Orchid Persian Restaurant

3 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  3      Service  3      Value  3     

Was extremely disappointed with our visit. The food was average, the restaurant was over booked and cramped patrons were squeezed on to tables. Walls could have done with a clean and the dance floor was tiny. Service was slow and the senior staff was extremely rude with some comments he had made. We would not recommend this restaurant to anyone. (Not a family friendly restaurant).

May 27, 2012 

6 Average

Food  8      Ambience  5      Service  3      Value  8     

Half empty on a Friday night which isn't a good start. We went on recommendation that their Kebab is very good. We ordered various combinations ($30 for 3 skewers of lamb fillet, mince and chicken pieces) with excellent fluffy Persian rice. Have to admit it is one of the better Kebabs in Sydney. Big portions, juicy and well cooked. The only slight fault is that the lamb fillet was not cooked long enough as it wasn't caramelised on the outside. But otherwise very good. As with all Persian restaurants, most of us Persians say stay away from the stews and curry type dishes as they are often bland and overcooked or stale.

Mar 01, 2012 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Nice atmosphere, great vibe, delicious food, excellent service, very reasonably priced. Definitely recommend it!

Jul 22, 2011 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  7     

I have been here twice now on a Friday night and it is great! The food is delicious and there is heaps of it (we had a set menu and there were a lot of servings!) and anything we asked for more of like bread and some more rice - we got promptly! The service was great, the waitresses were friendly and lively, and the belly dancer is fantastic. It's a nice way to spend a Friday night!

Nov 27, 2010 

1.5 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  2      Service  1      Value  2     

Worst Persian restaurant we have been to, which is a shame as my partner and I have been to few Persian restaurants worldwide and I think Sydney is missing out on good Persian food and hospitality. Staff are rude, food is average (if even that) and quality is very questionable. Will never go back.

Response from Management:
As in any business or situation, you can't please everyone all the time. We are not the worst Persian restaurant by a long shot. If you come and are not satisfied, please let us know and we'll do our best to rectify it.

Apr 16, 2010 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Again, another group of belly dance students turned up for dinner. The food is always lovely and the waitresses are more than happy to bring us more pita bread when we ran out.

Rachel, as always, is a lovely dancer and welcomes people, male and female, onto the dance floor with her. Sharp, precise moves, a gorgeous costume and an all over charming dancer. There was more than enough food for the 12 of us with a lot of it coming home in several doggy bags. We were stuffed but had to keep room for the lovely Persian ice cream.

The staff are friendly and kept us dancing when we were ready to give up. The keyboard player sang wonderfully and the only reason why we left is that we got thrown out so they could close! Rachel performs most Saturday nights. When you make your booking, make sure you ask if she is performing!

Response from Management:
Thank you lovely ladies for your kind comments. Your belly dance evenings are a lot of fun for us and the other guests.

Dec 30, 2008 

1 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  1     

We went there a few years back so thought we'd try it again. The management had changed (for the worse). Staff were busy/uninterested and it was freezing - it seemed like they had turned the air conditioning off to save money.

Food was served so quickly it was obviously all pre-prepared. We had to send one yoghurt dish back as it was off, bubbling with fermentation. Fatty meat was heavily spiced to disguise the quality (and probably age). Asked for more of the complimentary bread which never came (four slices wasn't enough for six people).

My partner needed to use the loo which was busy so he was directed to the staff one - said it was the worst kitchen he'd ever seen when walking through - he refused to eat more once he'd come back. He also saw several empty generic icecream containers, so no prizes for guessing that their 'authentic' desserts are simply bits and pieces added to that cheap pre-bought stuff (or at least that's how it seemed).

Asked for coffee which never came. When we went to pay, we got into an argument with an aggressive waiter who acted like he owned the place, he refused to refund the non existent coffees. My partner reckoned that he was drunk but the music was so loud I couldn't tell.

Response from Management:
A couple of things here:

1. There are no toilets through the kitchen and even if there were our OH&S policy does not allow customers to enter the kitchen.

2. If there was loud music it would have been an entertainment evening (Friday or Saturday) we serve a 3 course meal which includes Persian Tea not coffee and if coffee was ordered but not served then we certainly would not charge for it. More often than not we do not charge for it at all.

3. We have not had a male waiter for over 3 years.

4. Granted, our Persian ice cream does start with a base of Vanilla ice cream.

5. A yogurt dish that was off and bubbling with fermentation.....
........absolute rubbish.

6. Some like it hot, some like it cold! We constantly adjust the air temperature to suit the customers.

Aug 15, 2008 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  10     

A group of us Belly dance lovers had a wonderfull night last Saturday. The meal was simple traditional Persian, great flavours and the set menu portions was more than we could eat. Racheal was excellent (Belly Dancer) making everyone feel welcome & gave us some insight into her choice of music a good lesson for our group.

The service was warm and friendly. The only thing that we thought was odd was the choice of '80's music videos and the singer starting off with western music. Once the middle eastern vibe got going every one was up and dancing. The Middle east has fantastic pop star's not sure why they don't use their music & videos! Overall a great night!

Aug 11, 2008 

2 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  2      Service  4      Value  1     

The restaurant is empty on Friday 8pm but my wife and I have decided to still give it a try. The ambience was too bright and cold. Shakira music is playing is cheap hifi audio. Not that I have anything against Shakira but it's surely not soothing and appetising. Ok, so much for the first impression.

We ordered the special with chicken, lamb and beef kebabs served with rice and tomato. The chicken was overly marinated with 'fake' ready to use lemon juice. Taste like chicken soaked in 7'up. Lamb was overly gammy so much so it smelled like old kitchen towel. And the beef, fortunately edible. The tomata was basically cutted into half and lightly grilled and that's it. There was no side dish.

All in all, the experience was basically 'Couldn't wait to get out of it!' And I did went home to brush my teeth to get rid of the awful taste in my mouth, that's how bad it was.

I had been in Sydney for 8 years now and love dining out for all kinds of food. And this I would have to say was the worst in Sydney and probably my entire dining life so far. Stay out by all means!!

Jul 27, 2008 

5.8 Average

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  5      Value  5     

My boyfriend took me to the Orchid for my birthday. I don't think he really understood that it was a set menu when he booked it. Anyhoo ..

We arrived early. Not realising that it was a set menu and that the whole restaurant gets served at the same time: we sat and sat and sat. We had the most uncomfortable seat in the world, also, all the freezing wind from downstairs came directly up and on to us. We sat and sat. Froze and froze. Swapped seats a few times with each other trying to get comfy.

We found the ABBA music clips playing on the projector interesting. Eventually yummy breads came out with dips. We finished that off in 2 minutes flat. Then came some rice with the skewer meats. We cleaned those off in about 3 minutes. We were offered more which we happily accepted. We sat, and waited some more, that was it. ha ha ha!

I am sure if we were aware of how they did things, we would have been pleased. The food was tasty although not much of it. The belly dancer was fantastic. She is just beautiful. And while she had a boogie we forgot the disappointment that was my birthday dinner.

We asked for a coffee which never arrived. We eventually ate some tiny ball of ice-cream. Then we gave up and left, only to find that my boyfriends car had been stolen. Good night!

Jul 26, 2008