Fresh User Reviews in Chatswood

6.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  5      Service  6      Value  7     

I've been to this place numerous times since it opened but the quality has diminished somewhat recently. Came here for dinner on Wednesday night around 7pm. It wasn't packed but still had plenty of people, on a weekend, you'd be lucky to get in with a 10 minutes wait. Tonight, the sushi didn't look fresh. It looked as though it had sat on the train for some time.

The place has 2 separate trains and the train where my partner and I were seated didn't even have a sushi chef making fresh sushi the whole time we were there (30 minutes). We decided to order off the menu where the sushi did not appear on the train and the fish was fresh (salmon torro, tuna torro, kingfish).

The soft shell crab handroll was a hit, as it always had been. The crab was crispy yet succulent. We also ordered an old favorite, the nebayaki udon, which did not fail to impress.

Overall, the quality was still good for what we ordered and the price we paid. But it didn't have the same feel as it used to have if I'm having to order off the menu rather than taking plates off the 'sushi train'.

May 24, 2012

5.8 Average

Food  5      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  5     

Its a hidden place which, for the first time, a thai place not run by thai people.

Prices were a little expensive for the small portions you can. Service wise the waitress is polite and the food didn't take long to come out. Ambience wise I like its isolated location and I like the atmosphere inside.

Food wise its average at best, the satay sticks are food court quality but at least the duck curry tasted the way it should.

I would come here only if I didn't want quiet time from the hustle and bustle of Chatswood.

May 21, 2012

4 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  3      Service  3      Value  5     

Frozen meat with no traditional korean marinade, tasteless food. Cockroach on the wall was not the best welcome either.

May 19, 2012

2.8 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  3     

Been to this place 6 times and failed 3 times.

This morning I ordered Earl Grey tea and the big breakfast (not what they call it). Tea arrived after 10 minutes. I asked for more than the 1 sugar they supplied. Asked again 10 minutes later and by that time the tea was cold. After 35 minutes I asked where my meal was. 5 minutes later the waiter came back saying it will not be far away.

In the meantime the senior staff came over and offered another tea which I declined due to medical fluid restrictions to which she then offered a coffee to which I again stated I was on fluid restrictions. At this point I was thinking this could not get any worse. Wrong!

My breakfast showed up 1 hour after ordering. It was the wrong meal. I had to call the waiter back and state it was not what I ordered (scrambled eggs instead of fried and no bacon) and all I got was a shrug of the shoulders and an offer to take it back. By this time I was starving and proceeded to eat it. The eggs along with the tomato were cold and the others were hot?

At this point I was very angry and thought I just pay, leave and never go back. When I got the bill it was for the meal I ordered and never got with no reduction for the dramas I went through.

Oh, and the person I was with also mentioned a couple left without paying while we were there with a group of 4 also complaining to the head waiter.

Do not go there!

May 19, 2012

6.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  5     

Ordered the fondue for two, chocolate is amazing, but wouldn't recommend also ordering a hot chocolate also, couldn't finish it, due to intense sweetness. I would go back, however, was pretty happy.

May 19, 2012

7.3 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  3      Value  8     

First time been there, the decor caught our eye so we gave it a go. Unfortunately, the wait staff aren't on their toes, and I even got attitude from one of them when I had to ask the same question about a dish I was waiting on. Apparently pork dumplings are what they call mini pork buns. Go figure.

May 19, 2012

6.3 Average

Food  6      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  6     

It's quite a good concept for having a well-decorated Japanese food court within Japan City retail store. The location is perfect for movie-goers that want something quick. The food was a bit disappointing and food was just average. The adegashi tofu was horrible. There was way too much starch coated around each tofu. I had to peel the layer out, it was way too thick!

We had prawn and vegetable tempura. The tempura batter was a bit soft but the serving was decent. Udon was nice. However, the price is a bit steep for a self serve food court. I bought some mochi home and they were delicious. I had the peanut fillings and the green tea ones.

May 16, 2012

3.3 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  3      Service  1      Value  5     

This was one of the worst restaurant experiences I have ever had.

It was a Tuesday night. The restaurant had about 12 customers there, plus the 6 of us. For appetisers we ordered Chicken san choi bao for 6. And that’s when the first problem became evident. The san choi bao arrived with the lettuce leaves and a separate tiny plate of the chicken mixture, no more than one tablespoon per person. There was no attempt made to serve these, it appeared to be a do-it-yourself san choi bao.

I summoned the waiter and asked him if this was really a full serving for 6 as we had ordered. He counted the leaves, found there were only five, apologized and was about to take them away when I pointed to the chicken mixture and asked whether that was enough for 6. He wasn’t sure, picked up that plate as well and went off to the kitchen, soon returning with the extra lettuce leaf, and a tiny bit more chicken mixture.

Again there was no attempt made to serve us, and I had to summon the waiter back to assemble the food. The end result was a mouthful of san choi bao per person.

In the meantime I went through the menu to select the 6 main courses, which I then wrote on a piece of paper, each prefaced by the Dish # as printed on the menu to make sure there was no misunderstanding. The list was organized in three groups of 2, and I made it clear to the waiter that I wanted them served in that sequence and in groups of 2 dishes as shown, with a pause between the groups. The waiter did go through the list and the menu to make sure he understood everything.

Well, nothing was delivered as planned. They came in the wrong sequence and not in pairs, and one of the dishes was not even the one ordered. The accompanying rice was served in 6 individual bowls, and not in an insulated bucket, like all other Chinese restaurants do, so we had to periodically send our half empty bowls back to be re-heated. Also there was no central ‘Lazy Susan’ in the middle of the large round table, so it was not easy to pass the food around.

The food itself could only be described as barely adequate and the prices as reasonable. The ambience was only fair. No fruit, fortune cookies or chocolates were offered at the end. So the overall dining experience left much to be desired.

By the way, we are all Caucasians, but 4 of us were born and raised in Shanghai before migrating to Australia, so we had some reasonable knowledge of Chinese food and customs. And, as aficionados of Chinese food, we were very much looking forward to visiting this new restaurant in Chatswood’s Concourse. Sadly, we will not be returning.

May 16, 2012

3.8 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  4     

If I can give the service negative scores, I would.

We have ordered takeaway from this place many times and in recent months it appears they have either changed hands or employed some really rude staff.

They got one of my orders wrong and, unfortunately, I paid before they brought it out and they forced me to take the wrong order and refuse to provide a refund and correct the order. They then in turn told me that it was my fault that They got it wrong and said better luck next time.

In addition to the above, simply ignored me and said that they need to serve another customer that was waiting in line.

This place used to be good but I will not be returning until they change their current staff. Make sure you check your orders before paying as the current staffs are despicable.

May 15, 2012

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  9     

Great value and matching portion sizes. It is spacious and clean. Good variety and the train, Glad I was introduced to this sushi train.

May 14, 2012

4 Below Average

Food  6      Ambience  4      Service  1      Value  5     

Service was quite slow and not enough food carts (yum cha) were available. Food we did get was nice, however. Waited about 10-15 prior to being seated (expected for yumcha sunday), however, staff did not appear to care.

May 13, 2012

6.7 Recommended

Quality  8      Food  7      Drinks  7      Ambience  8      Service  5      Value  5     

Food: excellent for a Pub, the Pork ribs were good but the Stir Fried Chicken were better thanks to the magnificent sauce. Nice multi-level space with screen to watch the footy.

Service was very slow, 30 minutes for the food to come out and very little personal touch from the staff. Value not so great with mains around $20.

May 12, 2012

6 Average

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  5      Value  6     

The place to go for churros and Spanish hot chocolate.

May 09, 2012

3.5 Below Average

Food  1      Ambience  6      Service  6      Value  1     

The owner lady was friendly and nice, however, that was it. The food was absolutely dreadful! We had Hainan Chicken and Tomato rice with meat dice. Hainan Chicken – that was the worst Hainan Chicken in my whole life. There was no ‘taste’. For Tomato rice with meat dice, all we could taste was pepper, nothing else. Very disappointing. We will never go back.

May 07, 2012

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  8     

My husband and I were at the restaurant for dinner on a Friday night. We thoroughly enjoyed the dishes we ordered: xiaolongbao, pork and chive dumplings with chili oil, the braised pork belly and spicy and pungent beef. It's definitely a good place for a casual dinner, and I'd have to say the pork belly and the dumplings are a real standout.

I have to admit we were a bit hesitant in coming after reading the poorer reviews but our experience was certainly faultless. We'd definitely dine here again, and would recommend others to give it a go. In total, we spent $75 for 4 dishes, 1 large beer and wine corkage fees. Definitely an affordable place.

May 07, 2012

4 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  4      Service  6      Value  3     

Typical Korean shop running as a Japanese restaurant. Quality of sashimi dishes are poor, the cut of the fish and the way they serve it on the platter is a dead giveaway to the lack of detail and care (not as fresh, sliced clumsily). Price is decent for hot food but overpriced vs. Quality on raw or traditional sushi and sashimi dishes.

Go to other traditional Japanese restaurants if you want better quality and not this half baked stuff.

May 06, 2012

5 Average

Food  5      Ambience  5      Service  4      Value  6     

We had one of those internet special deals, and you have to be joking for anyone to believe this is an even remotely realistic deal at the full price given what we got. Six plates of food were received, at blinding speed, shared by the two of us, they looked suspiciously like single serves, but never mind.

The food was uninspiring, and really not very Thai at all. Yet again, plates were removed without both of us having finished, this is plain rude. When will waiters learn?

The place was pretty empty, especially given it was a Saturday night. Which is too bad, because it looks quite good, and could be so much better.

May 05, 2012

1.5 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  2      Service  2      Value  1     

I was there on a Friday night for the "Egyptian Feast" and was so disappointed.
The owner is a very nice man but the food is horrible and very small portions.
It is actually a mish mash of Lebanese and Turkish rather than resembling anything Egyptian. We started with a mezze plate of 4 pieces of pickles, 2 dolmades, 2 cubes of fetta, 4 olives and a small trio of Homos, and eggplant dip.

The hot components were obviously microwaved and tasteless, these were 2 small kafta and 2 falafel which are supposed to be deep fried and crunchie but these were tiny microwaved and fell apart. The next course which was the traditional Egyptian soup was not rich and green as my Egyptian in laws make but a bowl of chicken stock with a couple of green flecks, the rice served with it was microwaved as the bowl was scorching hot and the contents flavourless.

Next course was Egyptian pizza, with was on a supermarket brought base and sloppy cheap toppings that slid off hen eating. Miniscule portions of baclava for dessert. All in all very disappointing quality and not authentic Egyptian home cooking.

The menu is a mish mash of Egyptian burgers, Thai burgers, Indian burgers etc. signage on street front also advertising "best laksa in Chatswood" so for a so called Egyptian eatery this place is crazy confused.

May 05, 2012

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  8     

Great value food which is always full of flavour. Don't know why more people haven't discovered this place. Love the salmon and the crab tortellini!

May 04, 2012

8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  7     

So you'd think enough Asian restaurants in Chatswood, but this place brings an interesting thai fusion menu and a funky look. It's a little touch of Newtown in Chatswood but you can park in the Westfield and get a table when you want. Really enjoyed Rice Den.

Apr 29, 2012