Asia On Your Doorstep

Overview

Most of us have our go-to eateries in and around Chinatown, whether it's Mamak for fresh roti or the Chinese Noodle House for affordable yet fresh house-made dumplings. But among the area's secretive laneways and bustling squares, there are so many more culinary surprises awaiting you. And the City of Sydney is encouraging you to make some discoveries this Good Food Month, with an event series dubbed Asia on Your Doorstep.

To sample a generous selection of Chinatown's tastiest food while getting to know local chefs, get on board a food tour. On Wednesdays from 8pm, the two-hour Night Thaim Street Food Tour will show you the best in Thai cooking; on Thursdays from 6.30pm, the Chinatown Evening Tasting Tour will introduce you to a diverse range of cafes, restaurants and shops; and on Fridays, from 5.30pm, the Food Court Crawl will help you navigate your way around Chinatown's chaotic food courts.

Also happening on Fridays are the Little Eat Street Night Markets, which transform Haymarket's Dixon and Little Hay Streets into a lantern-festooned foodies' wonderland, offering food from all over Asia — from the steaming pho of Vietnam to Japan's tepanyaki to Chinese yum cha.

Then there are the meal specials at this list of eateries. Readers on a shoestring budget might start with these ten.