The quest to find a Chinese restaurant that is new and interesting enough to please a discerning, overseas relative is a difficult one. Between everyone in our family, we’ve tried so many and coupled with the fact that it had to be close by to home so any treks or adventures would be out, meant that the dot landed one day on The Celestial Chinese restaurant in Bligh Street in the city. It was a restaurant that none of us have visited, or indeed heard about but intrigued by the many mentions of the decor meant that we were curious enough to try it.
Booking a table can be confusing. My mother asked me to book a table on a certain date. They told me that they don’t open for lunch on the weekend. I was confused, I thought that I was booking for a week day and the conversation went around in circles before they fetched a calender and realised that they were indeed open and the date that I had requested was a week day. Okay, that was sorted.
The other problem was parking. It was a week day and even though Sydney is generally quieter over the Christmas period, that doesn’t mean that spots are free. There’s no validated parking for Celestial guests and you either park across the road at the parking station or take your chance and walk. Or take a bus or taxi.
To get to the restaurant, follow the neon sign, walk down two spiral sets of stairs and you end up in a version of a Chinese village with a bridge, pond and Chinese pagoda structures. The colours are pale aqua and salmon which reminds me of the 80′s. Tables are set at different heights-there’s a section above the pond and there are also two large tables that are shrouded by pagoda rooves. We’re sitting at one of these. Service is efficient and they furnish us with our drinks and sauces before we take a peek at the menu. It’s a fairly classic selection of Cantonese dishes with the house specialties at the front of the menu.
Wasabi Steak $26.80
The wasabi steak was tender as promised and came with a sweet wasabi mayonnaise which wasn’t too strong. The serving for this was quite a good size and the steak itself had flavour from the marinade.
Spicy oyster fritters $29.80
I usually enjoy oysters eating raw with just a bit of lemon juice but I was curious to see what these oyster fritters were like and so was everyone else. They’re coated in a crispy crunchy golden batter and served with a salt and pepper mix to dip them into. Inside, the oysters are zincey and briney and they end up being a favourite at the table.
King prawns with House made chilli sauce $26.80
The prawns tasted very similar to my mother’s Singapore chilli prawns. They were succulent, the chilli sauce not particularly hot with a tangy element to it.
Toothfish $42
The toothfish was a dish that doesn’t actually appear on the menu. We originally were going to order the gold and silver fish but the market price for that dish was $88 which seemed quite high (there are also no crab dishes and a couple of lobster) so the waitress suggested this instead. You can either have it deep fried or steamed with mushrooms and meat and we ordered it deep fried upon the waitress’s recommendation. It ended up being a real hit with the table. The flesh of the fish was smooth as silk with two large pieces of meat with a spring onion and chilli topping.. There were also less bones than what you might get in other fish dishes with mostly just the backbone which you can remove in one piece.
Pan fried stuffed scallops $29.80
I have to admit that these were not what I was expecting because I was expecting…well scallops. These were more balls filled with prawn and scallop meat. They weren’t bad but I always feel that when they make things like scallop and prawns into balls, then you don’t really get the flavour or texture of either.
Steamed bean curd with crab meat $21.80
A generously portioned dish, there was plenty of silky soft tofu rectangles underneath the crab meat and egg white sauce on top.
Fried rice $21.80
Fried rice was portioned out for us already and it was a good foil on which to plonk sauces on. The prawns in this were very large and the lap cheong Chinese sausage plentiful.
Stir fried snow peas and broccoli $19.80
We ordered these because sometimes you realise that you’ve got a meat and seafood fest but no vegetables. I really wanted to order the vegetables with Portuguese sauce because I was interested to see what the Portuguese sauce was, but my parents didn’t want to so we ordered stir fried snow peas and broccoli, all cooked well and tasting and looking healthy.
Deep fried ice cream $8.20
Desserts were a mix of items like deep fried ice cream, lychees as well as cheesecake and bombe Alaska. The more interesting ones had a minimum order of two serves and were a little on the pricey side so we went with a classic deep fried ice cream and a banana fritter. We only realised when they brought it that it didn’t come with a sauce which makes it quite dry. It sat on a bed of lychees-one for each of us and there is a crunchy outer layer and still firm vanilla ice cream interior.
Banana fritter $7.60
The banana fritter, looked upon the wrong angle produced some sniggers but alas, it was quite floury and dry inside and generally a bit of a disappointment.
There’s no plate of fruit at this restaurant which is curious because there is usually is at most Chinese restaurants. Instead there’s a big plate of orange and mint chocolates and then a short walk across the bridge…
So tell me Dear Reader, do you order dessert at Chinese restaurants or do you usually pass? And would you prefer a fruit or chocolate plate?
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29 Comments | Add your own
Uhhhh I always ask for the deep fried ice cream. And here they traditionally serve strong licquors at the end of the meal – for free. Does that happen there, too?
I think I would defn veer more towards the fruit plate Lorraine, the chilli prawns and oysters look great. I would have to agree there is a bit of an 80s theme going down there ; )
We generally pass on dessert at Chinese restaurants – and the selection here doesn’t really inspire. Love the name though!
There were so many dishes in that post that I would love to be devouring right now!
It’s funny though, I have just bought oyster to batter as I wanted to show Mr GG what they are like served that way
Right – the tablecloths and chairs definitely need to go – a touch of the tragic there. The food looks good but I tend not to order the specials, especially when they’re $88! I don’t bother with desserts at Chinese restaurants because I’m sure these things have just been put on the menu to satisfy sweet-toothed Westeners and are therefore below par. I like a fruit platter as long as it’s not tortured-looking orange slices xx
Hi Lorraine, we never order dessert at a Chinese restaurant as they never seem very appealing. I like a fruit plate as it’s refreshing after what is usually a big meal. What did your overseas relative think of the meal?
Oh, and I usually skip dessert at Chinese restaurants
I t seams too me as there is too much fried everything, a bit heavy for my taste. The stir-fry looks good!
I’m not a huge fan of a lot of the traditional Chinese desserts that take the form of hot, sweet beany soups. LOL That said, I do love a great warm custard tart for dim sum. I wish every Chinese restaurant would serve THOSE for dessert instead.
Ha! Am still a Sydney gal: recognized the spot the moment I saw the photo
! The place is certainly elegantly accoutred, but how one pays for the geographical location and the fancy surroundings! I fully agree with others there is far too much fried food, although the steamed bean curd looked appetizing. BUT: I can make that snow pea and broccoli dish any day of the week for $2-2.50: to pay 10x is horrendous! I mean the rule of thumb = 1/3 ingredients, 1/3 staff costs, 1/3 profit to get to the menu cost!!! And yes, we have had a restaurant in Sydney amongst our businesses 
! Love fruit plates, as long as they are quality!!
These dishes deviate away from traditional Chinese cuisine! It’d definitely be interesting to try (:
I definitely think I’m’ a fruit girl – maybe because I’ve grown up eating fruit after dinner!
Great review as always Lorraine! Sorry but we never, ever order traditional dessert in a Chinese restaurant. Perhaps some chocolate cake if they have it on the menu. The Spicy oyster fritters looks good.
Cheers
I can imagine that you have a refined palate in general, but particularly discerning when it comes to Chinese food. Great review. No, I don’t usually order dessert in a Chinese restaurant. Fruit or Chocolate–both ok with me. Or cheese, with a different meal
Omg I work right near this place and have walked past the Celestial neon sign a thousand times – I always thought it would be a poky little Chinese restaurant, had no idea of the water features and decor inside!
I am struck by the prices, they seem quite high, but I am not sure how they stack up in US money. Usually a Chinese dinner of this caliber is still fairly low in price. I have to say I love the decor, it looks very quiet and calm, and pretty in your photos. I’d love to hear if you go back and have the Portuguese sauce and let us know what it is made of!
Deep fried ice cream, usually for me!
One of my FAVES recently was lotus light pancakes with homemade family (many generations) recipe!
With mini heart designs, they were divine too!
Never heard of Toothfish before, so thank you for allowing me today to once again, learn something new through your photos and you!
I usually don’t bother with dessert in Chinese restaurants, they are often a disappointment.
I love the ponds and pagoda look, but maybe a slight modern though might help. I’ve not heard of tooth fish before, but it sounds good, and the oyster fritters sound just lovely. I don’t order desserts at Chinese restaurants as a rule, but at some Asian places there are surprises like mung bean soup, or dumplings or sago desserts that I love. A little bit of chocolate is OK, but fruit is much better at the end of a rich meal for me
I may have try out this place just because I have been dying to eat some fried ice cream of late
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I’d prefer a fruit plate and I don’t think I’d order a Chinese dessert although my bf did at a Japanese restaurant once and loved it! We’ve both tried green tea ice cream (I think it was that) or sesame maybe and that was nice. But that was Japanese also.
ive only had fried ice cream once at a chinese restaurant and ended up with food poisoning, never again.
Oh my Lorraine you would get me here with a ten foot pole. Out dated and over expensive
Know and love this place, it’s a bit of Chinese restaurant history preserved in amber!
The wasabi steak had both me and my mom staring, so did the picture of the bridge! I rarely ever order anything sweet at Chinese restaurants and I do prefer a chocolate plate to one with fruit at the end of a meal.
According to the menu PDF at the Australian Anti Shark Finning Alliance, this restaurant serves shark’s fin soup. Shark finning is a barbaric practice and I would personally encourage everyone to boycott Chinese restaurants that continue to serve the products of this terrible, destructive trade that is ruining worldwide shark populations and quickly destroying our oceans.
I would like to try this place out especially for the tooth fish, oyster fritters and wasabi steak. I usually don’t order dessert unless it’s something very different that I haven’t tried before. I would prefer a fruit platter over the chocolate or even slices of oranges after this meal. Thanks for sharing Lorraine
Usually I’m so full I couldn’t dream of dessert. The decor was certainly interesting and worth a visit.
It’s a shame that the desserts weren’t the greatest! I normally skip desserts at Chinese restaurants, unless they offer something unusual or if I’m really craving fried ice-cream/banana fritters.
I do love the decor in that restaurant though – it’s so retro and elegant!
What a beautiful restaurant! I wish I was in Australia!
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