CHINATOWN. Looking for Cantonese cuisine in a casual setting? This is the place for you. BBQ King's menu features dishes like crispy Peking duck and barbecue pork. Expect quick service and a fun, energetic clientele ­ students, tourists, the Chinese community, and some of Sydney's finest chefs frequent this locale. Be sure to ask for the complimentary house soup, served only on request. TRAIN: to Central Station and a short walk from there. MONORAIL: to Haymarket.

INNER CITY. This happening restaurant, owned by Kylie Kwong and Bill Grainger of "bills" restaurant, offers some of Sydney's best modern Cantonese cuisine. Chef Kwong cooks up creative dishes like crispy duck with mandarin sauce and steamed prawn wontons with black vinegar. The small interior with stools at low tables resembles a Chinese tea house and attracts a yuppy crowd. Vegetarian dishes are available. BUS: 301-303 from Castlereagh Street (near corner Market Street).

Serenely set with tables stretching into the park, Bodhi has had several past incarnations but now there is the one version, 'in the Park'. It offers supreme yum cha for lunch and an à la carte menu in the evening, and everything is vegetarian. It's a great place to meet for lunch: the wait staff bring out various mini-dishes and it's up to you which ones you would like to try, like spring rolls, dim sum, ginger and mushroom or pumpkin dumplings. The evening has a more romantic feel, retaining the tranquil setting, and the clientele are often young, friendly, exuberant groups, or those stopping by after a swim in the Cook and Phillip pool next door. TRAIN: to Town Hall or St. James and walk across Hyde Park, across the front of St. Mary's Cathedral and down the ramp.

INNER CITY. Jellyfish salad. Stir-fried sweet corn and pine nuts. Handmade wheat noodles. These are just a few of the dishes you can try at this popular Asian restaurant. Affordably priced, Chinese Noodle Restaurant is popular with students and Chinese families from the area. Be sure to check out the open kitchen where you can watch the traditional noodle maker at work. TRAIN: short walk from Central Station.

CHINATOWN. The staff at this Cantonese restaurant knows how to serve up seafood! Watch your server pick a fish from one of the many tanks that line the wall and de-bone it right at the table when you're served. Sip on green tea while you wait for your meal ­ dishes like salt and pepper-crusted mud crab and oysters on black moss. MONORAIL/ LIGHT RAIL: Entertainment Centre. A walk from Town Hall.