Australia Day 5 - Sydney - Last day in Sydney

Our last day in Sydney, at this point I can't believe it went so quickly.

Bills - 433 Liverpool Street

It's never easy to impress my dad and my equally uncompromising cousin and Bills didn't either. I must admit it did take about 30 minutes for the food to actually come but I did like the Ricotta Hotcakes because they weren't sickly rich but had a nice consistency and sweetness to them. My dad had the salmon with sourdough dish which I found odd because he's not a fan of cold food. I also ordered a cup of hot chocolate which I found very nice, especially watching the chocolate chips melt slowly. Maybe they did not like the place because it was a slight trek here but personally I thought it wasn't as bad as they had insisted. The food was ok, the price a bit steep but  I loved the relaxed atmosphere of the place. Meal for three was around AUD 60.

About the long wait I think it was because there wasn't enough sourdough for my dad's dish so they had to get it delivered or something because we saw a brown paper bag being delivered into the kitchen and as my dad was sitting right next to the kitchen door he saw the chefs taking out bread from it.

Charlie and Co's + Din Tai Fung - Westfield Food Court

Why did we land here? Well originally I wanted to go to Plan B, desperately wanting to try the Wagyu burger, but after finding an empty shop and Becasse's website stating they had moved to Westfield Floor 5 we headed here. Once there we only found Becasse Bakery and the actual Becasse, we asked the Bakery staff and they regretfully told us that they no longer make Wagyu Burgers - nooooooooo.... and they directed us to Charlie and Co's on the other side of the food court. Damn, Charlie and Co's is 6 dollars more expensive btw.

As we only wanted to try the burger me and my dad split it in two and ordered two batches of Xiao Long Bao from Din Tai Fung. We had been advised not to go to Din Tai Fung because the Hong Kong branch is much better.

The Wagyu Burger was very tasty, the beef patty soft and moist but would I have known better? Probably not. The Xiao Long Bao was decent, not as bad as my relatives painted it out to be but yes I'd say the Hong Kong branch is better.

Oh I also ordered a Lychee Black Tea with Coconut Jelly from Chatime, I regretted this decision instantly because it didn't taste nice. Next time I'll try it in Hong Kong.

Golden Century Seafood Restaurant - 393 Sussex Street

Our last meal in Sydney, we had to eat Chinese! Golden Century being one of the best of the bunch. We were quite impressed with it all actually. I loved the bustling dining hall, which was huge but still full! Seeing as this was a Seafood Restaurant we immediately decided to order some fish, which they had tons of but all quite expensive. We settled on the Barramundi. We also ordered a chicken claypot bowl (not 100% what it is), another bowl with aubergine, a scallops with green beans dish and some greens.

The Barramundi was the highlight of the meal, I absolutely love steamed fish when it's made well and this was done to Cantonese perfection. The fish was fresh and steamed to just the right amount. It's essential for the fish to be fresh and cleaned well for it to taste right, sadly it's quite rare to find in the UK. The claypot dishes were nice, the chicken was better though. The aubergine one was a bit random. The greens were also cooked well. The scallop however were a bit forgettable. If there was one negative I'd say it was the amount of oil put into the dishes but that might be the price to pay for good Cantonese food. Filled to the brim already we were also served complimentary desserts and fruits, an almond dessert and a few small bites as well as a tangerine each. The almond dessert (can't think of an english name equivalent) was lovely - even better as it was free but for AUD 120 you expect something thrown in. Definitely if you're looking for Chinese food in Sydney consider Golden Century.

General Tourist Attractions

Bondi Beach - A must during any season, even in Winter you won't feel awkward because it's not cold and you still see a lot of surfers and tourists around. The beach is beautiful and the vistas amazing. Be sure to head up to Ben Buckler Point (about 5 minutes from the beach) in the winter months where you might catch a glimpse of a whale like we did.

Paddington Reservoir Gardens - We only arrived at night so the place was a little spooky but I'm sure it's a very attractive resting spot in the morning.

King's Cross - It's quite odd to see this side of Sydney in such an unabashed setting. It has a different feel to the likes of Soho in UK, I don't know how to describe it.