What could be better than an al fresco indulgence of Pekinese-style lobster with dress circle views from The Rocks of the Sydney Harbour Bridge to your left, the Sydney Opera House front and centre, and Circular Quay and the Sydney city skyline stage right? Well, we have to admit that taking a seat inside Imperial Peking’s lovingly restored heritage building might be an equally tempting option. This sandstone edifice down Circular Quay West, known as Campbell’s Storehouse, retains its early 19th-century charm, with antique wine casks rubbing shoulders with Chinese statuary scattered across four differently decorated dining areas snug under the rafters. The star of the show, of course, is Imperial Peking’s considered take on Chinese cuisine, tempering the bold flavours of Peking with an understanding of Australia’s warmer climate (and therefore different seasonal produce) and contemporary palate.

Seafood is writ large on Imperial Peking’s diverse menu, as befits a Sydney harbourside restaurant, and as befits a Chinese eatery that can boast four live seafood tanks stocked with fish, eels, yabbies, scampi, crabs, abalone, and lobster (they also do sashimi for Japanese food fanatics). Though Imperial Peking is well-known among Sydney’s discerning Chinese dining aficionados, a little known secret is that Imperial Peking’s superlative hospitality extends to elaborate private functions. With its beautiful Circular Quay West location, on the eastern waterfront side of The Rocks, valet parking and a courtesy bus service, Imperial Peking can host parties of 20 to 140 for sit-down dining, or up to 400 for a stand up Chinese canape and cocktail reception.