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We were wandering around this afternoon (yet another rainy afternoon in Sydney) and tried to go to one of our favourite Korean places. It was closed (I guess we usually go on Saturday). We decided to walk a little further into Chinatown and grab lunch at another old favourite we knew would be open – since it seems to always be open, no matter what time of day or night we show up. Haymarket Chinese is a place we discovered soon after we moved to Sydney, and it serves reliable, authentic Chinese food. It’s a modest restaurant, down the block from a couple of the big, popular Chinese banquet restaurants, so it probably gets overlooked by most people. Usually we are among very few Gwai Lo’s in the place, so we figure we must be on to the real deal.

The small kitchen in front where they make the noodle dishes

We often order the same thing when we go, since we’ve found a few dishes we especially like (ginger braised fish, mmm). Today we decided to go off the beaten path entirely. We got two pork dishes, which could not have been more different. So that made it interesting. We also ordered some unfamiliar doughnut-like things we saw people at other tables eating. The waiter told us they went with Congee. We ordered some (without the congee) and they were the first to arrive at the table. They were crisp, deep-fried deliciousness, and we had to control ourselves not to eat them all before the rest of the meal arrived. (We noticed everyone else was using them to dip into the congee and absorb the broth.) In Cantonese they are called “Yau Ja Gwai” (油炸鬼), which loosely translates into “oil-fried ghost, or devil”.

Yau Ja Gwai, a type of fried donut, usually eaten with Congee

The first dish out was pork ribs with bitter melon, served on a bed of stir-fried egg noodles. The pork was meaty and moist and redolent of 5-spice. The bitter melon was, well, bitter. The whole thing was a nice combination of flavors and texture.

Pork Ribs with Bitter Mellon over Fried Noodles

Next out was steamed greens with oyster sauce. There’s just something about the way that the Chinese prepare fresh greens that makes them seem so elegant and flavorful. I actually find myself craving greens like this. The presentation is also lovely, the way they are trimmed to precise lengths and stacked like logs.

Steamed Vegetables in Oyster Sauce

Last out was the second pork dish, this one minced pork with eggplant and red chilli served in a sizzling clay pot. This was easily the best dish. The eggplant was sweet and tender and savoury from the pork mince, with a spicy edge from the chillis that caught the back of your throat and made your nose run. Eric’s not even an eggplant fan and he loved it.

Eggplant with Minced Pork and Chilli Hot Pot

When we placed the order, we feared we had ordered too much. But we did a pretty good job polishing everything off. Delicious.

Haymarket Chinese Restaurant
Sussex St, Sydney