City Sushi

Source: Sushi House Central Station (near tunnel)
Rating: Sacrilegious
Average Roll price: $2.45

There’s nothing that aggravates me more than a shitty sushi roll. For the lazy and health (waist)-conscious student sushi is a staple that is holy and sacred. Wrapped in its green seaweed mesh, holding the lean meats of a dieters dream, you suddenly have the terrible realization that most of it is rice; one of those simple carbohydrates we’ve all been made to fear. But worse, it’s grainy, and hard. It’s as if it’s been left too long in the open air. Perhaps the fish within has become a welcoming nest for whatever microbe or insect so desires it. You’re filled with a sort of rage. Yes, you’ve got a case of shitty sushi.

What you realise as you explore other sushi restaurants in the central-station district is that they’re cheaper, with rice that’s just right, and meats which seem freshly cooked or cut. I pray one day soon that Sushi House Central Station will lower its prices and use the fresh rice that will restore the sacred staple. For now I recommend Harbourside Sushi.

Verdict: A high price for really hard rice.

Chinese Noodle Restaurant

Where: 8 Quay Street (entrance off Thomas Street)
Overall Rating 4 Price 4.5 Food 3.5 Ambience 3 Service 3.5

This little nook in the wall is a gastronomic gem for both the penniless student and those lovers of authentic Chinese cuisine. It has the fast economy of a restaurant with a secret to success, sometimes conferring a feeling upon its customer of being a money-bag ripe for the reaping. But there is no “Australian Chinese” touch here, no ruinous ‘assimilation’ of flavour or culture that plagues the lazy palette of parochial Australia. It is a walk into a backstreet in global Shanghai showcasing a clientel of Sydney’s cultural diversity.

The dumplings and hand-made noodles are, as I peer into the kitchen, home-made. The noodles are glutinously slippery with the perfect thickness for soaking up their Xinjiang sauce complimented nicely by various meat, and vegetable combinations. The dumplings come in very generous servings of 14, round and plump, both steamed and fried. They are stuffed with different mixes of green vegetable, meat, and egg and have a crunchy underbelly. There is no desire for sweet and sour sauce; you instead desire the acerbic taste of vinegar and soy to counter-balance their starchy delectability.

These two dishes are only a peep into the new flavors that await you - try their braised eggplant with its sapid hint of caramel. A dish equally as good for the spice-lover is their chili and tofu compote, a hearty and warming meal for a winter’s day.

Verdict: a very satisfying eat for cheap.