Golden Sands

If you want the best Cantonese food, head to Hurstville and Beverly Hills. Along with Auburn and Burwood, the south-west area has a large Cantonese-speaking population, and with it a high demand for good quality seafood, siu mei (Canto-style roast meats) and yum cha.

And we’re happy to say it: Hurstville’s Golden Sands is the yum cha king of the south-west. The standard of its dim sum is exceptional. All the usually glistening seafood-jammed dumplings are texturally on point, and the saucier items (chicken feet, stewed pork ribs) are as rich as you’d want them to be.

But particular compliments go to the silky cheung fun (rice-noodle rolls), the zhaliang (rice noodles wrapped over a pork-stuffed roll of fried bread) and the pork-blood jelly that’s doused in a herbal but umami-loaded gravy.

A word to the wise: if you’re coming here on a weekend, arrive as early as possible; Golden Sands fills up fast. Thankfully, there are plenty of chairs outside the entrance for all the latecomers.