Sydney was sad when iconic, very late-night Sydney institution Golden Century announced its closure after going into administration following the Covid lockdowns. But then, in great news for all of us, creditors voted to save the Chinese restaurant, making a $4.5 million agreement to clear its debt. Despite this, we’re still not sure if the original Sussex Street, Haymarket location will reopen, but the good news for GC fans is that they’ve got some spin-off venues, including this cheap and cheerful new Golden Century BBQ joint that's now appeared in the buzzing Darling Square precinct.
It’s a classic Cantonese barbecue kitchen where you can grab a plate of roast duck, barbecue pork, crispy roast pork belly or soya chicken with rice and noodles for about a twenty, with you getting to wash it all down with a cold TsingTao or Kirin beer. There’s also soup, dumplings, buns and veg on the menu.
This new spot is located downstairs from XOPP, a restaurant that Golden Century launched back in 2019 – as the name suggests, it heroes their famous pippies in XO sauce. And if that’s not enough GC action for you, there’s another outpost, the Century by Golden Century, which has been a fixture of the Star since back in 2014.
Golden Century as we once knew it may be gone folks, but their spirit shall always linger on.
