Xi Bay - Sydney

This place is always packed, and when you pay your bill, you will know one reason why : . A lot of places in Burwood are a total rip off, but this place is great value. It's pretty crowded inside, lots of close tables, and the decor is very basic but I'm pretty sure most people are there for the food, not the atmosphere. We usually go for flavour noodles (it's like a pork spaghetti bolognese but with noodles , black fungus with egg (tastes better than it sounds! and either steamed or fried dumplings. The steamed dumplings can take a while to come out though. Other food comes out really fast! The hot and sour soup with chopped noodles is also pretty good, and comes in a huge bowl that can be shared between about 3 4 people. Also, the tea is free, which is always nice. The only downside to this place is the cleanliness. It's not dirty, but the bowls are often wet, as are the chopsticks or cutlery. It might make you wonder how well everything has been washed... If that bothers you, this might not be the place for you : . There are a few places in Burwood with a similar setup, and they all seem very popular, so I'm not too concerned about it. I would definitely recommend Seabay if you are looking for good value and a quick meal in Burwood. I have seen another Seabay in Eastwood, which I think is the same (the signs look the same, I didn't go in though .

This place gets 5 stars because this was our first meal on our first official day in Sydney, and our last meal in Sydney two weeks later. First, obviously, get the handmade noodles. They're all very good. It's the perfect elastic chew you can only get from hand pulled noodles. If you get there early when they open, you can see ladies in the kitchen pulling long, continuous strands of noodles. My favorite noodle dish was B-1 the beef noodle soup. Just perfect. Second, the next obvious thing will hit your nose as soon as you step inside. It's the strong smell of the spices they use on their lamb skewers. You're almost marinating in it while you're sitting there. The skewers are a must. They give you 3 long skewers of lamb medallions that are perfectly grilled. They sometimes get stuck on the skewer, so don't hesitate to just bite it off the skewer. You can't go wrong if you order any handmade noodle and the lamb skewers. This place is definitely a great neighborhood spot.

The signature dish here is the handmade beef noodle soup. It will not disappoint. The noodles are miles long, beef is finely sliced and the broth is full of flavour and nicely complemented by fresh chopped spring onions and coriander. It's a huge portion easily enough for 2 people. Fried noodle dishes and crispy pork also do really well. A word of caution though: Lower your expectation of customer service to the absolute minimum, and don't expect to be treated nicely by wait staff. On one visit my husband reminded the waitress that we'd asked for chilli; she let out an actual yell of impatience, said something in Mandarin and then got someone else to bring it. We've learned to laugh this sort of thing (having to ask twice/several times, or menus practically thrown at us) off.

I heard great reviews about the city branch and decided to check this out. I was pleasantly surprised despite the high expectations. Stand out dish: fried eggplants in special sauce. That was truly special with a tomato, capsicum base full of flavour and we'll balanced. You can forego: steamed dumplings. I didn't see other tables ordering this. Too thick pastry. Next time I'm keen to try the lamb skewers, soft shell crab, cucumber salads that most seemingly regular patrons had ordered.

Delicious and authentic Northern Chinese dishes. I particularly like that it's always very consistent and never fails to satisfy.