Beloved Eastwood Eatery Western Legend BBQ Has Opened a New Mascot Diner Serving Its Cumin and Chilli-Spiced Skewers

When Jennifer Chuprova and Jason Chu opened the Western Legend BBQ food truck in Eastwood in 2017, it was a suck it and see moment. “I thought we’d give it a try for a few months, and if it didn’t work, no problem,” Chuprova tells Broadsheet.

“Every Chinese man has barbeque in his blood – especially Jason, because he is part-Mongolian. The first thing they think is, ‘Let’s have a beer and a barbeque.’ He was excited to open a barbeque restaurant. It’s his passion.”

The food truck in Eastwood’s night market quickly gained popularity for its Xinjiang-style skewers, a specialty of the area of north-west China that borders Mongolia and Kazakhstan. “It’s known for beef and lamb skewers, and cumin,” says Chuprova, who’s from the region.

It wasn’t long before the pair had a loyal following, particularly among Sydney’s Chinese international student community. “They kept asking us to open in Mascot.”

Waterloo came first, a tiny outfit opened during Sydney’s first Covid lockdown. When a space opened in Mascot’s new Unity by Meriton dining precinct, the pair jumped at the chance.

The flagship restaurant seats 90, with a sprawling menu. It’s a far cry from the business’s humble beginnings as a barbeque-skewer joint. The space is decked out with wooden tables and signage that rivals the Hollywood sign in LA.

There are Xinjiang favourites such as dumplings, lamb pilaf and naan, as well as Sichuan dishes from China’s south-west. The barbeque barramundi hotpot is big enough for four, swimming with Sichuan spice, dried chillies, lotus root and tofu. Deep-fried pork is smothered in an addictive chilli and cumin mix.

The skewers, though, are the stars, drawing devoted fans and rave online reviews. “We make our own chilli sauce and also chilli powder,” Chuprova says. “Every shop is different. We have our own ingredients to make it special. It’s one of the secrets behind the good taste of our skewers.”

Begin with the signature Xinjiang-style marbled beef or lamb skewers, doused in hot chilli or a mix of cumin and pepper, and cooked over hot coals.

The skewer menu is satisfyingly big and includes pork belly, chicken, octopus, tofu, vegetables, oysters, shrimp, beef fat and a good whack of offal.

You can tick off lamb testicle, tripe and, occasionally, sheep whip – an offal delicacy that rhymes with prick. “The butcher doesn’t always have it,” says Chuprova.

For the perfect dumpling or skewer pairing, there is Asahi on tap and a handful of Chinese beers, including Tsingtao and Harbin Ice, a blonde from northern China that comes in a half-litre size.

Western Legend BBQ
Shop 1/256 Coward Street, Mascot
(02) 8063 8080

Hours:
Daily 12pm–11pm

westernlegendbbq.com.au