Where would you find the best Chinese food in Sydney? You might guess somewhere in Haymarket, or perhaps Burwood, Chatswood or Ashfield. But if you ask Matt Moran, it’s inside The Epping Club in Sydney’s North-West.
“The Epping Club is some of the best Chinese food I’ve eaten in Sydney, probably in Australia,” he says.
The top chef recently made this discovery in his role as expert taste-tester for the Perfect Plate competition, an annual awards program which recognises the best local club meals in NSW, as decided by punters.
All great chefs start somewhere, and for Matt Moran that was the Parramatta RSL, with his first kitchen job at the tender age of 14 (where his greatest ambition was to eventually be trusted on the deep-fryer). It’s why every year he lends his expertise to the Perfect Plate, presented by NRMA, and is currently in the process of tasting his way around the state with fellow celebrity judge, Courtney Roulston.
It was on the award trail last year that Moran came across what he rates as the city’s best yum cha – inside the Cabra-Vale Diggers Club in Canley Vale in South West Sydney, where Horizon Asian Dining won the Perfect Plate award in 2024.
“Canley Vale last year was one that just came out of nowhere,” Moran says. “It’s unbelievable. I’ve been back three times… I reckon it’s the best yum cha in Sydney.”
This year, it was Miss Yuè in The Epping Club, Epping, that knocked the chef sideways.
“The Epping club, you walk in, see this massive chandelier in the foyer, and go, ‘What do we have here?’” he says. “And then you walk into this restaurant, that’s been bloody designed really well, actually, with an all brand-new kitchen. And I was just absolutely gobsmacked, because it just got me so unawares. I didn’t expect it.”
From hand-made dumplings and the signature Miss Yuè’s VIP Fried Rice to a steamed Chinese sponge cake that he’s still thinking about, there wasn’t a dud dish to land on Moran’s table from chef Roy’s kitchen, with front-of-house, Killy Lau also making a great impression.
“They just kept sending out food,” he laughs. “They have live seafood and everything. It just came out of nowhere. I seriously will go back. There’s no question whatsoever.”
Moran raved about his visit on a video posted to The Epping Club’s socials, and since then the club has already started seeing more visitors venturing over the bridge.
“We have had some fab comments which we have really enjoyed, with people now coming from the Eastern Suburbs and saying things like ‘If it’s good enough for Matt to come across the bridge..!'”, says the club’s marketing manager, Victoria Louis.
Through his involvement in the awards, Moran has been really impressed with the increasing quality and competitiveness of Sydney’s local clubs, and is reminded every year of what an important role they play in the community.
“They’re all non-for-profit,” he says. “They give back to the community, which is great. They sponsor sporting teams and things like that…they’re a big employer. But you know, they’re definitely raising the bar when it comes to offerings in clubs, and particularly with food and beverage… They’re competitive with each other, and I suppose they’ve got to be. So the food’s just getting better and better.”
Miss Yuè will be serving its Peking Style Fried Egg Roll as part of the Perfect Plate quest – find your local at perfectplate.com.au