Fire up the group chat. Synchronise those Google calendars. And do basically whatever else is needed in order to amass your fellow hungry diners — because Golden Century is back. Well, sort of…
The legendary Chinatown institution, along with the similarly defunct Marigold, was widely regarded as Sydney’s most influential Chinese restaurant for over three decades. Now, it’s been revived in the form of Royal Palace Seafood.
Spearheaded by the same mother-son duo behind Royal Pavilion, a reservations-only joint located nearby on Sussex Street, RPS (as I’ve resolved to immediately nickname it) has already been met with an overwhelmingly positive response. From peckish Sinophiles to longtime denizens of Sydney’s CBD, just about everyone is keen to see the rejuvenation of Haymarket’s restaurant traffic.
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At RPS, early signs point towards a stunning return to form. Many of those moving parts which accounted for Golden Century’s legendary charm appear to be well and truly intact: starting with the façade of the three-storey restaurant itself.
Along with the kitchen’s specialty in nostalgic Canto fare, an entire dining room dedicated to yum cha, and (most crucially) extended trading hours until 3 AM from Thursday to Saturday… by all accounts, it seems like a recipe for success.
While Linda and Billy Wong, custodians of the original Golden Century, continue to tend to their venues at The Star and Darling Square, the fact that Sydneysiders may once again order Three Treasure lobster and gigantic platters of XO pipis into the wee hours of the morning is welcome news indeed.
