The Sparrow's Mill - Sydney CBD - Sydney, Australia.

The Sparrow's Mill 

From the same owners as its sister restaurant 'Red Pepper' in Strathfield, The Sparrow's Mill is a fairly new Korean fried chicken restaurant. It is located in the Sydney CBD near World Square, the Korea town of Sydney.

We arrive just a bit after 6pm on a Friday night and there are already groups queueing up for a table. We put our name down on the sheet of paper and take a ticket, expecting to get a table within 15 minutes or so. However, time ticks away and by the time we get a table it approaches one hour. A very long wait considering we were a group of 4 and there were 5 groups of varying sizes before us. If we would have known it would have taken that long we might have given up waiting.

The inside is casual, modern and somewhat new as it hasn't been open for very long, less than half a year. Tables are squashed together and I find that the space between our table and the next table is narrow. I'm rather petite and find myself having to slide side ways to get in and out of the bench seats without hitting the table.

The waiter brings out the menus, cutlery and bowls. Shortly, she takes our orders. It has a similar menu to the restaurant in Strathfield, near exact to be precise. There are an adequate number of Korean dishes available but people come here for the fried chicken cooked in varying forms and sauces. All at very affordable prices if you are sharing with others.

Sides dishes also known as 'Banchan' are first to arrive to satisfy our starving stomachs. A good selection including fish cake slices, beansprouts, potato, kim chi and long beans. I find that these lack flavour in comparison to what I've had at the Strathfield branch.

The 'Seafood Pancake ($15.00)' is huge. It's thick and loaded with an abundance of toppings. Though, you might find yourself devouring loads of onions and leeks in stark comparison to the amount of seafood in there. It has been cooked to a perfect crisp exterior and the additional sauce on the side gives it that extra zest.

Ordering fried chicken is imperative here. What I like about these Korean restaurants is the option of choosing half or full portion sizes, and choosing half gives you more choice as you're able to try out different combinations.

The 'Original Fried Chicken ($17.00)' is freshly fried and it's steaming hot. Just magic. The original fried chicken has a similar taste to the branch in Strathfield but the coating is crispier and the texture is amazing. It retains the heat while and even though we take our time eating, it is still hot inside. There is just something that is different, possibly the oil that is used to fry the chicken.

'Sweet and Spicy Fried Chicken ($18.00)' appears to be a new item as I don't recall seeing this in Strathfield. It is coated with a sticky and sweet chilli sauce, yet there is also a hint of spiciness. It is nowhere near as spicy as the normal chilli one. This is good for those who aren't very tolerant to spicy foods. It has to be eaten fast as the sauce softens the crispy chicken.

'Ginseng Chicken Soup ($23.00)' is surprisingly really similar to the one I had in Korea. The rice is stuffed in a whole chicken with pieces of ginseng, jujubes and goji berries. The soup has been lightly seasoned and is still slightly bland, but the accompanying salt and pepper can be used to give it that kick.  It's refreshing and perfect to cleanse the palate from the fried chicken.

'Bimimbap ($15.00)' is topped with a plethora of ingredients. Steamed rice with beef and mixed vegetables on top of a sizzling stone bowl. Mix the ingredients together, allow the ingredients to be combined and let it rest for a half a minute which then leaves a crusty rice base. Delicious. You need to mix in the chilli sauce for seasoning.

Once again we over order and struggle to finish everything. The foodie inside of me thinks we didn't order enough but luckily my friend stopped me. A great meal with excellent company but whether we're willing to wait for an hour next time is questionable. The Sparrow's Mill is convenient and readily accessible to the masses given its central location so there's no excuse not to give their fried chicken a shot. The prices are affordable when shared among a group and the quantities are decent, but be prepared to wait on Friday and Saturday nights.

Where?
Shop 3, 116-120 Liverpool St
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Phone no: 02 9264 7109

Opening Hours
Monday - Saturday
11:00am - 12:00am
Closed Sunday

Website
https://www.facebook.com/sparrowsmill