Yum Cha (also known as dim sum in some places) is a Chinese style of food which usually involves eating dishes and drinking tea. I've been a huge fan of yum cha since I was young and wanted to share my experiences in the yum cha restaurants of Cabramatta, a suburb in Sydney's south-west.
Cabramatta is known for its Asian style shops and restaurants, mainly due to its large Asian population. No matter where you go, you will always find some sort of Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese or other Asian place.
I'll be looking at four yum cha restaurants:
- Iron Chef (84 Broomfield Street)
- Fortune8 (Inside Cabramatta No. 1 Shopping Centre, 34/47 Park Road)
- Golden Palace (up the escalator of 24-32 Hughes Street)
- Vinh Phat (10-12 Hughes Street)
All four are within walking distance of each other. Fortune8, Golden Palace and Vinh Phat are within a minute walk of each other; Iron Chef is over the station bridge, a few minutes walk from the other three.
Iron Chef
Iron Chef used to be my family's go-to place for yum cha a few years ago. The quality seems to have declined over the past year according to reviews of the restaurant on Google. Most of the reviews that are over a year old give Iron Chef 4 or 5 stars out of 5, while the majority of reviews within the past year is 3 stars and under.
The problem seems to be not with the food, but with the service. The reviews have stated that while the food is of good quality, service is slow and staff are unfriendly. On my last visit (by myself on a weekday afternoon), the food was great (some average dishes, some excellent) but as the reviews suggest, service was quite slow. There were about 100 people in the restaurant being served by 3 or 4 carts. In addition, the staff seemed to be a little rushed and sometimes did not seem to notice me and the other guests around me, skipping our tables. I eventually got impatient enough to leave my table and go up to the carts myself. The servers did seem friendly when I did approach them though.
Despite my less-than-perfect experience, there are a few reasons to recommend Iron Chef. It has a large variety of dishes, a nice bar and a very nice ambiance. If you like the traditional yum cha experience, with food being served in carts within a large room, then this is the place for you. I would recommend going on a weekend for faster service (although be prepared to wait for up to an hour). Keep in mind that Iron Chef is quite expensive compared to the other 3 yum cha places (it costs around $30 for 4 dishes compared to $22-$23).
Fortune8
I thought I'd never been to Fortune8 until recently, but my mum said we had gone when I was very young. Located in a corner of Cabramatta No. 1 Shopping Centre (that's the actual name of the centre by the way), this yum cha place is smaller than the other 3 on my list. It's so small that dishes are not served on carts, but rather brought out by the polite staff or chosen from a menu. This is my favourite place to visit on my own, as it feels much less awkward than the much larger Iron Chef, Golden Palace and Vinh Phat. Check out the menu below.
The service here is quick, though the food doesn't taste quite as good (in my opinion). It's still quite decent - I just prefer pork siu mai to the chicken ones they serve here, and they add some seasoning to the prawn rice noodle that I'm not a big fan of. The low price (about $22 for 4 standard dishes) means it's excellent value. Perfect if you're each by yourself or with someone else. Tends to be busy on weekends, but there's plenty of room on weekdays.
Golden Palace
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| (Note that this is an older picture of the restaurant, it has been renovated sometime in the past few years) |
Located on the first floor of the Cabramatta International Centre, this nice yum cha place seems to have a good variety of everything: a variety of dishes, a nice selection at the bar, quick and friendly service and a large window with a view (although it's only the car park you'll be looking at). On weekends it's as expensive as Iron Chef, but if you go on a weekday they'll give you a 20% discount!
This was another yum cha restaurant our family visited in my childhood. It's seen a variety of renovations over the past decades, with varying decors. You'll usually get a table straight away at Golden Palace and you'll be served immediately, though according to Zomato reviews, the food is average. Personally, I think the food is actually quite good, but I agree that the portions they serve aren't quite as big as other yum cha places. Still, Golden Palace is great for a small group if Iron Chef and Vinh Phat are too busy, and Fortune8 isn't the type of atmosphere they want.
Vinh Phat
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| Old Vinh Phat, closer to the Woolworths shopping area |
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| New Vinh Phat |
Vinh Phat is the final yum cha place I will talk about. It's probably my personal favourite of the four and used to be located on the other side of the street, behind nice red curtains. I never went there during the red-curtain era, but I have been to its new location more than a few times. It has a good selection of dishes, a small bar for beverages, lots of tables (although it could seem small to some people) and generally good service. Out of the 4 yum cha places in this post, Vinh Phat has the highest rating on Google and also the highest on Zomato. It possible to get a table straight away in the late afternoon of a weekday (the last time I visited), but prepared for long lines at lunch time on weekends. It's really popular! You might have to queue for around half an hour but it's worth it, according to reviews and myself. The food is great quality and quite inexpensive as well.
Closing summary
Here's a quick summary of the 4 restaurants:
Iron Chef: large selection, traditional yum cha experience but expensive and slow service
Fortune8: family-friendly atmosphere, cheap but limited range and non-traditional
Golden Palace: large selection, cheap on weekdays but average tasting food and expensive on weekends
Vinh Phat: good tasting yum cha, great value but can be a long wait
Other yum chas in Sydney
Of course, Cabramatta isn't the only place for yum cha in Sydney. Here are a list of some other yum cha places I've gone to, along with a very brief summary of each:
Parramatta Pheonix, Westfields Parramatta: average food and quite expensive, though it looks great and has a good view of the station and close surroundings.
Tingha Palace, Parramatta Leagues: a much more cheaper option in Parramatta, has some good dishes and a comfortable atmosphere, though reviews have suggested poor customer service.
Sky Pheonix, Pitt Street, Sydney CBD: fast service and a good selection, but some of the dishes are outrageously expensive ($8-$9 for siu mai)
The Eight, Market City, Sydney CBD: average price for city yum cha, vibrant atmosphere, lots of room although sometime slow customer service
Marigold, Citymark Building, Sydney CBD: above-average tasting food and brightly lit but also a slightly higher cost when compared to other city yum chas
Zilver Restuarant, Haymarket, Sydney CBD: my personal favourite for yum cha in the city- great food, a nice atmosphere and a very fancy looking yum cha restaurant, though wait times can be painstakingly long on weekends (up to an hour).
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