The ultimate guide to the best Asian restaurants in Sydney

Chef Voltaire Silva is clearly inspired by Japan and the results are on the menu at Walsh Bay Kitchen.

From Dragon rice balls with mushrooms, kabayaki sauce, chipotle, nori and sesame to a mirin poached prawn salad, there’s plenty to tempt you if you’re a lover of all things culinary and Japanese.

Conveniently located near the Roslyn Packer Theatre, Walsh Bay Kitchen does an excellent pre-theatre two or three course meal when a show is running, so you can have a top restaurant meal and not miss curtain call.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Seared scallops, Japanese savoury custard, salmon roe and broccoli crumbs (part of two course meal $48 pp)

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Galli Galli is a hidden laneway restaurant with a buzzy atmosphere, good music and even better Asian-inspired dishes.

The menu leans towards Indian, but you’ll find a range of Asian favourites. Try the legendary momos, a traditional Tibetan and Nepalese sizzling dumpling that comes a variety of ways including dressed with tandoori paste, and served with grilled chicken, or tossed with udon noodles and garlic mushroom sauce.

Other offerings include tempura and salt and pepper squid on the menu. Variety is guaranteed, and so is quality and a solid drinks line-up.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Tandoori chicken legendary momos ($18.90)

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With four popular branches to date, Penang-born Head Chef Junda Khoo isn’t playing when it comes to crafting Malaysian street food dishes using the best Australian produce.

The heart and soul of the menu are traditional family-based recipes passed down for generations, all with a clever twist from Khoo’s masterful hand. Ho Jiak Town Hall is a bustling space, with laneway-style street art and Malaysian hawker food that will evoke childhood memories for some and travels past for others.

The nasi lemak is a classic but with fragrant coconut rice, chunky chicken curry or wagyu rendang and decked out with all the works, it’s a stand-out. Others to try here include the laksa bombs (essentially amazing laksa in a dumpling), and the elevated char koay teow that’s topped with options like king prawn and crab meat. Trust us, you need to eat here.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Cha hor fun ($33)

With Korean chefs Seung Kee Son and Jin Sun Son at the helm, Sang is all about traditional, artful Korean in an approachable setting.

This is easily Sydney’s best Korean dining experience, and you’ll find not only the expected fried chicken, bulgogi, and bibimbap but also traditional recipes that are much less familiar to western palates.

Definitely order gujeolpan, nine individually prepared types of vegetables and egg around a stack of pancakes, and dak moraejip, charred chicken gizzards with garlic, green chilli, gochugaru and sesame oil.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Bossam – pork belly, seasoned radish, ssamjang, salted shrimp, kelp and pickled gai lan ($42)

Named after the Chinese vessels known as ‘junks’ that followed the ancient spice routes to bring flavours and exotic aromas to faraway shores, Junk Lounge is a chic cocktail lounge serving eclectic Asian-inspired food with a fresh spin. There are unique dishes and spice-infused cocktails with a DJ to set the beat.

Food here ranges from Japanese-Korean fusion such as squid karaage with a gochujang glaze to Chinese with king prawn egg noodles and miso garlic butter. The menu takes a dip into Indian cuisine too, with a side of roti perfect for sopping up the Junk curry served with Rangers Valley black Angus braised brisket.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Beef brisket bao bun

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Palace Chinese is an acclaimed yum cha icon and for good reason. This buzzy restaurant is bustling with activity pretty much 24/7 and weekends are a flurry of trolley carts piled high with steamer baskets of dim sum goodness.

The quality of the food is exceptional and you’ll find steamed scallop dumplings, baked BBQ pork puffs, and steamed king prawn rice noodle rolls done to a high standard and quick to boot.

If it’s yum cha done right that you’re after, Palace Chinese is the place to go.

Dish Cult’s top pick:  Whole duck ($78)

An izakaya in Japan refers to a pub-style bar with great food, and the name itself should clue you into how Izakaya Fujiyama does dinner.

This Japanese den doesn’t skimp on quality and you’ll get more than you paid for, with tasty and flavoursome dishes designed to go well with beer and sake, including deep fried chicken with mayo, lightly fried eggplant with a house made sweet miso and tuna belly karaage.

The sushi hand rolls are worthy of a special mention and you would be wrong to not sample the winning selection of premium sake and whiskies.

Dish Cult’s top pick: Wagyu beef cheek buns ($22)