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14.5/20

China Doll

Updated ,first published

Pan fried Iberico jamon and Chinese cabbage buns.
1 / 8Pan fried Iberico jamon and Chinese cabbage buns.Andre Tukin
The dining room.
2 / 8The dining room. Andre Tukin
Drunken chicken with rice wine sauce and ginger shallot.
3 / 8Drunken chicken with rice wine sauce and ginger shallot.Andre Tukin
Char shui-style lamb cutlets with sweet onion and mustard.
4 / 8Char shui-style lamb cutlets with sweet onion and mustard.Andre Tukin
Duck pancakes with hoi sin cucumber.
5 / 8Duck pancakes with hoi sin cucumber.Andre Tukin
Grilled 300gm Angus scotch fillet with shiitake and lemon.
6 / 8Grilled 300gm Angus scotch fillet with shiitake and lemon.Andre Tukin
Resposado tequila, pink grapefruit, Sichuan pepper and soda.
7 / 8Resposado tequila, pink grapefruit, Sichuan pepper and soda.Andre Tukin
Crispy chicken and shiitake dumplings.
8 / 8Crispy chicken and shiitake dumplings. Andre Tukin
14.5/20

China Doll

Modern Asian$$

Dumplings and seafood with a sublime waterfront position.

With views of the harbour, moored yachts and the city skyline, dining at this two-decade-old stalwart feels quintessentially Sydney.

But it’s not all looks: an impressive wine list and dishes championing seafood join a menu that is a bold landscape of flavours, drawing inspiration from East and South-East Asia to create modern classics such as perfectly crisp and fiery chicken ribs with numbing Sichuan pepper, and the beloved masterstock pork belly with chilli caramel and sweet-sour-spicy nam pla prik dipping sauce.

Delicate tea-smoked duck is another standout, with lightly seared skin and cinnamon-fragrant tamarind and plum sauce. Larger groups, meanwhile, might gravitate towards the steamed barramundi with punchy chilli, garlic and pickled mustard.

Service is less informed and attentive than previous visits, but there’s still a lot to recommend, including its bang-for-your-buck banquet menus.

Good Food reviews are booked anonymously and paid independently. A restaurant can’t pay for a review or inclusion in the Good Food Guide.

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