By Marie-Antoinette Issa.
Haymarket has long been Sydney’s beating heart of Chinatown - a hub where queues form for the perfect dumpling, glazed ducks hang enticingly in shop windows and the scent of sizzling barbeque pork drifts through the streets. It’s a neighbourhood alive with colour, community, culture and cuisine.
Now, in the centre of this culinary corner of Sydney’s CBD, Caption by Hyatt Central Sydney has opened its doors, replacing a former industrial carpark complex and bringing a bold, playful hospitality concept to the city, alongside a menu that celebrates flavour, fun and flexibility.
At the core of this culinary adventure is Talk Shop, an all-day social hub helmed by Head Chef Yammi Cheung, a Hyatt alum with more than 11 years of experience across top establishments, including Pullman, Rosewood Hong Kong and the American Club Hong Kong.
Specialising in Western cuisine with an Asian twist, Yammi is known for elevating ingredients and crafting without cliche, all while mentoring the next generation of Chefs and bringing the spirit of Caption by Hyatt to life.
This is well evidenced in Talk Shop’s ‘Healthy vs Indulgent’ hook, which turns every meal into a choice between naughty and nice, without ever skimping on fun or flavour. With a philosophy that is personal, playful and purposeful, Yammi’s, well, yumminess shows in every detail.
Snacks are carefully considered like the housemade Sicilian olives, which are slow-cooked with handfuls of herbs and a touch of chilli. "We usually pick our own olives,” explains Yammi. "We slow-cook them in oil for at least one hour, then we cook them with the spices and herbs…we use thyme, more cherry, lemon zest, peppercorn, a little bit of fennel, cloves, fennel seeds and cumin and I add chilli.”
A charcuterie board similarly spotlights a few well-curated ingredients for a truly "less is more” approach, while the Caesar salad surprises with chives and dill to create a side that Yammi says is "a little bit different from other hotels,” reflecting her philosophy of whole-food-focused dining. Insider tip: All options perfectly pair with refreshing housemade iced teas.
The real battle is between burgers and bowls. On the lighter side, the Mee So salmon bowl dazzles with fresh salmon, herbs and grains, while the Plain Gainz bowl keeps things wholesome and nourishing without skimping on flavour.
For the burger brigade, the Double-Down burger is stacked with layers of indulgent beefy goodness and the Thai-inspired Krapow burger delivers punchy Southeast Asian flavours in every bite of its free-range pork patty. The big reveal - created especially for this pescatarian writer and likely soon to be offered to the public, is Yammi’s ‘laksa prawn burger’.
Dessert is equally memorable. "I'm from Hong Kong,” says Yammi, "So, for dessert, we have an egg waffle. It’s a bubble waffle, which is a street food from Hong Kong. It's very popular and also well-known in ancient Singapore. It takes a little bit of time to prepare. It is always made fresh when you eat it and it takes 15 minutes, so please let the staff know in advance.”
Not ready for a burger or bowl? Caption by Hyatt’s breakfast (open to the public) is more than baked beans, bacon and buffets.
"If you get a chance to try our breakfast, please try the wonton soup. It is my favourite,” says Yammi. "There's a bit of a personal recipe there,” she adds.
"When we're making the filling, we use heaps of oil and water and a little bit of butter, so it can make the wontons juicier. For Hong Kong wontons, we typically always use prawn, but my grandma's recipe mainly uses pork and vegetables. While we will modify it a bit for customers in Australia, it still has the original flavour from my grandma.
"We just want to pass on the legacy to show how Hong Kong grandmas made their dishes and it’s the best wonton soup in the whole market, let’s say it! It’s quite popular and a hot-selling item at our breakfast.”
In keeping with Caption by Hyatt’s sustainable ethos, Talk Shop’s design incorporates upcycled furnishings, locally sourced produce and zero-waste initiatives, showcasing the brand’s commitment to responsible hospitality and community-led design.
However, the magic of Talk Shop is not just in what’s on the plate, but how it’s experienced. Guests can order via QR codes, settle into a corner for a casual lunch or linger into the evening as the space transforms into a local hangout.
It’s a place where the energy of outside Haymarket spills in and the philosophy of naughty vs nice becomes a delicious game everyone can play. At Talk Shop, life - and dining - is at its best when you can have a little fun, a little indulgence and a lot of flavour.
Photo credit: Wade Whitington.
