For celebrity Chef Dan Hong, Sydney isn’t just his hometown: it’s a source of endless inspiration for his bold culinary stylings and quirky takes on Asian cuisine (like his famous cheeseburger spring rolls). The executive chef for a handful of high-profile Sydney restaurants, including the iconic Cantonese eatery Mr Wong and the modern Asian Australian diner Ms G’s, Dan constantly feels the pull of new foodie experiences across the city. Follow in Dan’s footsteps and you’ll indulge in oysters plucked straight from the Hawkesbury River, taste your way around Chinatown and feel inspired by art on a guided tour of a striking gallery space as you uncover a new side of the harbour city.
Eat your way around Chinatown
Dan loves visiting Chinatown, on the fringe of the city centre, to see what new taste sensations have emerged since he last dined there. “I lived in Chinatown for more than 10 years,” says Dan. “It’s pretty much my second home, but even though I lived there for so long, there’s always a new place popping up to discover, and it’s so exciting to try new cuisines or find new dishes I’ve never tried before.”
Dan recommends joining an expert guide from Local Sauce Tours on a Chinatown – Street Food & Stories experience to fast-track your appreciation of this vibrant inner-city neighbourhood. During the 2.5-hour-long walking tour you’ll get to taste delicious street food and snacks reflecting the diversity of regional Chinese cuisines from a range of venues, while learning about the fascinating history of the Chinese Australian community – be sure to bring an appetite and comfy walking shoes.
Like Dan, once you’ve discovered some of the secrets of Chinatown you’ll want to come back and dig deeper into this colourful dining precinct. “You get to eat all different types of food from different regional Chinese cuisines, from Sichuan and Hunan to Cantonese, and there’s live seafood, dumplings, noodles and everything in between,” Dan says. “This is what’s so good about Chinatown – I love discovering all these new places. It really is the ultimate for foodies and anyone who just loves to eat great food.”
Wade into a river for oysters
For an unforgettable moment during your stay in Sydney, Dan suggests you head north to the pristine waters of the Hawkesbury River to indulge in Sydney Oyster Farm Tours’ Immerse Yourself package. “It really is such a unique experience, being knee-deep in water and eating the freshest oysters,” says Dan.
From riverside Mooney Mooney, around a 45-minute drive from central Sydney, you’ll board a boat and head out onto a sheltered bay for a guided tour of a family-run oyster farm. Later, you’ll don chest-high waders and slosh out into the river to a tasting table, set with a white tablecloth, where you can relish just-harvested oysters and prawns in a spectacular setting.
“You’re literally in the Hawkesbury River, grabbing Sydney rock oysters out of the water, shucking them and eating them straight away,” Dan says. “Sydney rock oysters are the best oysters in the world. Plus, you get to have a glass of wine in hand. What could be more delicious or more natural?”
Immerse yourself in art
Think of the third stop on Dan’s itinerary as a palate cleanser: he suggests taking a breather between meals and enjoying a visual feast at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, which borders the Royal Botanic Garden on the eastern fringe of the city centre. “What I love about the Art Gallery of New South Wales is it’s a cool way of experiencing Sydney’s cultural side and it’s pretty chill,” says Dan. “I like to go there and just zone out, really immerse in the artwork and the sculptures and everything.”
Join a one-hour tour to explore the Art Gallery of NSW’s new landmark Naala Badu building overlooking Sydney Harbour, seeing the extraordinary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art of the Yiribana Gallery before heading over to the original Naala Nura building to view more of the gallery’s extensive collection of Australian and international art. “There’s actually really good eating there,” Dan adds. “There are many restaurants [including fellow celebrity chef Matt Moran’s restaurant and a kiosk offering by native ingredients pioneer and Indigenous Elder Aunty Beryl Van-Oploo]. You could really spend a whole day there.”
Savour Sydney on a plate
Unsurprisingly, Dan’s idea of a memorable stay in Sydney involves a lot of eating. “One Sydney experience I’d recommend to everyone is going to the Sydney Fish Market for lunch,” he says. “They have amazing fresh Australian seafood, amazing sashimi, but what I’d do is get a live lobster and get them to cook it for you. What could be better?”
Dan recommends trying some of the culinary hotspots scattered across Greater Sydney’s suburbs. “What I love most about Sydney is the Asian food, especially when you can go to all these different suburbs to get a particular cuisine. For Korean, you can go to Lidcombe, Strathfield or Eastwood. For Chinese, you can also go to Burwood or Chatswood. And then for great Vietnamese, obviously you go to Cabramatta, Marrickville and Bankstown.”
If you prefer sticking closer to the city centre, Dan recommends checking out the dining precincts springing up in newer urban communities. “Something that really surprises me about Sydney is all these hubs of different Asian foods that pop up in high-rise neighbourhoods like Waterloo, Mascot and Wolli Creek. They open so many different restaurants that have different regional cuisines of China, Thailand and Vietnam; I always like checking them out.”
And if you only had a single day in which to indulge in an epicurean odyssey across the city? “If someone had 24 hours in Sydney, I’d tell them to have an empty stomach, because it’s all about eating. I’d start off with breakfast at Piña in Potts Point – their whole menu is amazing. Then we’d have a long lunch in Newport at Bert’s Bar & Brasserie, where the steaks and the whole fish are absolutely incredible. And then for dinner, I’d go to one of my favourite restaurants, Ester in Chippendale, where they cook everything in the wood-fired oven – those prawns are incredible.”
Inspired by Dan’s itinerary? You can book all three of his curated selections as a Feeling Drop package of Sydney experiences via sydney.com.
