As long as you are in Sydney, you are never very far from Golden Century. Depending on your age, your background and the time of day, what the multi-storey Cantonese restaurant in Chinatown means to you might differ. But through its endless opening hours, its influence on the food around it, and more than three decades of memories, it’s always there.
My mother told me it was the first restaurant she ever took me to in Chinatown, for what was my first Chinese New Year. On another visit, she ran into a friend. He was surprised to see a family eating there on a weeknight – he thought it was only for political schmoozing and big nights out.
In the 1999 cult classic film Two Hands, starring a young Heath Ledger and Rose Byrne, it’s there in the background as the two characters have their first date. Chefs eat there when their own venues close, touring rockstars are taken in pilgrimage and for those in politics, New South Wales Labor particularly, it is the place where deals are done and dreams come true.
With the venue in administration, its future in the same location is uncertain. Guardian Australia compiled some memories of the restaurant from the diners who knew it best.
Dan Hong, chef and founder of Mr Wong
In my opinion, Golden Century was probably the most important restaurant in Sydney. Can you think of any other restaurant in Sydney that defines Sydney?
Bob Carr, former premier of New South Wales
It was an easy resort to people in the union offices, and the people from the Labor party on the ninth floor of 377 Sussex Street. Promises of upper house seats or preferment in senate preselections have filled the air, odiferous with the heavy sauces.
Jess Scully, deputy lord mayor, City of Sydney
Clover’s [Moore] team go there a lot as well, and we love it. I remember Clover [Moore] took us there one year for Christmas dinner or Christmas lunch. It’s a place that I think is special to people of all political stripes.
Bob Carr
The robust, if unimaginative, cuisine proved the perfect setting for ecstatic expressions of mateship – often followed by the plunge of the stiletto deep into the kidney fat of someone who needed to be silenced or betrayed.
Neil Perry, chef and founder of Rockpool
I can’t even remember [when I first went], it was so long ago. It used to open until five in the morning. We’d always finish work on Friday, Saturday night, clean the kitchen down, head down to the Century. You’d often look over and there’d be Tets [Testuya Wakuda] and his mob over there. Tets and I, our teams used to frequent it, then other people started to go through the 90s and the early 2000s.
‘This feeling like you’ve come home’
Eric Mao, chef and Masterchef contestant
I remember going there as a kid. It would always be a celebratory event. Seeing these big fish tanks – now they’re so commonplace in all these kinds of Cantonese restaurants – but I think back then it was probably quite striking. I remember hanging out with the other kids in a little function room. We’d run around the restaurant, looking at all the crabs and fish in their tanks, and wreak havoc.
Remy Hii, actor
There’s this universal language amongst Chinese restaurants around the world, the furniture, that very plain white tablecloth, the lazy Susan. There’s this feeling like you’ve come home in a way.
Jess Scully
It is for foodies, for people who like gigs, and karaoke, and people who like non-booze related events as well. You could take international talent there, instead of going to a bar, and trying to yell at each other to hear each other.
It was like a sign of what our nightlife can be, and should be.
‘We would see everybody there’
Remy Hii
The last birthday I had that wasn’t in lockdown was at Golden Century. Whenever I’d have friends from overseas come through town, that was the place. I had two friends who had just finished filming Mulan in New Zealand … we went to Golden Century. And friends like Benedict Wong, who I worked with on Marco Polo, when he was down here filming Dr. Strange. Another mate of mine, Ronnie [Chieng], he’d go with Simu [Liu] quite a lot when they were doing Shang Chi down here. It’s the spot to be, you know?
Bob Carr
In my memoir, there’s an account of [former federal senator] Graham Richardson and [journalist] Peter Barron with [chief of staff] Kris Neill – just before the 1995 election, telling her what was wrong with [my] leadership, interspersed with the crunch of the fried spring rolls and the bowing of the prawns.
Neil Perry
We would see everybody there. I remember, unfortunately, seeing the English rugby union team there in 2003 on Sunday, eating lunch after they’d won the World Cup on Saturday night against the Australians. I’ve taken Heston Blumenthal there, he really enjoyed it. Everyone does.
Reuben Styles, Peking Duk
This is so embarrassing to say. But I am certain there was one night that [bandmate] Adam [Hyde] ordered almost everything on the menu, and I was the one that passed out. But I don’t remember, so, hopefully, that didn’t happen. But according to many witnesses it did.
‘The next day … I proposed’
Jianni Tien
My parents had their first date at Golden Century about 30 years ago. It was a blind date … Next time they met he asked her to marry him.
David (Dapeng) Tien, Jianni’s father
I’m of Chinese origin, I was teaching at the University of Sydney. My wife is an Anglo-Australian, who was teaching at a Shanghai foreign language university. She came back for a holiday, and a mutual friend said, “Would you like to meet someone?” We were both single.
Robyn Collins, Jianni’s mother
He wore a white coat, I wore a blue coat, and we met on the steps of Town Hall. And then we went to see a film. And then we went to Golden Century.
David (Dapeng) Tien
It was in a different location [in 1988], about 20 meters down the road … It was quite late [after the film], after 8.30pm. I said, “Well, let’s go to eat something.” So we went there. And then we just kept talking … And then by four o’clock in the morning, they very politely sent us the bill. So we left. The next day, because she was leaving, I proposed.
Robyn Collins
He said, “Would you consider a partnership?” I said, “Well, I really need to think about that” … The next day, I said, “Okay”. And then I went back to Shanghai. We used to send cassette tapes to each other.
David (Dapeng) Tien
We’ve been back many, many times. It’s really a melting pot. All kinds of people go there – politicians after their meetings, drug-runners, rich businessmen and gamblers, it’s very, very egalitarian.
Robyn Collins
I always like going there because of the atmosphere … it’s very, very important [to our family]. We have taken Jianni there. And they’re always really good, because they’ll always pick up a baby, and take her to look at the fish or something. They were always really good like that.
‘Part of the history of Chinatown’
Remy Hii
When Anthony Bordain came to Australia, he went to Golden Century. I believe the dish that he called out was the XO pipis.
Dan Hong
They created pipis in XO sauce. XO sauce was created in Hong Kong. But the pairing with clams or pipis, that didn’t start in Hong Kong, I’m telling you right now. Before Covid I went to Hong Kong once or twice a year. You would never find any clams or anything similar with an XO sauce, made into a thickened gravy … I guarantee you that Golden Century, they created that dish.
Jess Scully
What this has done is really given everyone a shake up: the places we love are on the edge, and we need to support them.
Dan Hong
Golden Century reaches out to so many people. It was my inspiration for Mr Wong. I’ve been living in Haymarket for about eight years now. It was my local. The thing about Golden Century is that it has stood the test of time.
Chinatown was always known as the Cantonese-style area, where it was just congee, barbecue places, wonton noodles. But now Cantonese restaurants are like a dying breed. It’s all regional Sichuan hotpot, Shanghai cuisine, and it’s not a bad thing. But Golden Century was part of the history of Chinatown and Haymarket.
Quotes have been edited for length