BBQ King, Goulburn St, Sydney

BBQ King, Goulburn St, Sydney

Tuesday 22 May, 2007

Tonight I laughed myself silly at Barry Humphries' 'Back with a Vengence' performance at the Capitol Theatre. Prior to the show my dinner buddies and I enjoyed a quite bite at BBQ King.

BBQ King has a colourful history - restauranteur/ chef Philip Chau was kidnapped and extortion is not uncommon from what you read/ hear in the media. However it also attracts some of the cities most esteemed chefs for late night feeds including Neil Perry. As the description states,

When you see the best of the best chefs in Sydney eating here after a hard night, you know for sure the place offers something special. BBQ King is one of those places whose reputation doesn't hold a candle to the actual quality. Everyone should get there at least once!

We arrived for an early dinner and were met with 10 or so staff in red tops milling around the entry. The smell is overwhelming...peking duck, hoisin sauce, BBQ pork, chilli sauce - it's a feast for the senses. Every table was full but we found one on the ground level near the rear. The staff crack me up at BBQ King as they are super keen to help you but as soon as they realise what you are saying or asking for they always refer back to the English speaking staff to take your request/ order. They move through the dining space at breakneck speed and turn tables over between diners with impressive speed.

We ordered peking duck pancakes, salt & pepper calamari and BBQ pork for three plus some steamed rice. The great thing about BBQ King is the cracking pace at which everything is served. It makes it the perfect place to dine before going to the Capitol Theatre, Entertainment Centre etc. The non stop stream of eager diners is testament to the food served.

Our meals were excellent - the pancakes were so good we could have easily gone another round, the generous slab of duck meat & skin barely fit on the small pancake. The calamari was light with plenty of chilli, salt & pepper to give it a kick and the BBQ Pork was deliciously tender and piled high on an oval plate. We enjoyed every mouthful.

The decor is simple and very basic - it's definitely not a fine dining joint - but if you are looking for great Chinese cuisine check it out.

BBQ King - 18-20 Goulburn Street, Sydney - (02) 9267 2586