You can tell you’re near this restaurant by the line of people snaked around the block. Chef Kylie Kwong—she has her own cooking show and has written multiple cookbooks—turns out innovative versions of her family’s traditional Chinese recipes at this small and spare neighborhood spot in Surry Hills. The late worldly gourmand, R.W. Apple, Jr. of the New York Times, called it his “favorite neighborhood restaurant,” even though it was close to 10,000 miles away from where he lived, so fond he was of her steamed prawn wontons and chive crepes. Her crispy skin duck with blood-orange sauce is the stuff of legend.

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Great Thai food has long been a cornerstone of the Sydney dining experience, but Longrain upped the ante when it opened in a dilapidated part of Surry Hills a few years ago, and it’s still going strong. Long communal tables, dark-wood paneling and black-clad staff set the scene, but the dishes are the real stars, from the zesty betel-leaf appetizers with smoked trout and garlic galangal to the sublime salt-and-pepper tofu. Tip: Reservations are only taken for lunch; dinner draws long lines, so it’s best to arrive early if you don’t want to stand for too long.

Who serves the best Thai food in Sydney is a matter of heated debate; Longrain and Sailors Thai often wind up in a tie for first place with those who want an elegant atmosphere and creative curry dishes. Chef David Thompson helped bring Thai cuisine to the attention of Aussie foodies when he opened Darley St. Thai in the 1993, followed a few years later with this outpost in an historic portside building in the Rocks. He closed Darley St. to go to London to open a resaurant called Nahm, but his partner, Peter Boyer, continued with Sailors Thai. Thompson still checks up on the chefs who prepare the amazing pad thai and caramelized pork hock that can be enjoyed in the more formal “main” Sailors dining room and the canteen. The only other place to taste Thai food this ambrosial is in Thailand.