It’s well worth seeking out famous suburban spots such as Hurstville Chinese Restaurant, Tan Viet Noodle House in Cabramatta, and Chatkazz in Harris Park.

He was told to make his food ‘a little less Asian’. Now he doesn’t have to

But three of the newest Asian restaurants causing a stir on the Sydney scene are all centrally located, making them easier for diners to visit.

Starting in the heart of the central business district, Sydney skyscraper 25 Martin Place is a draw for gourmands thanks to its food court and eight restaurants, including White and Wong’s (8/F, 25 Martin Place, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia).

Yes, we winced too at the name – but that aside, it’s one of two Australian locations (the other is in Melbourne) of a New Zealand restaurant brand that has won multiple awards, including a Cuisine Magazine Top 100 Chef’s Hat in 2022.

With almost 300 seats it’s a significant space, decked out in red lanterns, neon signs and lampshades held by long-tailed monkeys. Upstairs is a cocktail bar, strangely called Sardine, with a large alfresco terrace that quickly filled up with after-work drinkers.

Options from another wince-inducer, the bar’s “Woktails” menu, included “Orchard Road”, “Rickshaw Rumble” and “Mama San Margarita”, but an unsurprisingly strong selection of Australian and New Zealand wines was a more tempting draw.

The menu redefines pan-Asian, taking in “flavours of China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand”, but stretches even further, with Fiji, Korea and Japan also name-checked.

Trying to do justice to the food of the world’s largest and most populous continent is always going to have mixed results, as shown by three dishes from three different national cuisines.

One of five choices of dumplings, the “duck and chive xiao long bao” were the least successful. A thick skin wasn’t carefully pleated and demanded a serious bite, while the duck soup struggled to cut through.

Interestingly, they suggested I use chilli oil on them, instead of red vinegar, but overall it simply reminded me that Hong Kong diners are seriously spoiled when it comes to peerless dumplings.

Better was a dish from their Indian repertoire, a “Roti Roll” with three optional fillings of bang bang chicken, tempura cauliflower or char siu (Cantonese barbecue pork).

The last item tempted most and proved an excellent combination under a slaw with coriander, mint, a hint of lime, the crunch and bite of crispy shallots, and a soy and sesame dressing. Was it in any way Indian, other than the roti? No, but it made for a delicious, if geographically confused plate.

I was seriously tempted to try their shamelessly old-school “1970s chicken and sweetcorn soup”, but it’s always difficult to pass up a massaman curry and this was no exception.

The curry’s lamb shoulder was fall-apart fork tender, bathed in a heady, aromatic sauce of slow-cooked spices including cloves, cardamom, star anise, cinnamon, cumin and nutmeg. Kipfler potatoes finished it, along with crispy shallots and peanuts for textural contrast.

Overall, White and Wong’s may be full of questionable puns, and attempts a very ambitious spread of cuisines, but the menu is wide-ranging enough to please even the pickiest of eaters.

Next up we head to Pyrmont, home to ramen specialists Mashi No Mashi (Level G Harbourside, The Star, 80 Pyrmont St, Pyrmont NSW 2009, Australia).

If the name sounds familiar, that’s thanks to the original in Hong Kong, part of the growing Wagyumafia empire founded by the charismatic Hisato Hamada. It’s the first Mashi No Mashi outside Hong Kong and the first Wagyumafia restaurant in the southern hemisphere.

Sydney holds a special place in Hamada’s heart. It was here, more than 30 years ago, that he first fell in love with making food – and with a miso ramen joint.

“It was called Goshu Ramen-Tei, originally in King’s Cross. Sadly, it’s [moved] now and someone took it over, [and] I don’t think it’s the same,” he says.

Today, Hamada adds, “there are many good Asian restaurants [in Sydney], but still there’s space to grow more, similar to how they’ve developed their coffee culture. Sydney already has multicultural food scenes so I’m excited to see more in the near future. Introducing our first wagyu ramen is a step forward!”

The key to any great bowl of ramen is the stock, simmered for hours to make an umami-rich broth. While pork and chicken are by far the most popular bases, at Mashi No Mashi they use premium wagyu, specifically Japanese Ozaki beef.

The beef is sourced from cattle raised on a single farm in Miyazaki prefecture, located in the southern island of Kyushu, run by Hamada’s friend Muneharu Ozaki.

We started with six sensational crispy gyoza, the plump dumplings filled with Ozaki beef, served with vinegar and freshly ground black pepper.

The restaurant’s signature dish and main event is Wagyujiro ramen, and it more than lives up to its billing.

Stock comes from Ozaki beef bones that have simmered for more than 24 hours and then been reduced to a wonderfully sticky, deep and creamy concentrate. It’s a beautifully intoxicating bowl, somehow sweet, savoury and umami all at once.

The noodles – made in house – are perfect for slurping “like a boss” as instructed. Nailing the technique takes more practice than you may imagine.

The bowl is topped with generously thick slices of wagyu, themselves stewed for eight hours until the perfect texture, soft but retaining bite.

Bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, fresh cabbage and minced garlic complete what is a frankly epic bowl of food. Upgrades are available, including wagyu char siu, for those with serious appetites.

Finally, we head for Cantonese dining at Silks at Crown Sydney (3/F, 1 Barangaroo Ave, Barangaroo NSW 2000, Australia).

The place feels typical of a restaurant for high rollers with its high ceilings and feng shui waterside location looking out towards Sydney Harbour Bridge in the distance. Multiple private dining rooms, copper screens, lamps and touches of jade complete the lavish picture.

On my visit, a busy office crowd was tucking into steaming baskets of dim sum. My lunch started in similar fashion with three well-crafted dumplings: king prawn siu mai, prawn and chive, and scallop with lemon myrtle – a native Australian ingredient that promises sweet, spicy citrus notes.

Wolfberries – also known as goji berries – dotted a fabulous chicken soup with remarkable depth of flavour, before a dish of sweet and sour pork arrived.

Chinese restaurants the world over have reinvented this beloved and ubiquitous staple. At Silks, the clever touch is to serve it with dehydrated lychees and mandarins instead of pineapple.

It may sound odd, but the effect is brilliant, allowing the sticky, sweet and chewy fruit to add textural contrast, as well as bring different fruit notes to the party.

The final dish was sashimi-grade scallop, served over a heaving plate of noodles with more king prawn and octopus for good measure.

With other restaurants in Crown Sydney competing for diners with deep pockets – including Oncore by Clare Smyth, of three-Michelin-star fame in London – the cuisine at Silks needs to be exemplary, and it was. Warm, knowledgeable service completed the picture – as it so often does when dining down under.