Chinta Ria The Temple of Love

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  8     

Chinta Ria has been going strong for ages now and still packs them in, got there early with the wife on a chilly Friday night and we were quickly shown to a table. Still a bit brisk inside but nothing too bad, a nice glass of red soon fixed that.

Tried the steamed lohbak and a prawn dish from the specials menu, both were brought out in near record time (too soon?!) and were great. Mains were the ayam broccoli and assam prawns, both again at the table super quick. Got the fantastic nasi goreng (much better than the normal rice) and some roti bread to wash it down. Enough for two people and we left very full but having really enjoyed it.

It is not a place for a long visit but would be good in groups to try different things. Well worth a try if you like a buzzy place with fresh and tasty food.

May 28, 2012 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  10      Service  7      Value  10     

They had $8.80 lunch specials celebrating their 1998 prices. Food was excellent and good value for a lunch meal. Not sure how long the lunch specials will be around for, but the nasi lemak curry chicken was one of the nicest, best value lunch dishes I've ever had.

I don't think I would have even found out about this place, only my work colleagues had been talking about how great the 8.80 lunch specials were.

May 18, 2012 

5.5 Average

Food  6      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  3     

I like the big Budda paper mache they have.

Apart from that there is not much to recommend apart from entree's, which tasted better than the mains. The mains were nothing special.

The toilets, are strangely not marked out, there is 2 figurines on top of a door which I'm assuming is to say thats the fe/male toilets but its not clear. The furniture is 1970's old and the cutlery/bowls seem old.

Pricey food but thats what you expect with the location. Service was ok. Once again disappointed by another Malaysian restaurant! You can find cheaper versions elsewhere.

May 10, 2012 

6.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  5      Service  7      Value  7     

A big group for a birthday went on Saturday.

Was an organised banquet, and being at Darling Harbour, I was expecting it to be a little touristy, a little overpriced and a little generic. And it was all three but I did like it.

The food was tasty, there was plenty of it, and the staff were attentive, albeit, they didn't get everything right. The ambience was a little hollow for lunch on a weekend, but it could work if it was busy.

Overall enjoyable and I would come back if invited, but I probably would be trying something else if it were my pick.

Feb 27, 2012 

6.3 Average

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  6      Value  6     

Another dinner with friends was held here and we quietly surprised. Very busy but luckily we had a booking. We were waiting on a friend and decided to order. Wish I had read the reviews earlier the food was out with in 10 minutes of ordering. All the dishes were tasty. Let down was the rice. Took really long to flag down someone to order and then again to grab the bill. Great loud ambience, would come back again.

Feb 13, 2012 

6 Average

Food  6      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  5     

Came here for lunch, wasn't much ambience but might be different for dinner. Food was ok, nothing special and a bit pricing for what it offers even considering the location. We ordered the crispy beef strip that wasn't crispy, char kui thew (fried rice noodle) was quite bland, the sambal chicken was not bad. And the food did come out very quickly (all 3 dishes together in less than 10 minutes). Not in any rush to go back there.

Feb 07, 2012 

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  6     

Went for a large group dinner with outdoor seating. Read reviews here and tried the $28.50 Sassy Duck on their specialties menu. The presentation of the dish was but no measure glamorous (owing to the dark coloured nature of the sauce) so a splash of green coriander on top of an otherwise not-very-tempting dish. That said, the sauce was fabulous and the portion of the duck was generous (2 large pieces). The sweet sauce went well with rice. However, as mentioned in some reviews below, the rice was rather dry and lacked the taste of coconut (we ordered coconut rice). Ambience was decent outdoors but I would imagine it to be better if indoors. Service was average; as was value.

Dec 05, 2011 

5.5 Average

Food  4      Ambience  8      Service  6      Value  4     

This will be my first review. I really need to say that this restaurant was very overpriced for what it was, my order came out literally 5 minutes after I had ordered. I had a $28 duck "special" with rice. The duck tasted old, the dish was cold, and the duck was drowned in this sort of overly sweetened red wine sauce.

To top it off, the rice was Hard and cold! The staff were friendly but were startled most times because the restaurant was pretty much at full capacity (Tuesday night). We got a few incorrect dishes sent to our table which was quite annoying because it happened more than once.

The food wasn't authentic malaysian which was disappointing, I would have been happier to eat at a food court. I won't be there again.

Nov 30, 2011 

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  8     

Although this place is not exactly waterfront, it is in a "premium" location and you would expect to pay a bit more than a typical Asian restaurant in the suburbs. I was pretty happy paying $75 for two entree's, two mains, rotti, tea and a beer. The service (Sunday lunch) was excellent, food came out fast, and it tasted good. I am not a specialist in Nasi Lemak Campur, but I liked it. The wife's pick was also nice. Looking forward to going back but may stay clear of a Friday or Saturday night if you can't book. One negative, we did not like the masonite looking table tops. It looks cheap. They should use tablecloths.

Oct 09, 2011 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  10     

We are very regular customers to Chinta Ria and are always treated extremely well by all the waitering staff from the moment we walk through the doors.
The atmosphere can be quite noisy at times, but attributes to the relaxed casual vibe of the restaurant. To my partner and I, it's all part of the experience to be part of the happy crowd having a good night.

The dishes are all reasonably priced for a restaurant in the city. Delicious and fresh meals are always served. Portion sizes are decent too. One of our favourites - King Toh Beef. Just love it. Staff are always friendly and attentive, which always contributes to a good night out. We highly recommend this restaurant to everyone.

Oct 08, 2011