My sister TFP, my fiance J and I recently went on a ten day holiday to Sydney. Food was high on our agenda, and we visited lots of great places.
I’ll be posting the highlights from each day, so stay tuned!
We arrived in Sydney around 1pm, and after we made it to our hotel, checked in and got settled, one thing was clear.
There was no way we would be getting to dinner time without some food in our bellies.
Window of barbecued delights
As our taxi driver navigated through the busy streets of Haymarket, Sydney’s bustling Chinatown, it was difficult to ignore the bright displays and the windows crowded with diners enjoying a late lunch.
BBQ King’s window display got our immediate attention, and despite our best efforts to find lunch closer to our hotel, nothing seemed right. Except Chinese barbecued meats. Oh yes.
BBQ King menu
We were shown to a table by the window and given a menu each. I immediately fell in love with the retro-fabulous image on the front of each menu, which looked like it could have been a propaganda poster from communist China! If communist China was keen on spreading propaganda about roasted meats, that is.
Condiment station
The service was brisk and simple, and I was secretly relieved that I didn’t have to use my absolutely shocking Cantonese on our waitperson.
We settled on sharing two meat and rice combinations – we thought that ordering a combo each would have been too much. After all, we were on (stomach) space saving mode, in preparation for a special dinner that night!
J dishes out the soup
Not long after we ordered, a bowl of fragrant, meaty broth was plunked on the table with three small bowls. J did the honours and dished out the soup for each of us.
I love the complimentary soup you’re often given when you eat in at a Chinese roast shop. Naturally, with roasted meats being the main attraction, these restaurants aren’t short on all the requirements for a tasty broth. The cooks usually throw in meaty bones, flavoursome roast off-cuts, and a selection of veggies which are available that day.
My bowl of soup had a piece of sweet tender carrot, and a chunk of a corn cob, which was surprisingly tasty despite having been boiled (for possibly hours) in a vat of meat broth. I’d expected it to be flavourless and watery … and though I know it was just added to flavour the broth, I really enjoyed nibbling on the bright yellow kernels of corn 
Char Siu and Roast Duck Rice, $14
It wasn’t long before our meals arrived, and boy was I glad to see them. I’d been eyeing off all the food that other diners were enjoying since we arrived, and I could hear my tummy growling.
Suckling Pig and Rice, $18
The food was exactly what I wanted, and I’m pretty sure both J and TFP agreed – though, there wasn’t a lot of talking happening, as we were too busy eating!
We all agreed that the Suckling Pig was a stand out. The bubbly skin was crunchy and light, and the meat was tender. The crackling was seriously addictive, well seasoned, and adding a great textural crunch to every bite. My favourite part was dipping the crunchy rinds into the chili sauce provided – YUM.
The complimentary greens which came with both dishes (Kai lan) was simply blanched, with tender green leaves and stems which were still a little al dente.
This made for a satisfying late lunch for three tired travellers. The bill came to $38, including drinks.
Marinated Pork Uteri and other interesting roasted delights
As we left, I noticed this awesome signboard next to BBQ King’s takeaway counter….
I’m not sure how I feel about Spicy Intestines or Marinated Pork Uteri, but there’s definitely other tasty looking options up there!
Wow i don’t think i have been to a roast meats restaurant where you are supplied with complimentary soup. It’s quite a nice addition!
Also i wanted to say that the photography in this post is fantastic! It really conveys how juicy and tender all the roast meats are.
Hi Simon,
I think the soup has gone out of practice/fashion at lots of places – particularly as it’s a freebie…I guess it’s more profitable to only offer soup as an official menu option!
Thanks for the feedback on my photos
Ten straight days of food photos at almost every meal helped me hone my skills a little more!
I’m working on more pics this week, you can also check them out on my flickr page if you’re interested! (linked on my sidebar)
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Would that be uteri … as in the plural of uterus? Eek!
Yeah definitely not one for the offal myself either.
You know I’d written off BBQ King since the last time we visited because we didn’t have a great char siu experience – far too fatty, but the one that you had looked much better.
And that suckling pig – with that freaking awesome looking cracking. Wow. Yes I guess I’ll have to return and give them another try.
Yep, I think uteri was uterus plural…uteruses just doesn’t look right, does it?
But then, I don’t think uteri looks (or sounds) right either… eeeew!
The duck, char siu and suckling pig are much better options, in my opinion! Definitely check out the pork if you return, it was delish!
Yeah I agree that uteruses doesn’t sound right. Just don’t think I ever heard the plural for uterus before!
And of course I’m not sure why someone would want to eat that, but then people eat so many weird things!
BBQ Kind is awesome! Had their duck feast once and couldnt breath I’d eaten so much lol
It was a great meal – loved it, and wished I could eat more!
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Um, I just had a ginormous bagel sandwich a little while ago, but looking at these fabulous photos (and reading the descriptions!) has made me hungry all over again.
My eyes grew large at the char siu and roast duck (and I may or may not have drooled a wee bit). It’s been a few months since I’ve had char siu… I should pick some up one of these days!
The char siu from this place was really good. So juicy and tender. I haven’t had lunch yet, and the mere thought of it is torture…
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*makes grabby hands* Oh, man everything looks so good. Looking at the more, um, exotic fare on that takeout menu sort of intrigues me. On one hand, I do like some offal and I’m game to try something at least once though I doubt I’ll be back for seconds on pork uteri
I think I’m both intrigued and grossed out simultaneously
I don’t mind offal sometimes (but usually in the form of a pate or terrine or something equally “processed”) but the graphic descriptions/translations at BBQ King were just too much!
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Hello crackling! And yes, the charred bits of char siu are my favourite too!
OMG that crackling was spectacular!
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Hi,
Where did you stay in Sydney? Would you recommend the hotel you are staying? I am planning a trip in February and trying to gather some suggestion on accommodation.
Hi Patrick,
We stayed at the Meriton Serviced Apartments on Campbell Street. I definitely recommend them!
You can book any of the Meriton Apartments online at myrez.com.au
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