side dishes...in sydney

China Doll - Woolloomooloo

Whenever visiting Sydney we stay at Blue in Woolloomooloo, the rooms are great and below the hotel are some of Sydney's best restaurants Otto's and China Doll to name a few. Having booked a later flight we had 4 hours to spare..."why not eat?" we said.

Even though last nights dinner was decedent tea and sandwiches wasn't an option. Off to China Doll we go. It was such a lovely way to finish my brothers 21st Birthday celebrations. Happy Birthday little bro xo.

Being a Monday lunch it was quiet....like really quiet...like four other tables quiet. This meant the service was attentive, not in your face though. The specials were addressed early on, with a few being fancied. The place is beautiful, the feature wall is a blown up picture of the Blue Willow print (see last picture), your dinner plates the same. I don't often comment on toilets...unless they are gross. China Doll have pretty toilets, shiny dark multicoloured tiles. The food was impeccable, I came to China Doll when it first opened, I was a bit younger and found some of the food frightening, but today's lunch was scrumptious with nothing left on the plates.

Entree (special): Chicken salad with chilli, mint, red cabbage, carrot and cucumber. The dressing was a sweet red sesame sauce with hints of lime and fish sauce. Don't be fooled by the picture this was AMAZING. I never order salad (boring) so thanks to the other lunch guests for ordering this.

Entree (special): Crab, prawn and green pea dumplings. Wish we got two each :(

Main: Chilli salt squid. Looks like little chippies, tastes delicious. Needs a dipping sauce of some sort. The calamari was so soft it was cooked perfectly, the seasoning and outside was tasty tasty.

Main: Eye fillet with black bean and capsicum. Three different capsicums to be exact. Eye fillet was delish, charred to perfection and the sauce and veggies crisped it up just right!

Dessert: Small dessert platter - Sago, rice pudding and assorted sorbets. Hmmm all were nice the sorbets my favourite, the texture of the other two desserts didn't do much for me. Saying that they had nice flavours. It was good to try something new.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY x

To yum things up: everything was perfect, get them to read the specials they are the two best meals of the day, don't expect lemon chicken or spring rolls (not that I was)!

Shop 46 Woolloomooloo Wharf, Cowper Wharf Rd

Sydney, 2000

(02) 9380 6744