Arisun Express

An epidemic has swept Chinatown. Discarded syringes have been spotted up and down the gutters of Dixon Street, and now it's spread to World Square. And children are mainlining more than anyone. Novelty gelato, folks: the silent thriller.

We really have N2 Extreme Gelato to blame (they were the first in Sydney to use liquid nitrogen to make on-the-spot iced sweets) for the flavour-filled syringe trend. And now Azoto, a dessert bar attached to Arisun Express, has followed suit. Sugar fiends can now head to Liverpool Street to this new two-part snack shack offering queue-free caramel hits and Korean fried chicken. 

It's definitely all about what's on the plate here - aside from a few bright-red Arisun-branded knee blankies (it's a bit of a wind tunnel at ground zero and there are only outdoor seats, much like the original version on upper Dixon Street), it's pretty devoid of character. But hey, we're not here for napery and a string quartet, we're here for four types of fried chicken and cheesy melts.

Yes, cheesy melts. Here, a hot plate rests on a miniature tableside burner, covered in a layer of molten cheese and a mountain of spicy pork belly shreds. Word of warning: this is not a side, this is a meal for two. The idea, if you do it right, is to mix all the bits together, then, at the very end, eat the cheese crust - like picking all the very best bits left over on a sandwich press.    

Back to that fried chicken. We go for a mixed basket of sweet and sticky soy glaze and original, with its tight fried exterior and meaty inside. There's a boneless option too, though to our minds (and we're pretty sure the rest of the fried-chicken-loving world), the bones add flavour and juiciness.    

While there's every opportunity to completely avoid the bird here - the sticky, chewy potato starch noodles are excellent - it'd be a mistake. Best bet to extract maximum fun with minimal effort is to order the special: fried chicken, soju and a jug of beer for just $45. Not to mention the fact it's open till 3am.

That's a recipe for some fun tableside carnage if ever we saw one.  

THE LOW-DOWN
Pro tip Make like a boss and order half soy and half original fried chicken for just $2 extra.
Try this Pork belly cheesy melt - an epic serve of molten cheese and spicy meat.
Like this? Try Beschico for fried chicken, bo ssam and big beers, 41 Beecroft Road, Epping, (02) 9869 8188.