Dumpling favourite Chinese Noodle Restaurant fined for grotty kitchen

A Sydney dumpling restaurant with lines flowing out the door has been busted with multiple penalties and thousands of dollars worth of fines for unhygienic food handling, despite repeated warnings.

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A bustling Sydney dumpling and noodle house much loved by tourists and locals alike has been slapped with multiple fines for food handling practices while another just metres away was fined for a roach infestation.

Chinese Noodle Restaurant, one of Sydney’s most popular dumpling joints lauded as an “institution” by food critics, has for years had foodies raving about its pork and chives dumplings and handmade noodles.

Chinese Noodle Restaurant in Sydney's Haymarket.

Chinese Noodle Restaurant in Haymarket has queues of people out the door most evenings. Picture: Instagram

But the bustling Haymarket restaurant, which regularly sees queues of people flowing out the door, paid a fat price for its food handling practices earlier this year despite receiving previous warnings.

Council fined the Thomas St eatery $3,500 in May for failing to maintain clean premises and kitchen equipment, inaccessible hand washing facilities and unrefrigerated food.

The restaurant is famous for its look-in kitchen, where chefs can be seen making noodles by hand. Picture: Instagram

The dumpling favourite isn’t the only one in the area that has been caught out with nine Haymarket establishments fined since January 1.

A similar restaurant just metres away, Chinatown Noodle Restaurant, was fined in the same month for a roach infestation. It was ordered to pay $880 for failing to take measures to prevent pests entering the restaurant.

It joins five other Asian restaurants in the foodie hub to be hit with fines in the past year including Dodee Paidang, L’oVen, New Thainatown, Saigon’s House and Tawandang which were all penalised for poor hygiene.

Chinatown Noodle Restaurant in Sydney is located doors away from Chinese Noodle Restaurant. Picture: Instagram

The food spot also serves up a variety of northern Chinese soups. Picture: Instagram

Two cafes in the area, 3 Mumma’s Cafe and Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, were also fined.

Chinese Noodle Restaurant were contacted for comment but did not wish to respond.

Chinatown Noodle Restaurant told the Telegraph they were “ashamed” of the fines and intended to complete kitchen upgrades later in the year to improve food safety practices.