Chinatown‘s popular Golden Century restaurant to shut its doors
After 30 years in business, Sydney Chinatown's most celebrated restaurant, Golden Century, has gone into administration.
The restaurant that served Cantonese cuisine was not only known for its extensive menu but also for its list of high-profile guests such as Australian Prime Ministers, former US President George W Bush and even singer Lady Gaga.
In 1989, owners Eric and Linda Wong migrated from Hong Kong to Sydney to start a better life and took the reins of Golden Century, which at that time was located at 405 Sussex Street in Sydney's CBD.
The couple has a history of restaurant ownership, having previously owned a seafood restaurant in Hong Kong.
Such was the success of their Australian venture, that by 1990 the restaurant was so popular the Wongs needed to upsize, moving to 393 Sussex Street.
“The old restaurant only had 120 seats, whereas the new one has 500 seats," said owner Eric Wong.
The Wong’s brought with them a near identical menu from the old location, that included 200 authentic Cantonese-style dishes however, with a larger space, they were able to accommodate numerous live tanks and add more fresh seafood dishes to the menu.
One of Eric and Linda’s cherished moments from the past three decades was hosting a midnight feast for Australia’s best chefs during the Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Food Month food festival.
"What I am very proud of is that a lot of the famous restaurant chefs have been to Golden Century," Eric says. "At the Good Food Month celebration, there were about 200 restaurant chefs and owners. We planned to close at 2am but on that day we extended to 3:30am, nearly 4am, so everyone was very happy."
While Gold Century in the CBD is closing, the Wongs will continue their food legacy with their other properties which include The Century at The Star and Darling Square’s XOPP.
"The Century and XOPP are separate sites and not part of the lease talks and so will continue as normal," Eric told SBS.
Irit Jackson, 23rd August 2021
