Hokka Hokka
I don’t care how foodie someone claims to be, there comes a time when everyone faces a craving for what we affectionately term as “Dirty Chinese” (not for hygiene reasons, but more for its perceived lack of standards). It might be after a long and tiring flight, or a late shift at work, or when you’re stressed out and just need a bit of comfort, but everyone has that one situation that has them reaching for a bit of sweet and sour pork (Mongolian beef, honey chicken etc) on fried rice. It’s a thing, everyone I know does it, and this is a safe haven for you.
No judgement here, I promise.
And in the Bain Marie of Hokka Hokka is where you’ll find that very juxtaposition of foodie shame and comfort where they unapologetically serve up all the classics you’d expect. Sure, the Sweet and Sour Pork could be a touch crispier, and the Mongolian Beef could do with a touch more pepper, but that first bite sends you straight down memory lane, and the rest of the meal passes in a rose-tinted haze.
Where they don’t do as well is the part where they try to sell you quality in terms of the hot noodle bar. Where charsiu (the often maligned Chinese Barbecue Pork) is just meat that’s tinted a sad red, and the gravy that’s meant to come with the Beef Brisket tossed noodles is more soup than anything else. Correct flavour, incorrect consistency, for me.
Hokka Hokka
Food Court
T2 Sydney Domestic Terminal
Airport Drive, Sydney Airport, NSW
Final Notes
I really appreciate the extra options for when next I fly, and I think that all three options have their own place. Excited and ready to start that holiday? Chur is where you’ll find me. Bloated and ready to stretch my legs after a long flight? Roll’d is on the shortlist. Tired, dragging luggage and hormonal? Sweet and Sour Pork at Hokka Hokka is the only way to go.
So maybe the airport is still some ways away from being a foodie destination. I’m just happy that it’s no longer a foodie wasteland.