- 3 months ago
Golden Century is back – but this time, it’s at Crown Sydney. We brought in special guest Isaac (@isaaceatsalot) to put the iconic Chinese restaurant’s new digs to the test. From $38 fried rice to Peking duck and pippies in XO sauce, we tried all the classics (and a few firsts).
👀 Is the luxury upgrade worth your dollars?
🍚 Is that fried rice really $38?!
🥡 And are the pork buns still elite?
Watch as we dig into one of Sydney’s biggest restaurant reopenings and give you our honest verdict.
—
👀 Is the luxury upgrade worth your dollars?
🍚 Is that fried rice really $38?!
🥡 And are the pork buns still elite?
Watch as we dig into one of Sydney’s biggest restaurant reopenings and give you our honest verdict.
—
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00Wow, where's the bus that you just threw me under? It's got to be in here somewhere.
00:06Welcome back to this week's episode of Monday Munchies. We're here at Golden Century,
00:10the new opening at the Crown City with a special guest. We've brought along Isaac.
00:14You may find him at Isaac. He eats a lot. You may recognize the mustache and the mullet.
00:18We're going to smash some Chinese food today for you.
00:21I have a confession to make. I've never eaten at Golden Century, have you?
00:24No. We're in this together. Yeah, we're in it together today.
00:27New experiences.
00:27They've moved from the original location, as you may know.
00:31It's probably Sydney's biggest, one of Sydney's bigger restaurant openings this year, I would say,
00:35and they've moved to the Crown.
00:38We have ordered, we have gone through the menu, we've done all of that,
00:41but I want to give Isaac a chance to introduce himself a little bit
00:44because I think we've brought along one of Sydney's finest Chinese food palettes.
00:48Bruh.
00:50Wow. Where's the bus that you just threw me under? It's got to be in here somewhere.
00:53So I did confess earlier, I've not eaten at Golden Century before,
00:56but I have been on an adventure the last 12 months, eating a lot of Chinese takeaway.
01:00Who wants a fucking Chinese at Emerald Chinese Restaurant in Wanoon?
01:06Chicken and rice, 14 bucks.
01:08Upgrade to fried rice, an extra $2.50 for the special fried rice curry sauce.
01:12And I've got a Coke Zero, 29 bucks.
01:14Nothing probably this refined, certainly not yum-char style,
01:18but I'm very keen, very interested to take it on with you today.
01:21Yes, we're going to do it. We're going to do yum-char today.
01:23We have ordered some salt and pepper calamari, some absolute staples.
01:28We've got the prawn toast, we've got the Wagyu beef roll,
01:30we've got the mixed dumpling platter or dim sum platter,
01:33and we've got pork buns, but there's more to come.
01:35Let's get into it.
01:37Mixed dim sum platter, so it was about 30-something bucks, 40 bucks.
01:41You get six little things right here.
01:45We've actually got one each, none for the camera crew.
01:48What are your chopstick skills like?
01:52Pretty good, I'm not going to lie.
01:54I actually have tried my whole life.
01:56Do we have soy?
01:57Soy? No, there is no soy on the table.
01:59No soy.
02:00No soy.
02:00What?
02:01A few moments later.
02:03Soy made it. Hopefully it was free. I'm assuming it is.
02:06I think we're sharing.
02:07It's not being raised easy.
02:08They've got a soy shortage.
02:10Grab a prawn.
02:11I feel like we can cheers.
02:12Yeah, I'll grab it.
02:12But it's not a cross-contamination issue.
02:14I'm going to actually grab this one.
02:15Yeah, now you've...
02:16Cheers.
02:18Shit.
02:20Oh no, don't struggle on camera.
02:24It's great.
02:26Quintessential.
02:27It's exactly what you'd ask for.
02:29I'm going to swap out...
02:31Dim Sum platter for...
02:32I reckon we've got to smash it as a quick pork bun.
02:35The honours?
02:35Oh, you can go first.
02:36I've got the first dumpling, yeah.
02:37Oh, okay.
02:38So, it's exploding a little bit.
02:39It's exploding a lot, actually.
02:41That's a cheeky little intro to what's inside on the bottom there.
02:45That's more than an intro, but...
02:51That's good.
02:51Yeah, you can tell it's made fresh.
02:52And, like, enough filling that it's, like, a generous amount of filling.
02:54Yeah, yeah.
02:55It's not, like, some hot thing.
02:56So, that's good.
02:57Sometimes you get some of these and they're, like, bang average.
03:00Yeah.
03:00And they're skimping on the inside.
03:01They can often taste the same, but I would say this is, like, a taste...
03:05They made it.
03:05All right, we're going to rise her off.
03:07It's going to be a hot mess.
03:09This is going to be sloppy.
03:10Have you ever had a waggy beef rice roll?
03:12I've never.
03:12No.
03:13I can't even say I've seen it.
03:14It looks like squid.
03:15It looks like a squid chip.
03:16But I'm sure it tastes delicious.
03:17I'm sure it's a staple and this is probably just us being naive.
03:24One bite to rule them all.
03:27I quite like that.
03:29Considering the time frame that we've had it in front of us filming,
03:32it is...
03:33Shelf life is phenomenal.
03:34Yeah.
03:34All right, let's get prawn taste.
03:36I feel guilty not leaving enough food for you guys afterwards.
03:40Scraps.
03:40Scraps for the camera team.
03:43Cheers.
03:45That's good.
03:46I still have a great crunch today.
03:47Still has a great crunch.
03:49And so light.
03:50Look at that.
03:50Layers.
03:51Yeah, get the prawn taste.
03:52Prawn toast, pork bum, 100%.
03:54Mixed with dim sum plato.
03:55Go for it.
03:56Rice rolls are fine, but it's not really for me.
03:59Peking duck time.
04:01One of my favorite Chinese dishes.
04:03Usually you get to put it together yourself,
04:05but today, I don't know if they just read the room
04:07and realized that they have two absolute novices
04:09sitting at the table.
04:10They did it for us.
04:12All right.
04:12Cheers.
04:16Mmm.
04:17That's good.
04:18Crispy skin.
04:19Got the right ingredients in it.
04:20It's good balance.
04:22It's not too sweet.
04:22I'm into it.
04:23I want to ask Isaac.
04:24You've eaten at way more places than I have.
04:27I just do it measly once a week.
04:29A little food series.
04:30We'll work on that.
04:31We'll work on it.
04:32You were a professional leader too,
04:33but I want to talk about what you're seeing out there.
04:36Trends, talk to me.
04:37It's interesting.
04:38I am really worried about the current,
04:41I wouldn't call it cancel culture,
04:43but there is a culture where we as consumers
04:45go to places and go,
04:47oh, it's overrated.
04:48And I'm like, yeah, who rated it?
04:50You as the consumer are the person who rated it.
04:52So there's an issue almost now where like
04:55everyone's been given a voice
04:57and it was good.
04:58And then it's like, yeah,
04:59not all of you should have a voice.
05:00Yeah, it's coming back the other way.
05:01Yeah, that's true.
05:02I don't think it's cool to go on social media
05:04and just beat down a business
05:06for kind of maybe a one bad night.
05:08I think it's very unfair.
05:10Go back another night,
05:11go back next week,
05:12confirm that it's bad.
05:13I think when we go to a place
05:15and it's not good,
05:17we're not going to post it.
05:18It's just, there's no point.
05:19Now let's see the pippies.
05:20I've never, ever had pippies in my life.
05:23Never?
05:24Never had pippies.
05:24I used to like wiggle my feet in the sand
05:26at the beach trying to catch them,
05:27but I would never eat them.
05:31Do you reckon I need to get a little bit of sauce?
05:32Yeah, a little bit of sauce.
05:33I mean a little bit of crisp.
05:35A little bit of crisp.
05:36Oh, that's a good spoon.
05:41Oh.
05:44First pippie.
05:45I like that.
05:46Pasture to a pippie.
05:47The nudes go great.
05:48A little,
05:49the sauce is great.
05:51I love the sauce.
05:51The sauce is big.
05:52Even if someone who isn't a seafood person,
05:55that's very easy to eat.
05:55It's cool, yeah.
05:56It doesn't get better than this
05:57holy trinity
05:58of Aussie Chinese food right here.
06:02We have a $38
06:03Golden Century fried rice.
06:06We've got the small portion
06:08of the salt pepper squid.
06:09You can get a bigger version of $40
06:11where we're going snack size.
06:12$19.
06:14$18, $19.
06:15Mongolian beef.
06:16The beef with black pepper.
06:17Beef with black pepper.
06:18Beef with black bean.
06:20Pepper.
06:21Sounds good.
06:22Let's go.
06:23This doesn't look peppery.
06:24No.
06:25Let's actually start there, I reckon.
06:26Let's go.
06:26Unless they've snuck some white pepper
06:28into that batter.
06:29Do you like a leg?
06:30I go for a leg and a gut.
06:32I go for whatever.
06:32It looks easy to pick up
06:33with my chopsticks.
06:35We got one.
06:39Great coating,
06:40but I'm sticking to my initial observation
06:41that I think it's lacking pepper.
06:43Oh, the fried rice.
06:44Oh, it smells good, man.
06:45Far out.
06:46Would you like...
06:46You can serve yourself first.
06:47Yeah, I'm going to serve myself first.
06:48I think it has to go rice on the bottom
06:50and then meat on top.
06:50Yeah, it's always rice on top.
06:51That's kind of a thing.
06:51Always rice on the bottom.
06:52If I want someone to do it the other way,
06:54I cringe.
06:54We'll do the beef.
06:55Oh, we'll just skip ahead.
06:56I'll let you know.
06:58That's actually...
07:00That's actually really good.
07:03Oh, my God.
07:04It actually...
07:05It's soft, man.
07:05It's tender.
07:06That has been so belvative.
07:07Yeah.
07:07And seasoned.
07:08I love that.
07:09I'm just ordering several of those.
07:10Yeah.
07:11And some prawn toast.
07:11That's good.
07:12Fried rice is solid.
07:13Yeah, I don't think it's $38 solid, but...
07:15Nah.
07:16I don't think there is
07:17the fried rice in the world
07:18that's worth $38,
07:19to be honest.
07:20I can't think of one.
07:21Smashed.
07:22So, I'm actually
07:24the right amount of full.
07:25I could have gone on further,
07:26I reckon,
07:27but I think we're chilling.
07:28I'm happy.
07:29I'm happy for lunch.
07:30So, we've got a little bit of room for dinner.
07:31What did you like from the start?
07:33Any...
07:34Oh, the pork ones?
07:35Yeah.
07:36Hands down.
07:37Amazing.
07:37Yeah, I would do four times.
07:38And I think good value
07:38at $13 for three.
07:40Yeah.
07:40Happy.
07:41Yeah, solid.
07:41I think the prawn toast,
07:43again, if that's $13
07:44for the three pieces,
07:45meh.
07:45I would have liked a fourth piece.
07:46Yeah.
07:47Because they're triangles.
07:48Yeah, yeah, yeah.
07:49Project tells me, like,
07:50where's my fourth piece going
07:52from that piece of bread?
07:53So, I've just ate
07:54my fourth piece for free.
07:55The mixed dumplings,
07:56I could take olives.
07:58The beef,
07:59flawless.
07:59Yeah.
08:00Beef was great.
08:00I think that's, like,
08:01A1 for me.
08:02I think that's my favourite dish.
08:03Let's say today.
08:05Second place,
08:06Phoebe's.
08:07I do like Phoebe's.
08:07I'm partial to Phoebe.
08:08I said it.
08:09I'm going to be biased.
08:09I don't think they might see food,
08:10and they were good.
08:10I'm going to be biased to Phoebe.
08:11Salt and pepper,
08:12squids,
08:13linda,
08:13karmari,
08:14fried rice.
08:14I think it's a great fried rice.
08:16I think it's well overpriced.
08:17Yeah.
08:17I think if you knock $10 off that
08:19and it's $28,
08:20it's a nice fried rice.
08:21I was very happy with the meal overall.
08:22I would be happy to come back
08:23and see what it's like
08:24at night for dinner.
08:25I think the food quality, though,
08:26is as you expect
08:27for pretty much most of the places
08:29in Crown,
08:30it's always going to be good.
08:31You're going to get
08:32exactly what you asked for.
08:33Maybe it won't blow you away,
08:34but you'll be happy
08:35when you walk away
08:36with your dinner.
08:37How would you sum it up, mate?
08:38Food-wise,
08:38I think it's what
08:40I largely expected
08:41coming into it.
08:41You'd have to be very critical
08:43to fault much of it.
08:44I think, for me,
08:45probably the biggest disconnect
08:47between the original
08:49and the new
08:49is being in Crown
08:50and the price point
08:52is that I have
08:53an expectation level
08:54of service in Crown
08:56when you're in Barangaroo
08:57and you're servicing
08:58tourists and corporates.
09:00Little things
09:00like a missed drink
09:01or the timing of dishes
09:03coming out
09:03are a big part of
09:05the overall experience
09:06and kind of what you'd
09:07come away from a meal with.
09:08But as you said,
09:08I'd be interested to come back.
09:10Maybe it's one of those things
09:11where they actually
09:12purr better
09:13when it's really busy.
09:14It's like a flow.
09:16Tell us where we can find you, Isaac.
09:18On all socials
09:19at Isaac,
09:202S is 1A,
09:21underscore eats a lot.
09:22Thank you for coming.
09:23This has been
09:24another Monday Munchies.
09:25Come back next week
09:26to see where we go next.