Nine Chinatown Cheap Eats to Get You Through Until Pay Day

Counting out your pennies till pay day? One word: Chinatown. With less than $10 in your pocket, you can have yourself a feast fit for a king. And, while you're at it, you'll also take a culinary tour of Asia without travelling more than a kilometre — from the steaming beef pho of Vietnam to the spicy curries of Malaysia and the sweet, fragrant stir-fries of Thailand.

So don't sit around moping about your inability to splurge on three courses at Longrain. Round up your coins and head straight for Haymarket. Raid the stalls at the lantern-lit Little Eat Street market on Friday nights and check out the weekly tasting tours, the degustations of the cheap eats world.

73c: DUMPLING @ CHINESE NOODLE HOUSE

$8.80 will buy you a dozen dumplings at the Chinese Noodle House. At $0.73 a piece, that's surely one of the most gob-smacking deals in the city. And we're not talking any old pre-fab or frozen numbers here. The Noodle House crew makes their dishes fresh, every single day. In addition to the dumplings, there's a stack of $10 mains. Such a rare meeting of affordability and quality means that you might find yourself queueing for a table. But service is quick, so you're not likely to be waiting around too long.

Tg2-Tg3, Prince Centre (opp. 191-199 Thomas Street), Haymarket; (02) 9281 4508.

$1.20: DUMPLING @ TASTE OF SHANGHAI

To explore a Shanghai-oriented slant on Chinese cuisine, head to Taste of Shanghai in World Square. For $9.80, you'll be presented with eight steamed pork dumplings, which translates to about $1.20 a pop. And that's just the first stop on the enormous menu. All kinds of delicious dumpling flavours are on offer, from string bean and shrimp ($12.80 for twelve) to crab meat ($12.80 for eight). And then there's a slew of other dishes to try, like grilled onion pancakes ($7.80 for two) and Shanghai turnip croissants ($8.80 for four).

Shop 9.07, LG, World Square Shopping Centre, 680 George Street, CBD; (02) 9261 8832.

$1.50: SATAY @ HAWKER

Created by the legendary team behind Mamak (whose roti made this list), Hawker focuses on the Chinese elements in Malaysian street food. For just $1.50, you can acquaint yourself with their tasty, tasty satay sticks, which are grilled over actual flaming charcoal and served up with a sweet, spicy peanut sauce. Choose between chicken and pork. $10 gets you six ($1.66 per stick), while $18 earns a dozen ($1.50 each).

G.02/345b-353, Sussex Street, Sydney; (02) 9264 9315.

$6: ROTI @ MAMAK

Mamak's famous roti are made in its famous shop window. At any one time, you'll usually catch four chefs in action, two of whom are responsible for flinging the dough, and two of whom are doing the grilling. For all the expertise involved, a roti canai, which comes with two curry dips and spicy sambal sauce, will set you back just $6. Add cheese or onion for $1 or both for $1.50.

15 Goulburn Street, Haymarket; (02) 9211 1668.

$8: GOZLEME @ ROSE GOZLEME

Take a quick side-trip to the Middle East inside Market City, at Rose Turkish Gozleme. Eight bucks gives you three options: cheese, tomato and cheese, and veggie (spinach, cheese and shallots). Add 50 cents to upgrade to either potatoes or Turkish sausage. Meanwhile, $9.50 will put you into beef and chicken territory.

F1.25 Market City Shopping Centre, 9-13 Hay Street, Haymarket.

$8.90: BURGER @ BURGER PROJECT

At some point during your week, you might want to take a jump back West-side. When you're craving cheese and sugary buns and meaty slabs, the Burger Project has you covered. It's Neil Perry's way of bringing his culinary excellence to the masses. For just $8.90, you'll land yourself face-to-face with the Classic (grass-fed beef, onion, pickles, tomato, lettuce and secret sauce), or for an extra $1, bring cheese into the picture — of either the regular or American varieties.

Shop 11.06, L1 World Square Shopping Centre, 680 George Street, CBD.

$9: PHO @ BO 7 MON THANH TAM

Nothing quite satisfies like a steaming bowl of beef pho. Not only is Bo 7 Mon Thanh Tam's take on the Vietnamese classic an absolute steal at $9, it's also one of the best you'll find in Sydney, at any price. There's no dilly-dallying around: expect rich, traditional flavours, and a sizeable serving. If beef isn't your thing, there's a bunch of chicken dishes at around the same price, like hoanh thanh (chicken wonton soup) at $8.50 and bun mang ga (steamed chicken and rice noodle soup) at $9.50.

F3.13 Market City Shopping Centre, 9-13 Hay Street, Haymarket.

$9.90: LUNCH @ SATANG TUCK SHOP

For $9.90, the world's your oyster at Satang Tuck Shop. Whether you want chicken pad phed (red curry with coconut milk, bean, apple eggplant, pepper corn, ginger, chilli and basil), green papaya salad with fish and salted crab, or pad thai, you got it. Add prawns or upgrade to the 'dinner size' meal for a couple of bucks. Despite the low price tag, there's no compromising on tastiness. Satang also has its Thai Exclusive Restaurant at 203-204/107 Quay Street and a takeaway branch at 20 Quay Street.

710-722 George Street, Haymarket; (02) 9212 7636.

$10: LUNCH @ CHAT THAI

Chat Thai doesn't normally find itself on "cheap eats" lists. People stand in line more for the eatery's authentic approach than for its bargain-basement prices. But drop in at lunch and you might well get a seriously decent return for $10 – in terms of both quality and generosity. $10 "one plate wonders" include chicken or pork congee with poached egg (only available 10am-12pm), khao mun gai (poached chicken and rice with dark soy and ginger relish), and khao ka mhu (caramelised smoked pork hock in five spice reduction with chinese kale and cabbage and rice). There's also a selection of noodle dishes available for $9.90, including pad thai, pad si-ew and pad ki mao.

20 Campbell Street, Haymarket; (02) 9211 1808.

Mamak images: Bodhi Liggett.