Ay Oriental Tea House

4.4 Below Average

Food  5      Drinks  3      Ambience  6      Service  3      Value  5     

Painfully slow (really!) and disorganized service combine with ordinary food to make this a forgettable experience save for the "jasmine, lychee, white tea" which was a watery cup containing a bundle of dead leaves for $5.90. Give it a miss.

Dec 27, 2011 

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

Enjoyed very much!

Aug 14, 2010 

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  8      Value  7     

I've frequented The Oriental Tea House on Little Collins Melbourne many times (which is another branch of the Oriental Tea House South Yarra). It is a Yum Cha styled restaurant, where you order what you want from a menu. The portions are small but delicious. Quite good value although you do tend to order a fair few dishes because they are quite small and then its not the best value.

The atmosphere is modern and upbeat. Entering the place you are greeted by a circular table of teas which you can taste test. I would highly recommend ordering the Raspberry Iced Tea, the most amazing iced tea I have ever had. Absolutely delicious!

The staff are extremely prompt and you don't have to wait very long for your orders. The service is actually a little too fast, as you don't have much time to sit and enjoy your surroundings or company of others before the food comes out.
Nevertheless a wonderful yum cha restaurant in the heart of the city.

Mar 19, 2010 

5 Average

Food  4      Ambience  6      Service  6      Value  4     

When this place first opened a few years ago I was impressed. It was more expensive yum cha than other places but it was justified because the cooking was good and the modern decor was fresh and inviting. After my last two visits I won't be going back again.

Food standards have really slipped. We had rubbery overcooked squid and tasteless pork. Look around and notice how few Asian people are eating here. This is overpriced yum cha for people who don't know how yum cha should be. Service is erratic. Mix ups with orders, having to ask for chilli sauce twice but generally friendly.

Oct 19, 2009 

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  9     

I've been to the sister restaurant on Little Collins and it is the best yum cha I've had in Melbourne. The fit out is modern and the tea selection vast and delicious. I could easily spend an entire afternoon there grazing. The yum cha stops after lunch but don't let that deter you, go in in the evening and order up scads of dumpling's, dim sums, octopus, peking duck, such a wide array of delights. A standout solid establishment with a great look, spot on service and food that you jones for.

Aug 29, 2009 

1.8 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  2      Service  2      Value  2     

My partner and I tried here one day whilst browsing Chapel and were very disappointed by the quality of the food and service. All of our yum cha dishes were not made fresh, but reheated in a microwave as you could tell by the poor quality of the dumplings and pancake rolls. If you are looking for a genuine tea house yum cha experience I would recommend somewhere in Chinatown in terms of authenticity.

Aug 08, 2009 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  7     

Went for lunch and my partner and I were first-timers to the yum-cha craze, we were not disappointed! After reading that the menu was mostly Western-ized we booked in and found the food was fresh and delicious! Loved the prawn and pork dumplings, as well as the prawn toast. Wish I lived in Melbourne so I could come back again! It was pricey, however, but worth it.

Aug 02, 2009 

7 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  5      Value  7     

A restaurant that we visited on a Saturday night at around 7 pm. It was somewhat busy, though there were empty seats scattered around the place. I was quite impressed by the atmosphere and the general layout of the restaurant, as there is a tea store to the front of the premises, with the restaurant to the back. It is an interesting layout concept, but could be quite confusing to visitors to Melbourne, as there is limited indication that there is a restaurant here, as if you look in the window, you will see a store that sells tea.

While the dishes appear to be very cheap while browsing through the menu, once served, you will find that you get alot less food than you initially expect. However, in saying that, it is still a reasonable price. The service was great, with the staff always rushing around, either promptly serving meals or clearing away empty dishes.

One thing that you must be aware of, if you order entree's, you won't neccesarily receive them at the start of your meal, let alone receive your rice before all your dishes. The kitchen needs to refine the art of prioritising the way the dishes comeout. A very big downfall to the restaurant, which would inturn affect the way people would view the standards of the service.

Apr 29, 2009 

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  6      Value  9     

Great little restaurant, its great to order a la carte for yum cha but still go for tray service on weekends. Service can be slow on weekends during tray service and some tables seem to get neglected whilst the 'rock star' tables endure endless badgering! I eat here at least once a week, good value for money, great take away and tea options, value is good given real estate costs in this area. Give it a whirl, interstate visitors favour it over the busier and yuckier china town versions!

Feb 07, 2009 

7.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  9     

Very good experience. You can get stuck into the Tea's beforehand and then eat yourself silly. You should book on weekends. Well priced.

Jul 21, 2008