Lauren S.
Yelp
Not being much of a gambler, the most use I've ever found for Sydney's casino is as a place to grab a drink with friends on Christmas night when everything else is closed (does that sound desperate or what?) For the record, I don't really recommend it, unless your idea of a good time is being surrounded by rowdy Irish tourists drunkenly slurring Christmas carols into the early hours.
However, the recently (almost) completed refurb has really paid dividends to the day workers of Pyrmont in expanding our lunchtime dining options ten-fold.
The so-called Café Court on the ground level offers:
Flying Fish & Chips, reprising, at long last, the takeaway outlet from Peter Kuruvita's famous Flying Fish restaurant just down the road on Jones Bay Wharf. I haven't actually tried this one as their prices seem a little exorbitant for what's on offer - you can get much cheaper and fresher-looking sushi up on Harris Street, and there's just something about seafood sitting under a glass display in a glorified food court... For what it's worth, it doesn't seem as popular as the other eateries in here.
Pulse Express is a quick pre-made sandwich stop from the same team at Pulse Organic on nearby Union Street. The sandwiches are fine, if sometimes a little over-refrigerated. The coffee isn't great. I prefer the made-to-order salads and wraps at their main store, just a block away.
Dergah Grill's prices reflect the same 'casino premium' as every other retailer in The Star, and while I have zero problems spending up on good food, let's face it - this is a kebab shop, no matter how you dress it up. Chicken kebab with chilli sauce was tasty enough but a little too soggy by the end when the juices had soaked completely through the wrapper; the falafel roll is a decent hand-held lunch option on the run, but on the whole I've found this place a little bit too greasy and generic for the money.
Din Tai Fung sports basically the same menu and quality you can expect from the chain's other Sydney locations; green beans with pork mince & the pork and prawn wontons in spicy sauce are always a winner. The black sesame and red bean sweet buns don't go astray if you're after a sugar fix. This is my favourite place in here by a long shot.
The window of Adriano Zumbo Patissier is a popular spot for camera-toting tourists to congregate, and you can't blame them - the best bit is the eye candy, from the colourful window display, the dazzlingly luminous signage, and the quirky pastry train a la conveyer belt sushi restaurants.
If you're into that kind of thing, Messina Gelato is another option for dessert or a cool treat on a sunny day by the water, with the same flavours made popular by its Darlinghurst store.
On the gaming floor, Fat Noodle which opened to much fanfare a while back is also a decent lunch option, though as you can imagine the ambience leaves a lot to be desired. It's also ridiculously overpriced considering the location's proximity to Haymarket/Chinatown where you can get tastier, more authentic Asian fare at a fraction of the cost. Skip the pho, which is disappointingly bland (and at nearly $20 for a bowl has got to be the most expensive pho in Sydney!) and opt instead for the pork and prawn wonton soup, or the tom yum pork and prawn noodle soup if available which both pack a lot more of a punch. The chilli silken tofu isn't bad, either, but on the whole I've found most dishes here to be lacking in flavour.
Of the more upmarket dining options, David Chang's Momofuku Seiōbo lived up to the hype when we visited in its second week of trade - but I'll save that review for when it gets its own page on Yelp.