Imperial Kitchen and Bar, or Diao Xiao Yan brings a taste of Asian fusion to Sydney’s CBD.
Imperial Bar and Kitchen, also known by its Chinese name Diao Xiao Yan, is located at 541 Kent Street, a mere stroll from Town Hall station. Opened in February 2019, the venue by co-owner and restaurateur, Wenjun Wang offers diners an array of traditional mainland Chinese dishes along with Cantonese dishes more familiar to western diners with a speciality of seafood fresh from the tank.
The interior blends together some traditional Chinese decor elements with a botanical touch and spreads over two levels with private rooms well suited to banquet dinners.
Baijiu, China’s most renowned liquor is proudly showcased on the bar. Diaoyutai Ambassador Liquor, a brand imported by the owners and produced in Moutai Town employs traditional brewing techniques and is aged in a red clay bottle. It is well worth asking for it as an accompaniment to the meal.
The menu by executive chef Jimmy Lee is referred to as fusion, as not only does it bring together different Chinese cuisines but also different cooking styles which cross over from western tastes to Chinese dishes. Chef Lee hails from Hong Kong and has put his creative twist on traditional Chinese dishes.
Prawn wok fried with salted egg yolks
Popular dishes like the wok-fried Prawns with Salted Egg Yolk and Squid and Whitebait with Salt and Pepper tide you over until the hero dishes arrive.
Wagyu beef in homemade teriyaki sauce
Wagyu Beef is naturally on the menu. Here, it has been given just the right amount of stir frying with with house-made teriyaki sauce to keep the meat most and flavourful.
Signature Pumpkin Soup
Chef Lee’s Signature Pumpkin Soup is one not to be missed. With flavours that take inspiration from Thailand, he brings together seemingly disparate elements that work together harmoniously to produce a light pumpkin soup with a hint of coconut, mixed seafood, steamed pumpkin and diced pineapple, served in a hollowed-out pumpkin. The dish is as much a conversation centrepiece as it tantalises the taste buds.
Live jumbo pippies with rice noodles in homemade XO sauce
A popular highlight of the menu is the Live Jumbo Pippies, seriously large in size and served on a bed of crispy rice noodles that have soaked the delicious house-made XO sauce.
Live Australian Rock Lobster
Live Australian Rock Lobster gets the right cooking touch to deliver succulent lobster meat in a garlic and butter sauce that may have you secretly eating it by the spoon.
Other menu highlights include Live Barramundi fried in soy oil and Braised Crispy Pigeon.
Chinese Black Sesame Balls
Imperial Kitchen and Bar offers five different banquets four of which are seafood, with between seven and nine courses with each. The fifth is a Peking Duck banquet. The minimum number per banquet is four people and the prices range from $38pp to $98pp for the nine course Live Lobster Banquet. Parties of eight or more can book one of three private banquet rooms.
Imperial Kitchen and Bar / Diao Xiao Yan
541 Kent Street, Sydney
Hours: Open 7 Days – Lunch 11:30pm to 2:30pm; Dinner 5:30pm to 11:00pm
Bookings: 9261 8164
Photo Credit: Supplied
