Gosforth Palace

You head down to Salters Road and find yourself in a place that doesn't bother with Instagram aesthetics—just excellent Cantonese food served without pretence. The dim sum trolley still does the rounds, and you can actually point at what you want rather than scrolling through some QR code menu. There's a reason this spot's got 505 reviews and half those are locals who've been coming since their parents brought them as kids. The noise level tells you everything—packed tables, families sharing dishes, people who know what they're ordering. It's the kind of restaurant that doesn't need to reinvent itself because it's been doing the basics brilliantly all along.