filling, and the slippery elegance of the dumpling skins. The silky tail ends are almost the best bit.


Noodle soup with hot spicy beef and beef tendon $12.80

If you’re still hungry, there are two pages of noodle options. Warm up with a cavernous bowl of soup filled with thin wheat noodles, chunks of spicy beef and gelatinous beef tendon.


Shredded chicken with chilli and Sichuan pepper $8.80 

Or attack a mountain of stir-fried noodles with shredded chicken and chilli. All the noodle toppings are also available as sides.

Wish you could eat dumplings every night? You can get takeaway packs of fresh or frozen dumplings to cook at home. Sorted.






Shanghai Dumpling
337 Liverpool Road, Ashfield, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 9797 6999

Opening hours
Wednesday to Sunday 11am-9pm


This article first appeared in Time Out Sydney. Read this article online or read more of my Time Out Sydney reviews.

All you can eat hotpot at Hotpot City, Bankstown

Winter time is hotpot time. If you've never had hotpot, you've not had the pleasure of huddling around a cavernous bowl of steaming soup. It's this soup that is used to cook an endless assortment of meats, fish balls, vegetables, noodles and more.

Most hotpot places are a la carte but Hotpot City in Bankstown lets you eat as much as you can from a buffet selection for $35 (only $19 for lunch Monday to Friday).


Hotpot buffet

Everyone gets their own hotpot which means no need to fight over the last fish ball. Choose from 11 soup bases, running from tom yum to kimchi to oxtail with herbs. Don't worry. They have a classic chicken soup too. Everyone gets their own ceramic hot plate so you can keep your soup at just the right temperature for you.


Lamb, pork and beef slices

The hotpot buffet range is extensive. Choose from thinly sliced meats, fish balls, all kind of seafood (prawns, mussels, calamari and more) and plenty of tofu and bean curd variants.


Prawn flavoured balls with fish roe 

Pile up on fresh vegetables and noodles. There's even an offal section that includes chicken hearts, pigs blood and tendon. Yum.

And they have fresh watermelon and oranges that will do you nicely for dessert too.


Taro fish balls


Lotus root slices


DIY sauce station

Don't forget the DIY sauce station. It's a myriad of choice, coupled with coolest sign ever - "May the Sauce be with You".


Chilli powder, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame sauce, fresh coriander and more

Go simple or go for broke with your own crazy concoction. Feel the sauce, Luke.


Fish balls, tofu, pigs blood, chicken hearts, beef tendon and more

Here's my first plate of goodies from the buffet. It was the first of, um, many.


Individual hot pots

Cook as you please, chat with your mates and keep on going back for more until your belly is about to burst. If there's one good thing about winter, it's that you can eat more. And at an all-you-can-eat buffet, that can only be a good thing!






Hotpot City
Little Saigon Plaza
Ground floor Shop 22-25
462 Chapel Road, Bankstown, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 8764 8112

Opening hours
Monday to Friday 11.30-3pm and 5pm-10pm
Saturday and Sunday 11.30am-10pm

Granny Wolf BBQ, Central Park Mall, Chippendale Sydney

Bulgogi beef? Cumin lamb? Chicken gizzards? It's a choose-your-own skewer adventure at Granny Wolf BBQ, newly arrived at Central Park, taking over the former site of Lang Suan Thai Street Food. The fit out is flash and modern, a beacon of backlit neon cleverly incorporating a wolf's open jaw.

The concept is simple. Grab a tray and browse the self-serve chilled bain marie of assorted skewers. These are chuan, small street food skewers that originated in Xinjiang, China but have now spread in popularity across the country. The use of cumin as a seasoning for many of the skewers is a reference to their Chinese Islamic Uyghur origins. But here too you'll find other influences, including Korean bulgogi sauce and Taiwanese sausages.


Self-serve skewer station

Everything is clearly labelled in both English and Chinese. It's a mixed bag of lamb, chicken, pork and beef. Vegetarian choices are limited to shiitake mushrooms and corn cobs although you can add orders of fries, wedges, sweet potato fries and salads (cucumber and garlic, celery and yuba or shredded kelp).


Taiwanese sausage $5 each
Cantonese sausage and cheese fish tofu skewers $2.50 each


Bulgogi beef brisket skewers $2.50 each


Pickled pepper beef brisket skewers $2.50 each


Cumin chicken heart skewers $2.50 each


Teriyaki beef tongue skewers $2.50 each


Seasoning skewers on the bbq

Once you're ready, take them to the counter and add any other menu options. The skewers are cooked on the barbecue grill in the front window. Warning: they do take about 5-10 minutes to cook so don't arriving starving.


Granny Wolf Supreme Meal combo $15.50
Marinated pig trotters with steamed rice, 3 x $2.50 skewers and homemade plum juice

The Supreme Meal Combo is probably one of the best value deals, presuming you're ok with eating pork skin. It's a massive serve of rice - perfect for eating with your skewers - topped with two chunks of pig trotter (tasty but more pork skin and fat than meat, as expected).

The seaweed salad and celery yuba salad are also welcomed, providing a welcome hit of acidity when you tuck into the skewers (they're coming. Eventually).


Spicy bulgogi beef brisket; chicken giblet; and spice pepper with cumin lamb skewers $2.50 each

In addition to the pouch of homemade plum juice, you get to choose any three $2.50 skewers. I go with spicy bulgogi beef, chicken giblets and cumin lamb. You'll be asked how spicy you'll like your skewers when they're cooked. I go with super spicy and let me tell you, they're not kidding around.

The meat is cooked to well done, so expect some satisfying chewiness to it. It's not dry though. I enjoy the chicken giblets the most, but that's because I've always loved their crunch.


Self-serve seasonings at the counter

Don't forget to make use of the self-serving seasonings at the counter when you pick up your order either.


Braised pork belly with rice $10.50

On my second visit, I hightail it to the braised pork belly with rice. It's listed as a side but is more of a main meal, accompanied with celery yuba salad, half a boiled egg and a mountain of plain rice. You could easily share these between two (I did). And there's a lot of braised pork belly in here too (more meat than fat which I personally find disappointing).


Cantonese sausage; spice pepper with cumin lamb; pickled pepper beef brisket; and spicy bulgogi pork belly skewers $2.50 each

We hit up more skewers, including the Cantonese sausage; spice pepper with cumin lamb; pickled pepper beef brisket; and spicy bulgogi pork belly. The pork belly is the star with its caramelised fatty bits.


Crispy chicken skin $5.50

The crispy chicken skin isn't as overall crispy as we'd hoped. There are some crunchy pieces but others are a little soggier, with that squelch of unrendered chicken fat. It's a huge portion though, and recommended for sharing between 2-3 people unless you really want to give your arteries a workout.


New Orleans grilled chicken bones $5

The unexpected highlight is this: New Orleans grilled chicken bones. They come in a pyrex tray in the chilled bain marie, a selection of carcass cast-offs that run from ribs to necks to pelvic bones. $5 might sound ridiculous but I reckon you get more meat from this than two skewers.

Because the bones take a little longer to cook, there's a smokier flavour too, plus the carnivorous satisfaction of crunching down all the burnt bits of bone and cleaning every last juicy skerrick of flesh off every bone. I'd definitely eat this again.


Skewer party






Granny Wolf BBQ
Central Park Mall
Level 2 Food Court (between Lala Malaysian and Timezone)
28 Broadway, Chippendale, Sydney
Tel: +61 (02) 8096 9900

Opening hours
Daily 10am-8pm


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Mr Meng Chongqing Gourmet, Market City Chinatown, Sydney

Spicy. Initially confusing. And then jaw droppingly addictive. I could be talking about the Chinese dating show If You Are The One or host Meng Fei's new noodle house that's just opened in Chinatown's Market City. There are more parallels between the two than you'd think.

Mr Meng Chongqing Gourmet is Mr Meng's second venture in Australia, following on from his Melbourne opening mid- last year. It's part of an international stable of noodle houses (some franchised) that started in Nanjing in 2014.

Sydney's version is slick and efficient, and one of the first outlets to open in the former level 3 foodcourt of Market City, now rebranded 1909 Dining Precinct and set to host a number of casual dine-in restaurants.


Bean jelly in chilli sauce $5.80

You'll have to order and pay at the counter but staff will bring your meals to your marked table. It means that random add-ons like another drink or dessert will require another trip to the register but it does avoid the whole bill-splitting nightmare at the end of the night for large groups.

Unlike the sounds of the Melbourne menu, there are no chilli indicators to warn diners about the relative heat of each dish. Suffice to say, be prepared for tongue tingling numbness from a whack of Sichuan peppers in every dish. In a good way. If you're really heat averse, order a soy bean milk as an emergency extinguisher.

Bean jelly in chilli sauce is an ideal place to start. The mung bean noodles are cool to the throat, bathed in a chilli sauce that is equal parts sour, salty, spicy and sweet.


Mung bean jelly noodles

There's only a faint hit of tongue-numbing Sichuan pepper here, but it's a great primer for what's to come.


Steamed chicken in chilli sauce $8.80

Steamed chicken in chilli sauce will set your mouth on fire if you find the right piece. The chicken itself is tender, cooked and served on the bone for maximum flavour.


Chongqing spicy noodle with stewed beef $14.80

The main attraction here is the mighty Chongqing noodle, thin round wheat noodles served in a fiery broth laced with soy sauce, sesame oil, black vinegar and red pepper oil. You can stick with the plain version for $10.80 or choose variations of toppings that run from $12.80 to $14.80.

Stewed beef with noodles

Chongqing spicy noodles with stewed beef is a classic, yielding soft simmered hunks of protein against those springy chewy noodles. 

Chongqing spicy noodle with pork intestines $14.80

If you want to level up, I highly recommend the version with pork intestines. Don't be afraid. The intestines have been rinsed well and have been cooked to an expert softness. They also offer a chicken giblet and chicken heart offering - I'm getting that next time.


Pork intestine with noodles


Hot and sour rice noodle with pork mince $11.80

Hot and sour rice noodles was one of my highlight dishes. These noodles are noticeably thicker and chewier, with a more glutinous density. You'll have to dig around for the pork mince which tends to sink to the bottom of the bowl. This dish felt like one of the spicier offerings too.


Dan dan noodle $13.80

Dan dan noodle is another winner, dry noodles covered in a saucy pork mince with peanuts, shallots and vegetables.


Mixing the noodles with the pork mince

You'll have to get in there to mix it all together. There's a good, but not over-the-top, hit of chilli and Sichuan pepper in this one as well.

Sichuan style dumpling $12.80 for 10

Still hungry? The appetisers menu has plenty of temptations. Sichuan style dumplings are elegantly silky packages, the thin skins wrapped around seasoned pork mince. There's already a generous dousing of black vinegar and chilli, but if you need more, you can use the supplied table condiments as reinforcement.


Beef tongue and beef tripe $7.80

The beef tongue and beef tripe is offaly good too. Your tongue may be on fire by this point but that tripe is so soft and tender, you'll be going back for more.


Deep fried crispy pork $7.80

And because they'd run out of the brown sugar rice cakes (noooooo) we end up having the deep fried crispy pork for dessert instead (hello). The seasoning around these pork strips is super addictive but be warned that about a third of these pork strips will be pure fat. Just fat. Battered and deep-fried. Farewell arteries.

Seeking an adventure with thrills and spills? If you are the one, you'll find it right here.






Mr Meng Chongqing Gourmet
Market City
Level 3 (1909 Dining Precinct), Shop T3
9-13 Hay Street, Haymarket Chinatown, Sydney


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