Golden Century Group has opened the Golden Century Wine Bank. It’s a brand new Level Three atop the iconic Chinatown restaurant in Sydney.
The launch coincides with owners the Wong family celebrating 30 years running the institution.
Cantonese classics from the restaurant including live seafood and XO pipis are on offer at Golden Century Wine Bank alongside a more wine-focussed dining offering, considered service and contemporary surrounds.
Both Golden Century and The Century (at The Star) have been awarded Best of Award of Excellence Two Wine Glasses from Wine Spectator magazine and Three Glasses from Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards.
Jon Osbeiston is now at the helm of the wine programme, which allows guests to select from a wine wall made up of Vintec fridges filled with 1000-plus labels. Another 600 rare and vintage wines are also on offer in the restaurants new ‘wine bank’ cellar and guests can cellar or store their own wine on site. An extensive whisky and spirits collection from around the globe is on hand too.
With its own purpose-built kitchen, the 180-person dining space can be configured into a maximum of eight private dining rooms or booked as an event space. Lounge areas are also available for pre- and post-dining drinks. Bookings can be take for six to 180 people, with a la carte and banquet options available, as well as menus customised according to occasion.
“At Golden Century Wine Bank we want to elevate Chinese food and have amazing fine wines to match,” says Eric Wong. “We’re excited to have a bottle of wine for every menu item and we chose the name Wine Bank because in Cantonese it sounds like ‘prestige collection’, and that is what we have on Level Three.”
Eric and Linda Wong’s Hong Kong-based son Alex Wong runs Paring Onions, the design firm behind Level Three’s sleek, minimalist interior. The fit-out echoes that of sister restaurant The Century at The Star, with a handmade wall compiled of thousands of chopsticks among the features.
The launch of Golden Century Wine Bank celebrates 30 years since Eric and Linda Wong arrived from Hong Kong and took over the business, which then seated just 100 people. Golden Century at 393 Sussex Street now has three levels across Golden Century Seafood Restaurant and Golden Century Wine Bank, seating up to 650 people. The Century at The Star seats 120 across a main dining space and seven private dining rooms.
The group will open XOPP in August 2019, a modern Cantonese restaurant spearheaded by son Billy Wong, at Darling Square’s new Kengo Kuma designed The Exchange building.