By Marie-Antoinette Issa
Taiwanese food has always had attitude: crispy, sticky, sweet, savoury, occasionally rebellious. Linla Sydney takes that energy, stashes it in a converted Victorian terrace in Surry Hills, and dares you to take it seriously. It’s the latest project from Taiwanese-born restaurateur and mixologist Charles Chang, the man behind Moku next door and a former Top 100 finalist in the Diageo World Class Competition.
From the first plate, you get the message. Linla didn’t come to play. Mushroom spring rolls with fermented bean curd arrive golden, crunchy, and rich with earthy umami. Sydney rock oysters glisten alongside, dressed in a sharp cranberry vinaigrette that cuts through the brine with surgical precision. The larb fish of the say is served san choi bao style, in a lettuce cup. Familiar, but with a twist that makes you sit up and pretend you know exactly what you’re doing.
Then it’s cha cha chicken time. Sticky, sweet, spicy, and crackly - the kind of served with corn ribs, avocado puree, and fermented chilli oil who tag along like co-conspirators in indulgence. Night markets in Taiwan may have inspired it, but this version is cheeky, flashy, and unapologetically Sydney: playful, photogenic, and addictive.
The XOXO calamari fettuccine is a curveball: silky ribbons of pasta coated in umami-rich XO sauce, dotted with tender calamari, demanding slow, deliberate twirls of the fork. Head Chef Montien Thipwongsa layers Taiwanese inspiration with Thai flavours, turning each bite into a delicious lesson in controlled chaos.
Dessert continues the fun. The fairy bread bao - soft, pillowy, coated in pastel sprinkles, stuffed with vanilla ice cream - is childhood birthday party nostalgia with attitude. Drinks match the mood. Linla’s cocktails use fermentation, foraged ingredients, and playful twists on classics. The peanut cilantro affogato is a standout: creamy, nutty, herbal, bitter, and weirdly sensible before dinner. Other honourable mentions include: The MI-Bubble, an adult bubble tea with aged rum, Earl Grey, black sugar, Milo, and milk - which proves that everything you loved as an 8 year old gets even better with alcohol.
Linla also has its eyes on the horizon. And for those who like a little insider tip: an upcoming guest shift from Penicillin Hong Kong, Asia’s award-winning sustainable cocktail bar, will push experimentation even further.
What makes Linla special is its balance of surprise and familiarity. From spring rolls that crackle like secrets, to sticky chicken chaos, indulgent XO fettuccine, and desserts that are almost too pretty to eat, each plate feels considered without being precious.
In a city that sometimes takes dining too seriously, Linla reminds you that meals can be inventive, indulgent, and entirely unpretentious. Taiwanese-inspired, Sydney-perfect. Come for the dessert, stay for the drinks, leave slightly tipsy, fully convinced that food this fun shouldn’t exist.
