Taxim

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  10      Service  8      Value  10     

We lived at Hornsby a few years ago and were enjoying the restaurant back then. When we needed a venue at Hornsby last Fri for a business meeting so we booked this restaurant even though we read quite a few negative reviews.

On the day the staff was very helpful and arranged for us a quiet space even though the table was not for so few people. Plenty of well-presented waiters on the floor. The ambience is great and the table cloths sparkling-white. All that you would expect at higher class restaurant.

Despite our business meeting going beyond Taxim's lunch open hours no one was pushing us out. We never regretted that we did not go elsewhere. Honestly, I don't know where else at Hornby could we have such a perfect venue for a business meeting. The food was not "super", but nothing to complain about really.

Mar 25, 2012 

1 Not Recommended

Food  1     

Really wanted to have yum cha but saw they had shark fin soup on the menu so moved on to Sushi Roll for lunch.

Mar 01, 2012 

5.8 Average

Food  3      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  7     

I went there with family tonight for dinner and we had the lobster banquet special. The lobster served with egg noodles came out first. It was quite disappointing given the price of the dish because it was lukewarm. The steamed live barramundi was the next course and though it was cooked very nicely and tasted fresh, the chefs couldn't even scale the fish properly! It really ruined the dish! This was then followed by a very salty Cold 'steamed' chinese meatloaf which we had to return back to the kitchen.

Our last dish was veal in XO sauce and the sauce was so thick that it was like gelatine. All in all, not a restaurant I'd come back to or recommend.

Jul 02, 2011 

2.8 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  3      Service  2      Value  3     

Went here on the weekend as we are locals and have never tried it. Thoroughly disappointed and will not be returning. Staff were rude and dismissive. When I paid for the bill at the counter the old lady just ripped the money out of my hand and didn't give any eye contact. Food was boring and not enough choice and not terribly cheap either. Will definitely stick to yum cha at chatswood.

May 11, 2011 

2.5 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  2      Service  3      Value  2     

My family and I usually go to Chatswood for Yum Cha but today decided to go to Taxim in Hornsby instead. We were seated quite promptly and though it was Saturday, there were a couple of tables free.

The food we found to be lacking in variety (mostly all dim sums) and overpriced. Our prawn dim sums tasted off, and upon mentioning this to a waitress we were given a dismissive 'Oh okay' as she brushed us off without an apology.

As there didn't seem to be any food that was not dim sum, we had to specially order a beef rice noodle which wasn't too long of a wait, but arrived half cooked. The service seemed disorganised, the waitresses at many times seemed unsure of which table to next approach, or how to deal with orders of items that were not dim sums.

We left afterwards, all still a bit hungry and disappointed by the experience we had of eating at Taxim.

Apr 09, 2011 

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  8     

One of our group had spotted this restaurant and so we arranged a visit today. It was quite decent yum cha and we are seasoned yum cha hunters. In fact I would say it is better than many CBD yum cha restaurants. All the standard dishes were available, but not many premium items or sweets. Cost for 5 came up to around $90.

Service was attentive but not obsequious. It was not crowded at all, so no problem being seated immediately, though I don't know if this was typical as it's holidays. I wouldn't go far out the way to eat yum cha here, but if you are in the Hornsby area, this is an excellent choice.

Dec 30, 2010 

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  7     

Not a bad yum-cha venue if you are stuck in Hornsby.

Aug 20, 2010 

1.5 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  1     

Ate Yum Cha here recently. Saturday midday, 75% full, all but 3 tables were westerners. Bad sign already. Excruciatingly slow, unimaginative offerings and the price!. They must be smoking the pipe out back or what?

The Golden Arches would've been gourmet compared. Very rarely does a restaurant disappoint in so many ways. While the food wasn't middle finger down the gullet bad, it definitely lacked those authentic flavours and textures that make Yum Cha so unique. Couldn't really blame the staff for their ineptitude as it comes down to management and their lack of care.

Our group of three left after four miserable dishes. The tip jar on the front counter seemed overly optimistic and not surprisingly held only a few coins. Taxim is in need of a serious menu, service and dining room makeover.

Aug 05, 2010 

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  8     

We love coming to Taxim. It is the best Chinese restaurant in Hornsby. The service is nice and the food is delicious. We love it. It has traditional Cantonese and spicy if you like it. The sizzling dishes are amazing but very smoky but are a must for us on every visit.

Jul 21, 2010 

3 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  1      Service  2      Value  5     

I have been living in the area for around 4 yrs and now live right across the pathway from this place. I have been there many times, but I always found the service rude and dismissive, waiters ignoring us unless we call out to them several times. The senior staff is quite arrogant, and everyone who works there speaks very poor English, making it difficult to get sense out of them when I want to ask about a dish. I once asked the senior staff if the vermicelli in the dish was bean or potato flour variety and he could not understand me at all.

The food for dinner is ok, but not cheap for Hornsby standards. Yum cha is terrible, very limited choice, very greasy, and today was the last straw, we went in (2 of us plus 1 child) around 1.30 pm and sat at our table for at least 30 minutes and in that time 3 trolleys came out, that's it. And all the dishes were boring old choices of dim sum, fried noodle, deep fried spring rollls. We waited for another 10 or so minutes, no trolleys appeared and I asked the waiters , where is all the food? And they said "No more, finished", at this point the restaurant was full of people clearly waiting for some more, as they all had bowls, plates and no food on the tables... and they all had the expectant look in the direction of the kitchen.

We paid and left. It was terrible, and we were hungry. The one other thing I hate there is lighting, it's way too bright, they have so many different lamps, small and big, above you, and it's just blinding. I would not go there with a romantic date, you'd do better sitting on a park bench.

I think it's sad that Hornsby has no other options for decent Chinese and no other yum cha. This place just doesn't seem to cut it and, most importantly, they don't seem to care if they are doing badly. They never seem to improve.

Jun 27, 2010