Being the manager of Palace Chinese Restaurant must be one of the most hectic jobs in Sydney. During a standard weekend, the yum cha service is a flurry of trolley-carts sailing through a sea of tables. The air is loud and filled with plate-clinks, laughter and shouted demands for roast duck and dumplings. A queue of hungry and eager families and couples is guaranteed to stretch all the way out the door.

But for the manager of Palace, this is all standard – this scene has played itself out every week for decades.

And Palace has earned its spot as one of Sydney’s favourite Cantonese restaurants. Its popularity is down to the consistency of the food across every section of the menu – whether it’s gelatinous chicken feet, silky parcels of prawn-stuffed cheung fun (rice-noodle rolls), garlicky deep-fried quail or even XO kangaroo.

This is one of the more expensive yum cha spots in town, but we’d argue that the premium is warranted. The quality of the food, the speed of service and the deep history of this place mean very few groups will leave grumbling about overpriced dumplings or roast pork.