Bokchoy Tang

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  9     

Very impressed with our first visit to Bokchoy Tang, very glad I didn't read reviews first. Shared chicken sang choy bow and dumplings followed by duck pancakes and wok fried lamb.

Blown away by the freshness of flavours, lack of msg, no salty after taste. Initially disappointed that we forgot to order another main although glad we didn't, sufficient food including rice. Genuinely good freshly prepared food, table drink service was speedy although waitresses contstantly checking table for empty can be a little distracting, was also very handy when you needed it! for a Saturday night it was only 3/4 full although well set out and able to converse without room noise. Will definitely return.

Mar 20, 2012 

4.8 Average

Food  6      Ambience  3      Service  5      Value  5     

We had a lunch here on a Sunday and at times it felt like there were more staff working than patrons dining. It was very, very quiet with only one or two tables other than our own.

The food was average, if a little on the plain side.
We had a banquet that consisted of:
Jiao Zi
A Garden Salad
Peking Duck Pancakes
Steamed Chilli barramundi fillets
2 King Prawns
A platter of not so fresh fruit.

The service was ok but not to the standard you would expect for a modern restaurant in a high profile location (fed square)

There are many cheaper asian eateries in the city where you can get better value for money for much more flavorsome food.

There are also many more modern/upmarket Asian eateries (gingerboy/cookie/nobu) to choose from so I can't see myself returning to BokChoy Tang any time soon.

Aug 28, 2011 

6.3 Average

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  6      Value  6     

How can a Chinese Restaurant not allow you to take home the left overs? This irritates me no end. Had a nice quiet lunch with my husband here and over ordered slightly, dangerously assuming we could take home the leftovers. When we requested a container to take home our left over dumplings we were told no we were not allowed. The food was generally good, above a lot of chinese restaurants but you were paying for it. Red Emperor does better Peking Duck and is just across the road.

Nov 12, 2010 

4.3 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  7      Service  3      Value  3     

Poor quality food, service lacks attention or personality and dish sizes diminish in size on each visit.

Jul 04, 2010 

6.5 Recommended

Food  6      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  5     

Went there the other day for a mid-week lunch with a few friends. Wasn't very impressed, though can't say it was awful.

The duck salad was exactly like described by the previous reviewer: a plate of iceberg lettuce with some slices of duck meat (not too bad though). The Beijing Duck Pancakes were more or less ok but way overpriced, three small pieces for $22. You can get a whole duck in some places for this kind of money! The salt-and-pepper squid was not bad, not rubbery or anything. The chicken sun choi bao was actually quite nice.

The service was quite prompt and attentive but have to say that apart from our table there was just one more table taken, at lunchtime!

Overall, can't say I was unhappy (especially as I was catching up with some good friends) but I will hardly invite anyone there myself. However, if a friend insists, I won't mind coming back for another sun choi bao and a dessert that I didn't have time to try.

May 27, 2010 

3.8 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  6      Service  3      Value  3     

What a mixed bag! At times I felt I was dining in a dreary aussie Chinese restaurant in the 70s. A few slivers of fatty duck on iceberg lettuce with commercial hoisin? Completely unacceptable bland 'special' dumplings? Fried rice with three shrimp and undercooked vegetables? Flavourless soup which was more cornstarch than chicken?

A lovely fit-out, but who cares if you can't get a waiter, who forgets some spoons for the children and then bills us for a dish we ordered but were never served. Standard dumplings fine. Don't order wine by the glass midweek unless your preference is oxidised.

Jan 11, 2010 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  8     

Excellent and attentive service. Food balance well with taste, and the meals were healthily prepared.

Jan 04, 2009 

6 Average

Food  6      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  5     

The ingredients were obviously quite fresh, but the kitchen staff didn't do much with them and I found the food to be rather bland. Service was generally good. We originally decided to go because we felt like having live piano during our meal, but the pianist was sick, so that was disappointing.

Jun 01, 2008 

2.8 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  3      Service  3      Value  3     

It is truly dreadful dining experience. The place was almost empty and the reasons for this became abundantly clear in so many ways. Firstly the service; upon arrival we drifted into the restaurant with nobody to greet us. After floating around for a couple of minutes a waiter came and showed us to a table. The wait had given us time to observe a near empty restaurant, seemingly over-staffed, with an entirely European clientele.

During the course of the evening, we were served by four different waiters. While they seemed well-meaning enough, most of their energy was spent fussing around, changing the cringe-worthy catering-school style 'designer' plates and generally dithering. It was certainly not intuitive, relaxed, responsive service. With the flocks of waiters passing our table, somehow we were never able to attract their attention when we needed it, and they all constantly tried to upsell: how many times can I reject the offer of a side of steamed rice? This is meant to be Northern Chinese cuisine, where rice gives way to noodles and breads.

Now to the food. This was tremendously disappointing. We opted for a moderate banquet menu so unfortunately there was no escape! A plain but inoffensive soup to start, followed by some fried pork dumplings which were very bland, over-salted but somehow entirely lacking in flavour. Certainly nothing compared with dumplings found all over Melbourne incredibly cheaply.

Next came barramundi fried with a revoltingly overwhelming sweet-and-sour sauce. We were literally unable to taste even a hint of fish beneath all the fried batter and that potent, one-dimensional sauce. Next came Buddha's delight - a mixed vegetable dish: this was ok, but once again suffered from very heavy-handed saucing - really strong and uninteresting in flavour.

We next had fried crab with noodles. I specifically asked the waiter when ordering what type of crab was on offer and was assured it was to be blue swimmer. Regrettably, this proved not to be the case! Moreover, I suspect the crab had been frozen, the texture of the flesh was not what it should have been and, sadly, this dish once again suffered from incredibly strong, overwhelming and one-dimensional saucing.

By this stage, I had had more than enough and was itching to get out of there but still to come was the platter of fresh seasonal fruits. Well, at least they wouldn't pour more sauce over this! We really weren't surprised when out came a small plate with three pieces of pre-sliced, dry rockmelon, three of dry, miserable watermelon and a couple of grapes full of seeds - totally inedible and, after the meal we'd endured, a slap in the face!

This place is empty for a reason, there are no Asian diners for a reason.

Apr 24, 2008 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  9     

Have not had a bad experience here. Consistently good food. Ambience is good if you like a place where you won't feel crammed. Service is good. I love that they are flexible when it comes to set menus (which are great value).

Nov 27, 2007