Kylie Kwong’s guide to her favourite dining spots in Western Sydney

Gebran Lebanese Cuisine

Lebanese | Mount Lewis

In seeking out Sydney’s best Lebanese food, the chef turned to Sunday Kitchen’s Karima Hazim Chatila “who is one of the great Lebanese home cooks in this city,” says Kwong. Gebran Lebanese Cusine was her number one choice. Since 2001, the restaurant in Mount Lewis has earned a reputation for its “village grandma dishes” and being the place “where Lebanese businessmen go to make deals”.

For Kwong, the menu’s effect is immediate. “Fresh, fresh, fresh, fresh, fresh! That’s all I could think about when I was sitting there eating their delicate version of Levantine classic, kibbeh nayeh, which is the fresh raw lamb meat, finely blended and mixed with burghul and served with a little side plate of fresh mint sprigs, onion, green chilli and the crunchiest of radishes.” You’ll also find just-as-fresh tabbouleh, hummus that’s “light as a cloud” and meticulously stuffed, finger-sized vine leaves that are “elegant and layered in flavour and texture,” says Kwong.

On one occasion, the chef glimpsed into the kitchen as she was leaving. “It was filled with Lebanese women, some of whom were elders,” she says. “And I thought about how all those generations of tradition and culture are woven into the fabric of this tight-knit, family-run restaurant.”

Chef Ceylon

SRi lankan | Toongabbie

Chef Ceylon in Toongabbie has been a favourite with the local Sri Lankan community since 2018. Its fan club includes Colombo-born, Sydney-based artist Ramesh Mario Nithiyendran, who recommended the restaurant to Kwong. “It was so delicious,” she says. “I went two days in a row.”

While the beef and chicken curries are well-spiced, rich and thoughtfully made, the vegetarian dishes are exceptional. Chef Ceylon’s rainbow of plant-based curries are vividly headlined by beetroot, jackfruit, pumpkin, eggplant, soybeans, bittermelon and cabbage. There’s also “rich, earthy” dhal, “fiery, sweet, sour, spicy” seeni sambol and “moreish” flaky vegetarian pastries, Kwong says. To cool your tastebuds, try Elephant House Ginger Beer: a traditional beverage spiced with ginger from small-scale farmers in Sri Lanka. “It’s now my preferred drink,” she adds.

Battambang II

Cambodian | Cabramatta

Battambang II‘s current location, which quietly detours from Cabramatta’s main strip, only dates back to 2015, but this restaurant has a significant history. It descends from the original Battambang – Sydney’s first restaurant specialising in traditional Cambodian food. That venue opened in the early 1990s and was co-founded by “Aunty” Soc Kieng Hua, who still frequents the kitchen of Battambang II today. The two restaurants can be found on either side of Cabramatta train station, and Kwong easily recalls her first time at Battambang II. “I was greeted by Kim Huy, who runs the floor. She’s the restaurant manager and she’s also the niece of the owner,” the chef says. “This natural family warmth and generosity is what I felt the moment I walked in.”

Battambang II is known for its “famous” Phnom Penh noodle dish, which you can order in various ways (try it with the soothing “comfort food” broth, stacked with offal and prawns, a combination version or simply plain). Kwong also recommends the Cambodian-style congee and crispy chicken with special sauce.

She credits Kevin La (who runs @sydneyfoodboy) for telling her about Battambang II. When she showed his photo to Huy, who has worked at the restaurant since 2007 (starting at Battambang II’s original location, which opened in 1996), her eyes lit up. “I’ve known him since he was a little boy!” she told Kwong. “That was really moving to have that connection,” Kwong says. 

Adyar Ananda Bhavan (A2B)

Indian | Harris Park

Also known as A2B, Adyar Ananda Bhavan is a vegetarian restaurant located in Harris Park, right in Sydney’s Little India. Kwong discovered it via her Powerhouse collaborator, Bhavna Kalra Shivalkar, who runs The Modern Desi Co Indian cooking studio.

Although Adyar Ananda Bhavan is part of a global chain, this Sydney outpost is run by Gayathri Aparajit, who is originally from Chennai. “Being of Cantonese heritage, I am drawn to A2B’s lighter style of Southern Indian food,” says Kwong. Many of her favourites are savoury dishes (like the doughnut-shaped medhu vada lentil fritters), but she considers the desserts to be essential, too – like the rava kesari. “I am obsessed with it, total comfort food,” she says. A spoonful of the saffron-flavoured semolina pudding is a must when she’s here. Traditional Indian sweets are also a highlight at Adyar Ananda Bhavan. “That’s what they’re really known for,” she says. It’s especially amazing to enter the restaurant when people are celebrating the Diwali festival. “They literally block off half of the restaurant and use it to package up their Indian sweets, which are flying out the door for Diwali.”

Albee’s Kitchen

Malaysian | Campsie

When Kwong initially arrived at Albee’s Kitchen in Campsie, “it just brought back all these memories of the time I spent in that area”. The chef used to spend her school holidays working at her Uncle Jimmy’s noodle factory in the suburb. “I already felt very at home,” she says. “Then I walked up the stairs and tasted Albee’s exceptionally high-quality Malaysian-style food: her fragrant, charred, perfectly-sized cumin lamb satay skewers with textural, housemade peanut sauce. Her complex, caramelly, tender beef rendang and her famous version of smokey char kway teow, with all pastes and sambals she makes herself from scratch.”

Albee Thu’s restaurant has undergone various makeovers and address changes on Campsie’s main strip, but her unwavering commitment to her food remains. She sought out the best restaurants in Malaysia to study their recipes, and her signature laksa comes from her hometown of Kuching. The rich creamy broth is infused with fresh herbs from Thu’s own local garden. “Albee’s passion for excellence is contagious. I see her as an artist, she never looks for the shortcuts, and as chef I can taste the difference.”

Temasek

Singaporean-Malay | Parramatta

Yes, Temasek in Parramatta comes from an ancient name for Singapore, but it’s become a Sydney institution over time. The restaurant was co-founded by sisters Susan and Gladys Wong in 1992; when Susan sadly passed away in 2014, her son Jeremy Cho stepped up to continue the family legacy. Kwong recognised the strength of these bonds from her first visit. “I was inspired by the fact that Jeremy and his family were cooking in the kitchen. And I loved meeting two other family members who were running the floor.”

Like the rest of Sydney, Kwong has repeatedly ordered the signature laksa Singapura, as well as the “legendary” Hainanese chicken rice. “I once had the opportunity to watch the chef … and Jeremy told me that it’s the same chef that debones and chops up that silky, succulent chicken day in, day out. And it’s absolutely beautiful.”

Not much has changed at Temasek over the decades – except for its address. The restaurant relocated just a few months ago. “I went there on the first day,” says Kwong. “Despite the stress of moving a three-decade-old business, they managed to maintain the essence and flavour of the Temasek we all love, which is an enormous achievement.” 

Gursha Ethiopian Restaurant

Ethiopian | Blacktown

Gursha Ethiopian Restaurant in Blacktown is named after the affectionate act of hand-feeding others. “It is one of the most fascinating and welcoming restaurants,” says Kwong. There’s the warmth of husband-and-wife team Yibeltal Tsegaw and Rahel Woldearegay, who’ve run this establishment since 2017. And there’s the compelling way that injera – Ethiopia’s spongey pancake-like bread – becomes a generous platter for various toppings here, such as chilli-spiced lentils (misir wot), chickpea stew (shiro wot) and beef flavoured with red pepper sauce (siga wot). “I am intrigued by this beautiful way of eating and sharing food,” says Kwong. “I always have the Gursha exclusive: it’s injera with a whole lot of different vegetarian and meat combinations on the top.”  

She became friends with the owners after several visits and was invited to their home for a home-cooked Ethiopian lunch. “That was just one of the highlights of my life,” Kwong says. They also conducted a traditional Ethiopian coffee ceremony, “where they literally roasted the beans in front of me: they were dressed up in their exquisite Ethiopian traditional costume and it was just this extraordinary experience.” It’s a reminder that Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee – so ordering a traditional brew at Gursha is a must.  

Sun Ming BBQ Restaurant

chinese | Parramatta

Kwong describes Sun Ming BBQ in Parramatta as “my canteen”. She sensed a familiarity within the restaurant’s four walls from her initial visit. “I felt like I was walking into one of my family gatherings. There were so many Chinese people everywhere and lots of elders there,” she says. “I felt like I could see my por por [grandmother], my gong gong [grandfather], my aunties, my uncles.”

Then there’s the food: “tender, juicy” barbecued pork with lots of caramelisation, “crisp, golden-brown skinned, tender” roast duck with fragrant plum sauce, the signature, chewy, addictive sticky fried rice ­– and the plain congee, of course. “I add some shallot, soy sauce and a bit of sesame oil, which is exactly the way my mother used to make it every Saturday,” she says. “There’s definitely an emotional attachment there for me.” 

This restaurant originally opened, further up the street, in 1993; now it’s run by the next generation: cousins David and Raymond Chan. “You really feel the family history and love in there.” 

Yeodongsik

Korean | Lidcombe

Even Korean diplomats have joined the line at Yeodongsik in Lidcombe. Owner Justin Shin started selling haejang-guk (Korean hangover soups) via Instagram during the pandemic and his business evolved into a tiny restaurant known for its big queues. Its signature 11-item menu, serene piano-jazz soundtrack and soothing cups of barley tea have attracted a loyal crowd. “Yeodongsik is just one of the most captivating places to eat,” says Kwong. “For me, it’s like going into a temple. Justin Shin’s food is so mindfully prepared, with so much care and detail in every single component.”

Beyond the signature pork bone soup with rice (ppyeodagwi-haejangguk), she also loves the buckwheat noodles with perilla oil, the crunchy chive and prawn pancake, the “hearty and comforting” spicy beef and leek soup, and “of course, his excellent selection of banchan and kimchi”.

The menu is influenced by family recipes taught by his Korean mother-in-law. “Each time I think about all of that intergenerational knowledge and innate reverence, the entire dining experience deepens.”

Al Shami

Syrian | Merrylands

Ali Snoubar originally opened Al Shami in 2014 in a tiny location: he found it heartbreaking to turn away customers when the venue filled up, so relocated to larger premises in Merrylands a few years later. “He’s a very kind, warm-hearted, outstanding Syrian chef passionate about sharing his culinary culture with all,” says Kwong.

Since discovering his dishes via a food tour in Merrylands, she’s enjoyed his “vibrant, tangy, nuttyl” muhammara (red capsicum and walnut dip flavoured with chilli and pomegranate molasses), mixed mashawi (barbecued meats), fried whole snapper with lemon and his Syrian falafel – which deviates from the crunchy balls that are fried throughout the Middle East. The Syrian style has a hole through the middle. “It looks like a doughnut, but it has a crispy, delicate exterior and soft, pale green inside filled with earthy and savoury flavours of parsley, coriander, cumin and sumac.”