Mahjong Room

7.5 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

Service was good. Very polite and efficient. We were out the back (I assume because we were on a voucher) so not the best, however, it was dimly lit and felt quite Ok.

This is some of the best Chinese food I have ever eaten. It's nothing like much of the Australianised food we get here. We had a voucher and thought we'd get something a bit second class, however, we were pleasantly surprised. The chicken and prawn wontons were great and with a wonderful chilli sauce (much more subtle than the usual yum cha Chinese chilli sauce we get).

We loved the pork spare ribs and eggplant that was very lightly fried and covered in a smattering of dried chilli flakes. The prawn, snowpea and cashew dish with dried chillis was delicious. Dessert was a fruit spring roll with lychee icecream. Loved it.

Oct 26, 2011 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  10     

We had a lovely meal at MahJong Room. We went on a Friday night. We had a special meal deal which was really good value. I was a little nervous that the staff might act different towards us as we were on a 'cheap deal', but they were wonderful.

The service was very attentive without being over-the-top. The food was delicious, particularly the chicken and prawn wontons and the prawn, snowpea and cashew dish with dried chillis - delicious! Loved the dessert with lychee icecream too. Can't wait to go back!

Sep 03, 2011 

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

Food is billed as home style and is a cut above the average. In particular, the steamed eggplant and tofu was a great subtle, smooth foil for the crisp chilli chicken and the richer duck plate. Duck san choi bau entree was fresh and crisp. Banana spring rolls were perhaps always going to be problematic but the lychee ice cream with them was not over the top - just fine. Attentive, genuine service. A decent night out.

Aug 07, 2011 

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  8     

I went here on the weekend for the 'Mahjong Playlunch' they hold on the last Saturday of each month. You get 3 hours of Mahjong play with a light lunch of dim sims for $36pp. The place was set up for play when we got there and we were taught the basic rules and a brief history of the game.

The staff are friendly, attentive and very inclusive, which is always fun. They made an effort to learn our names and our teacups were never empty. One of the tables were short a member so one of the staff jumped in to play with them.

The food was a selection of dim sims and lettuce bowls. The ingredients were very fresh and not laden with msg. It was also beautifully presented. It was only a small serving so you don't get full, but we were warned of that before the day so we were prepared.

If you're looking for a fun way to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon with 3 of your best mates, while learning something new, you can't go past this.

Feb 28, 2011 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  9     

Yet another great evening at what is becoming a stalwart in Surry Hills dining! The food is always fresh and fantastic! The service matches the wonderful menu and ambience! There was 7 of us tonight and the owner took it upon himself to put together a menu for us and even poured our wines and made sure every course was perfect!

We will definitely be back and we'll be telling all our mates cause we know they won't be disappointed!

Nov 03, 2010 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  9     

Went to the Mahjong Room on Friday night with my partner and my parents. From the moment we walked in the door the service was the best I have had in Sydney in a very long time. The waiters took our coats and proceeded to pour green tea and wine for us the whole night. The food was incredible, I particularly recommend the chicken and prawn dumplings, the pork belly ribs and the mixed dessert plate. Great value, we will definitely be going back again soon.

Jul 12, 2010 

4.8 Average

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  2      Value  3     

Our first visit to the Mah Jong room was great. Pared back decor with worn, historical furniture. The won tons melted in my mouth and the broth was zesty and light. The duck servings were nouvelle cuisine size, but yummy. The waiter was a little on the cold side, but he was really busy with heaps to do. And we were enjoying the funky ambience.

More recently, as I booked again, I saw the eatability reviews which suggested that the service was problematic. We were prepared to try it again anyway and booked early in the day, noting that we were flexible with time but would have to be out by 9:30 pm. We were a little late (20 minutes) for our early booking, as it was hard to find a park in Darlo on a saturday night.

Our apologies were received with the coldly delivered news that the table was booked from 8 pm so we would have to be out by then. We were out a little sooner than that, we found excellent food nearby.

May 23, 2010 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  10     

I have visited this restaurant many times and keep coming back due to the great atmosphere, lovely staff and delicious (and good value) food. It was stinking hot when I visited last week but the Chinese beer goes perfectly with the Cantonese dishes. There are a lot of new restaurants opening up in Surry Hills but this still wins hands down as a reliable favourite.

Nov 28, 2009 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  9     

I booked the Happiness Room for my 30th birthday to celebrate with 12 of my girlfriends. After reading mixed reviews I can only say what a wonderful time we had here and how excellent the food was! As we were in the private room it was a banquet menu of $52 pp and there was more food than we could possibly eat! The whole baked fish was pretty impressive. The staff were great with handling one non meat eater and one non meat and fish eater as well.

My only criticism would be that the tiny wooden stools they have are not very comfortable! Apart from that everything was perfect and I would not hesitate to recommend this for just dinner or a gathering of friends!

Oct 12, 2009 

4 Below Average

Food  6      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  4     

Food: Alright, but tasted fine but nothing special and small in size. Don't order the Peking Duck as it is just a slice of BBQ duck meat with lurk warm wrap on the side. If you expect to see a beautifully crispy skin with the expected sliver of meat which gives it body, you won't find it here. Also skip the blue swimmer crab gow gees, could barely taste the crab. The eggplant was nice and so were the scallops.

Ambience: Cute, what my friends and I dubbed as "Fool the westerner" since the fittings were a mish-mash of nonsensical symbols and objects that are meant to resemble something from mid-50s Chinese decor.

Service: Ambivalent. One of the male waiters was very nice, but the main lady at the counter was abrupt to the point of being rude.

Value: 5 - for the serving size, the small tables and the bad service.

Wouldn't go there again in the future.

Apr 18, 2009