Two Sticks Barangaroo, Sydney CBD

Recently, I was invited by FCBA to the relatively new sister-branch of the Two Stick (located on George Street in the Sydney CBD/Haymarket area) in Barangaroo. Since I have only ever ventured out to Barangaroo on only a few occasions and therefore was unfamiliar with its changing face, I decided to head out to the city early in order to scout out the surrounding area and find my way to the restaurant. I had to rely on trusty old GoogleMaps to identify the correct building, in which the restaurant was located (too many high skyscrapers in the area!).

Outside of Restaurant

Upon arrival, I got to meet other foodies and sample a variety of the Two Sticks menu, most of which the manager had personally selected for us to try. We were also given the choice to order anything from the menu - I should have stuck to an appetizer because there was so much food left! I am guilty of leaving with a takeaway container as I didn't like to see good food go to waste 😥.

Inside Restaurant

During this lunch, we sampled a range of their recommended shared-plates/appetisers, including:

Yunnan Signature Fries

Hot & Numbing Cucumber

White Cut Chicken

Hot & Numbing Beef

The Yunnan signature fries were basically some crinkle cut chips coated in a special sauce and crushed chilli powder but was surprisingly not too spicy hot. Despite the chilli flakes on top, the cucumber didn't taste "hot and numbing" due to the cooling effect of the cucumber. The poached chicken - smothered in minced ginger and shallots, and sprinkled with sesame seeds - reminded me of Hoinan chicken and the meat was so soft. As for the sliced beef, I was a little disappointed as the beef was rather bland.

The highlight of the appetisers was the crunchy bite-sized deep fried chicken, seasoned with Danshan chilli powder to perfection - just like Korean fried chicken:

Deep Fried Chicken Bites

Additionally, we got to try out a few of their rice noodle soups:

Spicy Beef Rice Noodle Soup

Yunnan Signature Rice Noodle Soup

The beef noodle soup was extremely spicy - very deserving of its 3 chilli rating! - but provided some novelty as the sliced beef gets cooked at the table in the pot of boiling soup. For those of us that can't stand spicy food, we also got to try their combination and mixed mushroom rice noodle soups. The serving portions are rather large for one person so they're ideal for sharing or for people with large appetites.

As for my personal dish choice, I chose the highly-rated spicy pork rib noodle soup:

Spicy Pork Rib Noodle Soup

The pot may not not look like it contained much but there was actually ample pork ribs and noodles hidden within the soup. The pork meat was sooo tender and melted in your mouth. Sadly, the thicker soft bones weren't quite soft enough to eat but I guess most people wouldn't even eat them. The soup wasn't as spicy as it looked with the layer of chilli oil on top.

Here is a look at a few other dishes that other foodies picked:

Tofu Noodle Salad

Yunnan Dali Shrimp Risotto

Overall, one satisfied belly but nothing that particularly stood out.

Food: ✰✰✰✰
Service: ✰✰✰
Atmosphere: ✰✰✰
Overall: ✰✰✰ 1/2
Summary: Spicy Chinese cuisine from rural China


Disclaimer: MSG Cafeteria was invited as a guest of  Food Critics & Bloggers Australia to Two Stick Barangaroo and all food and drinks consumed were paid for by the restaurant. Thanks to the team at Two Sticks Barangaroo for hosting and serving up some yummy food!