Golden Unicorn

Yes, there is a queue running up the stairway that leads up to the Golden Unicorn dining room from Maroubra Road, but you also need a number, so weave up one side and find the woman with the clipboard to ensure you save your spot in the line. Also, it’s worth noting that this is not one of those ballroom-sized restaurants, so tables of two move a lot faster than big groups. If you land an outer ring table you’ll have the best shot at first dibs on the trolleys – it’s not a high traffic zone – and there’s no roast meats trolley on our visit, so place your order after you sit down to get it brought out from the kitchen. Barbecue pork buns are smaller, with properly chunky meat pieces and a good filling-to-bun ratio; the pork veg and peanut dumplings are fresh and loosely packed; and black fungus dumplings are extra savoury two bit wonders. Next time we’ll skip the sticky rice dumplings, which dry out a little, in favour of the hefty parcels of sticky rice packed with chicken, sausage, pork, and egg yolk with umami-powered seasoned rice. And if you’re wanting to branch out, give the fried trolley some extra attention. There are purple taro dumplings in a crunchy fried lacy shell with a savoury filling (the sweet/savoury see-saw totally works) and as a prelude to dessert you can ease into things with red bean buns, all golden and fried on the outside, with a tacky inner shell. These guys also get two thumbs up for their extremely swift tea service and mango pancakes that have some of the lightest crepe wrappers in town.