They sell cognac by the bottle at XOPP. Whisky,too. That should tell you plenty about the big-occasion atmosphere at this Cantonese diner,a spin-off of Chinatown’s much-loved (and sadly closed) Golden Century. The pipis in XO remain a great legacy of the original,gorgeously loaded with umami upon a bed of fried vermicelli that softens as it soaks up a metric truckload of rich sauce. Food arrives banquet style:cold jellyfish in spicy sauce,all piquant bounce;sang choy bao stuffed with plump,sweet scallop meat;Peking-style shredded beef,caramelised and crisp;Brussels sprouts stir-fried with pork cheek and belachan. The live seafood tanks are always teeming and the formidable cellar is stocked with mic-drop bottles (anyone for a 1976 Chateau Lafite?). It’s rare you’ll see a table of two in the mezzanine dining room;this is food geared for celebration.

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Sydney CBD

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