Choys

2 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  2      Service  2      Value  2     

Not knowing Choys, I ordered the basics, Dim Sums, Ham and Chicken Roll, Beef and Blackbean and lastly Fried Rice. No sauces, more onions than beef and the Fried Rice was burnt from the wok. Disappointed and very unsatisfied, I'll never order Choys again. I ate one bite from each, could have done better from the frozen section of Coles.

Apr 30, 2012 

3 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  3      Service  3      Value  3     

Advice to all readers. Do not read the reviews from years ago, Only read recent reviews. This restaurant may have been good Years ago but not anymore. I made the mistake of reading Old reviews.

We ordered takeaway from Choys just for a change, instead of our local restaurant. It was very disappointing, the food was so bland, I needed to add honey to the Honey Chicken and we couldn't distinguish between the Mongolian Lamb and Beef Black Bean (they looked the same!). And I ordered 2 fried rice but only got 1, And it was not cheap!

We will Not be eating Choys food again.

Mar 04, 2012 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  10     

Came here with a friend for the first time, even though I've worked in Randwick for over 8 yrs. Choys have a great lunch special with variety of choices. My fave is the pepper and honey pork ribs. The ribs are wrapped in foil and comes out with a flame. The heat from the flame melts the honey. The pork ribs are very tender. We have been going back 4 times now and I can foresee many more visits!

Sep 26, 2011 

4.8 Average

Food  2      Ambience  6      Service  8      Value  3     

I first visited Choys early last year, having lived in Randwick for a good 5 years and always intending to go one day. And I was pleasantly surprised, the slightly dingey exterior of the restaurant made me suspicious, but the food turned out to be fresh and delicious, the interior decor was low-lit and pleasant, and the staff were very attentive. After that initial visit, I returned with family and friends many times.

So I'm disappointed to say things have changed, I returned recently after a 10 month absence to enjoy a meal with my partner, and whilst the service remains devoted and the staff do everything they can to please, the food we had was nothing short of abominable.

We started off okay with an entree of ham and chicken rolls with sweet and sour sauce. Very greasy, but very tasty, albeit the serving was much too large, 7 rolls between two of us. We'd also ordered the steamed dim sum with the expectation of 4 or so to share but we received a plate of 6.

I don't normally look a generous serving horse in the mouth, but it's the quality of the dim sum that was disappointing. It was a far cry from your usual mouthwatering combos of pork, prawn and soy, these dim sum were basically parcels of dry, flavourless pork mince, which fell apart at the first bite.

Our main order was steamed whole fish with ginger and shallot, and crispy skin duck with plum sauce. When the fish came out, we could smell it before it even reached the table. It reeked. A meal of fish should never, ever stink. But we decided to give it a taste (you never know when something is going to taste better than it smells). It didn't taste as strong as it smelled, but this fish was definitely beyond it's use-by-date. The flesh was solid and slightly greyish-white in colour. We gave up after two bites.

The duck was far more edible, however, quite overcooked and cut up in chunks too large to manage. Choy's is definitely generous in terms of portion size, and their staff are absolutely lovely. I'm hoping this was simply an 'off night', however, I won't be returning to find out. Sydney is too full of amazing Asian cuisine to settle for this. Unacceptable.

Apr 15, 2011 

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

This is the most amazing Chinese restaurant I have ever found in the Eastern Suburbs, and I live around here. Choys Service is amazing, the food is scrumptious, it is inexpensive (for a uni student even), and the ambience is very home-like and nice.

Every time I eat here my meal is perfect! The wonton soup (entree) comes in this adorable little bowl and is so delicious. Not bland like many other places. They've never screwed up any meal here for me and I'm a picky eater.

Sep 21, 2010 

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  8      Value  7     

Choys has been around a long time, I had my first visit as a teenager about 20 years ago so they must be doing something right! A nice little suburban Chinese place, probably have had the same interior and furnishings since they opened but its part of the charm.

Food is always nice: the mixed entree (maybe too much deep fried), sang choy bow (always a winner) and other tasty morsels kick off a nice meal. The wet towels and attentive service are another plus. The wine list is not awe inspiring so take your own bottle along, not sure what the corkage charge was (or even if there was one).

Have tried many of the dishes but the other night we tucked in to chow sam see, a nice dish of chicken, pork, egg and veggies. Not sure if it was new on the menu but it was really nice, very light and well cooked. Also had the beef hot pot, a nice mix of beef and onions (only) in a sticky peppery sauce - delicious. Fried rice was lightly cooked and went down a treat with the mains.

Over the years we have had the rainbow beef, honey king prawns, lemon chicken and the pork ribs. Everything has always been good without setting the world on fire. Prices are reasonable and they are on the entertainment card thingy. Well worth a visit.

Sep 17, 2010 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  9     

Choy's is a great family restaurant, we eat there all the time and the service is great. The staff always make special 'traffic light' drink or 'funny face' ice cream for my daughter. The food is great and the people are lovely.

Jul 28, 2010 

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

I am a 100% Chinese and I highly recommend this place. My friend took me there today for lunch and I will surely go back!

First of all you got to know what to order (certainly not the typical caucasian's favorites) We went for more traditional home made dish: a black bean steam salmon, which is the best I have tasted in my short 35 years of life! We also had pork ribs (stewed) and it was so soft that even my toddlers can eat them.

The egg shape jelly (both coloured and white) surprised me! Great value overall and the place is not noisy! I love it!

Jul 24, 2010 

7.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  8      Value  9     

Have been to Choy's many times for the lunch special. For $8, a plate of freshly cooked (as opposed to gently simmering bain marie style) authentic Australian Chinese food comes quickly to the table and allows us to get out for a meal during our 1 hour lunch break. Have also ordered from the ala carte menu which was also very good. The service is friendly and efficient and the restaurant clean. I could not fault Choys for a quick lunch during the week.

Jul 07, 2009 

4.5 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  3      Service  7      Value  5     

Sorry, but to me this is the most over-rated Chinese restaurant around. I gave this restaurant 2 chances but will not be going back again. Even though I am not a real fan of Chinese food, there are many other Chinese restaurants around offering tastier food. The service was OK but do yourself a favour and dine somewhere else in Randwick.

Oct 25, 2008