On an indulgence trip in neon lit Chinatown, Sydney! Australia. Elsie Gabriel

On an indulgence trip in neon lit Chinatown, Sydney! Australia.

Salt and Pepper squid, Yum cha, soupy noodles, dumplings, crispy duck, tapioca pearls or just a simple chili chicken dripping with sauce and peaking duck, you can have your pick? From Thai to Malaysian, Cantonese to Vietnamese, the melting pot of eateries, gracious staff courteously beckoning you join the tables laid out on the streets, there was no stopping me, I was on an indulgence trip. Red décor, Chinese lanterns everywhere and neon-lit food in Chinatown are downright irresistible. So, where are we? Sydney, imagine!

After a fortnight in main Australia my taste buds yearned for some hot spicy Asian cuisine. Bang on, right next to our hotel the Sheraton Sydney, close to the heart of the city, there seemed hope for this gourmet lover who tracked down  Chinatown is an urban locality in the southern part of the Sydney Central Business District,Australia.

It is a beautiful pedestrian street filled with Chinese restaurants and you are spoiled for choice. Chinatown is centered around Dixon Street and Haymarket area.

The Chinese neighborhood is brimming with business and lots of chatter. Lively place alright. You can absorb all the Chinese culture around you. We didn’t know where to start, it was quite over whelming with all Chinese stalls around you, each one as enticing as the other.

A good hot plate of sumptuous Chinese food made our day and we could now shop. I got the best traditional Asian food outside of Asia right here in Chinatown Sydney.

 You can also visit some of the dessert and bakeries that are around the town. All at affordable prices. The Emperors Puff center was amazing, a heavily guarded secret recipe place where they churn out soft tiny puffs that simply melt in your mouth. An excellent desert place where you have to stand in a long queue to simply get a taste of some, the wait is worth the line. It is said it is an ancestral bakery and the ingredients are passed down from one generation of Chinese to the next.

When most Sydney restaurants are closed, Chinatown is open for a sumptuous meal. They have ‘all you can eat’ fixed menus and a la carte ones too but the assorted dimsum carts that follow you around simply make you sign up first. You can choose and pick or simply have them all. That is what Chinatown in Sydney does to yaaaaa

Getting to Chinatown-

We simply walked across to the Chinatown from the Sheraton But if you are driving, your most convenient carpark would be the Entertainment Carpark with entrances from Quay St in the south or Pier St in the north. Alternatively, park at the Goulburn Parking Station at the corner of Goulburn and Elizabeth Sts and walk west.

If going by public transport:

• The tram and Darling Harbour monorail have stops at Haymarket.
• Take any bus passing through George St and get off at a bus stop close to Hay St.
• If taking the train, get off at Central Station, walk north along Belmore Park to Hay St, then walk west on Hay.