Late Night Fix: Supermeal (Goulburn Street)

Supermeal: convenience for many a drunken backpacker!

I have a bone to pick with Sydney. There are simply, not enough late night dining venues to soothe the weary soul come the witching hour. In my younger years, our 2am meal was always either at Pancake on the Rocks or (god forbid) City Extra but there’s only so much pancakes and substandard café food I can ingest. And don’t remind me about the golden arches. The only way I can safely ingest a Big Mac from McChuck’s is when my stomach is thickly lined with alcohol.

Some good late night dining would be deeply appreciated by the famished nocturnal beings and the restless. I myself am on the hunt to see what is open as the minutes tick over into the next day. There’s not much in Sydney but hopefully it’s a helpful guide for the hungry drunks, insomniacs and the exhausted that are looking for something a little more than a Quarter Pounder or a kebab (almost as deadly as a Big Mac, mind you).

Certainly beats a Big Mac anyday!

Fried XO Pipis

I’ll start off briefly with, where else, Chinatown. Granted this visit I was at Supermeal with a bunch of blogger friends early in the night who just wanted a quick feed after checking out a fellow blogger's photography exhibition and the Merivale Winter Feast Launch party. But rest assured, this place has been a long time late night institution for yours truly, even back in the day when it was known as Superbowl.

Opened until 2am every night, Supermeal has always been a safe haven for nourishing congee on cold nights or flavoursome but trashy Chinese food to temper the affects of partying hard and drunken karaoke.

Why is it that fried foods are perfect for over excessive alcohol consumption?

The Dixon Street branch of Superbowl is still standing till 2am every night (and still pleasing diners as always *chortle*) but I always bypass it for its sister restaurant on Goulburn Street. And because Chinese restaurants seems to change owners or names as often as I change my socks, it has taken me a while to get use to saying Super*meal*.

You must forgive me if I am severely lacking in photos and descriptions but I have not the faintest idea where half my photos went to! Curse you infernal Macbook! But for the briefest of guides, here are my perennial Supermeal favourites.

The token vegetable dish...even though it's still fried and heavy on greasy sustenance!


I highly recommend the congee - always steaming hot, its gruel-like, gelatinous contents never fails to soothe. It’s chicken soup for the ailing and weary and the perfect antidote for the dastard cold and flu. It’s warming sustenance Chinese-style and at any late hour, sustenance is exactly what you crave.

The cauldron of congee

In large groups, the congee arrives in a cauldron. Tonight is a Sam Pan Congee (or Hong Kong Roadside Popular Congee), chock full of deep fried wonton skins, peanuts, squid, shallots, ginger, pork mince and chopped pieces of pig’s stomach for a quick protein hit. Don’t be put off. It is seriously seriously good, especially with a dash of soya sauce and the deep fried dough sticks (yu tiao or yau tzar guai).

Crispy skinned chicken

I love their salt and pepper squid. The batter is crisp and light, not heavy, greasy and stodgy, which I detest. It’s delightfully salty and served with fried seaweed.

Salt 'n' Pepper Squid

Another one of my staple orders is the fried noodles. I love the Black Pepper Fried Udon but lately I’ve been craving the Fried Handmade Shanghainese Noodles in XO Sauce. A warning for the chilli lightweights (such as moi), these noodles can pack a punch, depending on the mood of the chef.

Fried Handmade Shanghainese Noodles in XO Sauce

Don’t expect anything fancy or to receive five-star service from Supermeal. It is your typical, fast-paced, brusque Chinese restaurant where getting down and dirty with some honest-to-goodness Chinese food is the only order of the day. But at these ungodly hours (and in the odd drunken stupour), it’s probably the only thing you need.


Supermeal

39 Goulburn St

Sydney NSW 2000
(02) 9211 1568

Open till 2am every night


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