[category]
[title]
✍️ Time Out Sydney never writes starred restaurant and bar reviews from hosted experiences – Time Out covers restaurant and bar bills, and anonymously reviews, so that readers can trust our critique. Find out more here.
On the first floor of the heritage-listed Porter House building on Castlereagh Street is Lee Ho Fook, the Sydney iteration of chef Victor Liong’s (ex-Mr Wong, Marque) acclaimed Melbourne fine diner, which opened its doors in September 2025. Just like her older southern sister, this is a dress-up-for-dinner, special-occasion kind of place. For Liong, who grew up in Sydney, it’s a full-circle moment – one that tells the story of modern Chinese cooking with confidence. With executive chef Brad Guest (ex-Sepia, Sixpenny, Oncore by Clare Smyth, Shell House) and chef de cuisine Laxman Argeja (ex-King Clarence, Monopole, Yellow) at the helm, I'm excited to see what’s on offer.
The vibe
Handsome and quietly luxe. Think exposed brick, dark-stained timber, red accents and arched windows that let in the afternoon sun when I visit for a Friday lunch. The crowd is a mix of people indulging in business lunches, first dates and celebratory meals. As we’re guided past the bar, we spot a cabinet full of hanging ducks (no sitting ducks here), which prompts us to order the Peking duck as soon as we’re seated – it needs over half an hour to prep, after all. There’s a warm hum to the space, helped along by Victor’s sister Nance Liong (ex-Momofuku Seiobo, Fred’s) whose polished presence as restaurant manager sets the tone.
The food
This is Chinese food reimagined. Familiar flavours are the hook; refined technique is what keeps you hooked.
We kick things off with prawn toast ($26 for 2 pieces) for a bite of nostalgia. Of course, it’s been given a glow-up. Two rectangular cubes of fried bread full of paradise prawns and green garlic, topped with a quenelle of Tasmanian sea urchin and a pot of gooey salted egg yolk mousse on the side. Decadent? Hell, yeah.
Then comes the dish everyone talks about: crispy eggplant. Six golden batons, impossibly crunchy, are doused (quite heavily) in a sweet-sour-spicy sauce that miraculously never compromises the crunch. Developed during Liong’s Mr Wong days, we'd happily take another serve of these, but at $29 a plate, we won't.
A half-serve of Peking duck ($64) is next. Sourced from Melbourne, the ducks are dry-aged for ten days, glazed with maltose and roasted until they’re glistening and golden brown. Since it’s a DIY dish, we get cracking – happily arranging the sliced duck, cucumber, coriander, spring onion and daikon, adding a dollop of quince hoisin onto paper-thin pancakes, before devouring each one in a couple of mouthfuls.
XO pippies (we got the 300g serve for $44) follow. The sauce, rich and comforting; the rolled rice noodles, soft and slippery; the Chinese doughnuts scattered on top; warm and crusty. A side of salt and pepper chips – liberally dusted with a spicy seasoning and laced through with fried onions – makes for a great side-kick.
When we claim we’re too full for dessert, our waiter suggests we share one; we acquiesce. A complimentary plate of petit-four accompanies our order of jasmine rice-infused ice cream with red bean and chestnut purée ($21). The aforementioned waiter proceeds to pour warm cocoa caramel over it and we dig in. Hot meets cold meets sweet meets savoury. We’re glad we have separate dessert stomachs.
The drinks
The extensive drinks list is thoughtfully curated, championing Australian producers before branching out globally. There are cocktails, spirits, beers (my partner’s Yulli’s Seabass Mediterranean lager goes down a treat), and a seriously good wine list. Seeing the look of indecision writ large on my face, the sommelier arrives to guide me, offering a few tastings before I choose a glass of Australia's Handpicked Collection pinot noir. Also on offer is a wine pairing ($100) and a beautifully curated tea pairing ($50). Decisions. Delicious decisions.
Time Out tip
Dining with a group? Save yourself the back-and-forth stress and opt for the tasting menu ($180 per person). You’ll get a greatest-hits tour of the menu without the ordering anxiety. Bonus: there’s a semi-private dining room if you’re celebrating something big – a promotion or a milestone birthday, perhaps?
Stay in the loop: sign up for our free Time Out Sydney newsletter for more news, food & drink inspo and activity ideas, straight to your inbox.