After a brief foray into Spanish tapas in 2018, we returned to Cantonese cuisine for the 2019 office Christmas dinner at XOPP by Golden Century. The restaurant opened in September 2019 and is part of the same group behind the thirty-year old Sydney institution, Golden Century, that is also known for its Cantonese cuisine. XOPP occupies the mezzanine level of the new Exchange Building in Darling Square and its name is a nod to the original restaurant’s pipis in XO sauce, a dish David Chang called ‘the best dish in the world’.
We have Rosé and Chardonnay to start, but not being much of a fan of alcohol we make a proper start with our favourite drink to order at a bar, Lemon Lime Bitters.
We’re here for the Banquet Set Menu B ($98.00 per person) with a few additional dishes.
First up is the Kingfish Sashimi with Doubanjian and Fingerlime (included in Banquet Set Menu B, usually $18.00). Kingfish is one of my favourite types of fish to eat raw and the balance of acidity with the mild heat from the doubanjiang (a spicy broad bean paste used in Sichuan food including mapo tofu) hits just the spot.
This is the Poached Chicken with Vinegar Jelly and Sesame (included in Banquet Set Menu B, usually $14.00). The vinegar jelly and sesame are the stars of this dish bringing a hint of acidity and a very moreish nuttiness that’s carried well by the mildness of the poached chicken.
This is Cos Salad with Black Bean & Black Olive Dressing (included in Banquet Set Menu B, usually $12.00). Usually one to avoid cos lettuce for its bitterness, I’m pleasantly surprised by the crunch of these leaves as well as the intense, but balanced, savoury flavour of the black bean and black olive dressing.
This is the Peking Duck Pancakes (included in Banquet Set Menu B, usually $80.00 for whole duck including Duck Meat San Choy Bow as 2nd course — see below). The staff carve and plate up individual serves of the Peking Duck Pancakes, which makes it a breeze to eat. The roast duck is tender and juicy with just enough fat and a crispy skin. There’s only one per person, though…
This is the Duck Meat San Choy Bow (included in Banquet Set Menu B, usually $80.00 for whole including Peking Duck Pancakes as 2nd course — see above). The remaining duck meat is chopped up and stir fried with bamboo shoots and crispy noodles then wrapped in lettuce. While the innards were tasty, the lettuce cubs were quite a fiddly vehicle for eating the dish gracefully.
These are the Signature XO Pipis with Crispy Vermicelli (included in Banquet Set Menu B, usually $88.00/kg). The sheer size of these pipis — many were 4-5 cm in length — and the premium price they command sheds like on the smaller 2-3 cm pipis that we’ve previously enjoyed at lower end Chinese restaurants and the fish mongers. There’s not a speck of sand left in these and the flesh is fresh and smooth. There weren’t that many to go around, alas, though the vermicelli surprised us by its crispiness despite soaking up all the sauce, which was surprisingly mild for XO sauce.
This is the Wok Fried Kung Bao Glacier 51 Toothfish with Cashew Nuts (included in Banquet Set Menu B, usually $56.00). The heat of the dish remains restrained unless we sought out the chilli, while the fresh vegetables delivered great crunch that contrasted well with the the sweet, clean flavour and smooth texture of the fish. However, the sheer price of this dish prompted me to look into what made the Glacier 51 Toothfish so special. Turns out,
Every fish has a story…
…nothing can rival the story however, of Glacier 51 Toothfish, also known as Patagonian Toothfish. Isolated deep in the sub-Antarctic, a staggering 4,109 km from mainland Australia lies one of the most inhospitable islands in the world – Heard Island.
On the southern tip of this spectacular geographical feature, the breathtaking Glacier 51 (Fiftyone Glacier) pours into the surrounding treacherous icy waters creating the ideal environment for the highly prized toothfish found patrolling the underwater volcanic crevices 2,000 metres below sea level.
The fish is known for its ‘waygu like characteristics with a complex, yet delicate mouth feel that coats the palate appealingly, making it a pleasure to eat. Its snow-white flesh and broad scalloping flakes display a clean and sweet flavour’.
Moving on to the King Prawns Stir Fried with Foie Gras Sauce (included in Banquet Set Menu B, usually $38.00), this dish has an odd cake-like sweetness both in smell and taste that’s a little off putting along with the mushy or grainy texture of the sauce on the batter of the prawns.
This is the Crispy Pork Ribs with Red Bean Curd (included in Banquet Set Menu B, usually $28.00). I’m a fan of pork so it’s no surprise that this dish delivered. The red bean curd adds a mellow and enjoyably sweet coating to the crispy pork with just a hint of heat and reminds of the more well known sweet and sour pork dish.
This is the Typhoon Shelter Cauliflower (included in Banquet Set Menu B, usually $22.00). Supposedly, ‘typhoon shelter’ is a style of cooking originating in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay that’s defined by a signature golden breadcrumb coating. I’m not sure how its applied to the cauliflower here, but these tasted just like regular stir-fried cauliflower. Enjoyable, but nothing special.
Finally, the last of the main dishes from the Banquet Set Menu B is the Seafood Fried Rice with Flying Fish Roe (included in Banquet Set Menu B, usually $28.00). The flying fish roe brought pops of savoury marine flavour that complemented well with the crunch of the prawns and asparagus stalks in the rice, which was surprisingly not oily at all.
The following mains were added onto the Set Menu B. This is the Crispy Skin Chicken with Two Sauces – Ginger & Scallions and Shandong (included in Banquet Set Menu B, usually $30.00)
This is the Salt and Pepper Squid (additional to Banquet Set Menu, $26.00). The squid had a thin batter that fried up crispy without being oily or too salty, while the meat itself remained tender without the slightest hint of rubberiness.
This is the BBQ Char Siu Pork (additional to Banquet Set Menu, $16.00). I’m a regular fan of this kind of pork and this one is juicy and flavoursome.
This is the Enoki and Mushrooms with Vegetables (additional to Banquet Set Menu, $26.00). Using enoki mushrooms as a ‘noodle’ base for more mushrooms and noodles has always been a favourite of mine, with the sugar snap peas and snow peas being crisp and fresh.
And finally, this is the Japanese Wasabi Beef (additional to Banquet Set Menu, $38.00). The wasabi flavour here is strong — much like in a wasabi pea — but the sinus-clearing spiciness is entirely absent, which makes for an odd experience. As D put it, the intensity of the wasabi flavour was comparable to eating a wasabi pea but without a chewy, meat texture.
Onto the first of the desserts, this is the Dark Chocolate Cake, White Chocolate Cream, Black Sesame (included in Banquet Set Menu B, usually $14.00). The chocolate cake is rich in contrast to the lightness of the white chocolate cream, while the black sesame adds a delightful nutty crunch along with the golden popping candy.
And to finish, we have the Lava Custard Buns (additional to Banquet Set Menu, $10.00) with their molten salted egg custard centre.
XOPP by Golden Century is an upmarket Chinese restaurant and presents a modern twist on much loved Cantonese classics. The service is impeccably accommodating, friendly and attentive. It was the perfect setting for an evening of feasting and seeing out a remarkably busy 2019.
XOPP by Golden Century is located at The Exchange Building, Mezzanine Level, Shop 31, 1 Little Pier Street, Haymarket NSW 2000.