China Doll - Woolloomooloo

We decided to have a walk on Sunday on such a beautiful winter's day. Started by getting the ferry to Darling Harbour then walked back to Circular Quay, then carried on through the Botanical Gardens to Woolloomooloo. Thought we would then have earned a good lunch in my husband's favourite Italian there - Molo. Unfortunately (or as it turned out very fortunate for us!), it was full so we tried China Doll instead as I'd read the reviews about it previously. I hadn't expected to have a Chinese on a sunny Sunday afternoon but it didn't disappoint. It wasn't like a traditional Chinese restaurant - no sweet and sour chicken to be seen! Chinese flavours Ina modern way. The staff were fantastic considering we arrived at 2.55 and the kitchen closed at 3pm. As long as we got our order in quickly there was no problem. The food wasn't rushed out, we still had a lovely leisurely lunch and bottle of beautiful white wine - what more could you want after a good walk?The scallops were perfect and subtly flavoured, the chilli squid was the best I'd had. The duck and pancakes (an ever present for my daughter), was fabulous and the duck was so tender, unlike the dried shredded stuff we get at home. The slow cooked beef Penang curry was amazing, but by far the best course was the belly pork. We've never had anything that tasted so good - not fatty at all but not too crispy, or as my husband declared "ridiculously good!".This has to have been one of our favourite meals on this trip to Sydney. Just perfect....

Beautiful meal. Great value. The pork belly, crispy lamb dumplings, broccoli & snow peas, San chow boy, white chicken - all divine! Can't wait to come back.

We were expecting something special after reading the reviews but the food was average and didn't seem to have balance. Service was ok but nothing special. The outdoor heaters were good but that was the highlight. Just go to show reviews can be iffy

It was cold though for a winter dinner because we were just near the door. Would be perfect in summer

There are so many things to like about China Doll but I will restrict my comments to just a few highlights - the food, the food, the food.Aside from the great atmosphere, China Doll really is all about the food and the service - every time I've been the staff are friendly, accommodating and amazingly knowledgeable about the ingredients of the dishes. One of our party has a strong allergy to pineapple and the waiter quickly advised not to order the tea smoked duck as pineapple juice might have been included in the cooking process - that's unheard of in most restaurants today. The dishes are creative, and an often inspired take on classic dishes with a twist or 2 included. Everything is fresh, the portions are appropriate for most adults and I've never left feeling like we under ordered. Even more important, I've never had a bad dish at China Doll - everything works well together, the ingredients are fresh and expertly prepared - every single time.We've been with multiple friends and business colleagues for lunch and dinner and everyone is always impressed. I can't find anything negative to say - enjoy!