gregatbio

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  6      Service  9      Value  10     

Food: very good for a cheap place. Very authentic and well made. Ingredients were very fresh.

Ambience: the lighting is a bit dark. Not a good thing when eating at a cheap (but good) place. Please increase the brightness! Compact fluorescent globes are cheap! At least the place is clean and reasonably maintained.

Service: very fast and efficient. I went on a busy day but still the food arrived in minutes.

Value: my har mee was < $10 and the bone soup was < $10, what more can you expect?

Feb 04, 2012

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  8     

Without a doubt the best Thai I've had in Sydney. A good number of my colleagues in Ryde say that the food is better than the one at Gladesville, but I haven't been to that one. Had a group of about 20 people and we all went home very satisfied.

One person in our group said she'd eaten at over 10 Thai places in Sydney and never enjoyed Thai until coming to this one in Top Ryde.

The only minor quibble was that the size of the table they reserved for our big group was too small. We asked if we could merge with other free tables and it was fine. Also the brightness inside and out should be increased.

Sep 22, 2011

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  8     

Food: The pasta impressed me on both occasions. The sauce was very rich, but slightly on the greasy side.

Ambience: Inside it is just perfect, can't hear the hoons on Burwood road. I'm not sure what it is like sitting outside. If you go during the quiet period you can have a comfy table at the back to yourself.

Overall a very pleasing experience.

Sep 09, 2011

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.8 Average

Food  4      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  5     

Summary: Wait a few months till the restaurant people know what they are doing, then the service should be better. Menu was good with English, photos, and Chinese. Food is mostly good, quite different from the Hong Kong style Yum Cha's. The flavours aren't quite what you get in Shanghai. If you want genuine Chinese food, go to the Spicy Sichuan Restaurant on Glebe Point Rd.

We ordered a hot pot which wasn't hot and not served in a stone pot as it should be. Ordered some chinese tapas. Well made but didn't have the structure to be picked up by chopsticks without disintegrating. The place wasn't as packed and stuffy like many Chinese restaurants. Well ventilated, bright and clean inside. Some of the food preparation is visible from the dining area to give an area of cleanliness.

Service was abysmal. Even with the menu in pictures and numbers, the waitress did not record the correct dish. Waiting times for lunch was unacceptable. There was even a queue to pay the bill.

Update: June 2010 - Service much better. The food was much better than I remember. Flavours are very close to what you get in mainland china. Quite happy to return.

Update 2: Aug 2011 - After the renovation things have gone downhill. Flavours aren't as authentic as they used to be. The flavours seemed to be dumbed down for the Cantonese crowd rather than keep their authenticity. Ambience has improved a little. The chilli beef was overflowing with Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilli but wasn't spicy, no idea why.

Sep 06, 2011

2.8 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  2      Service  5      Value  2     

Went there for a wedding.

Food: steak was dry and leathery. The fish tasted off. I'm not much of a foodie, and even by my simple standards the food looked nice, but the mains were really badly prepared. The entree and dessert was OK. Canapes were OK.

Ambience: The outdoor drinks session was bad. The view of the harbour is limited. There were no lights so you couldn't see who you were talking to. Inside it was well lit. For this wedding there were several weddings of around 150 each, and we could hear the music from next door. They really need to work on the soundproofing better. Was nicely decorated inside. At least the toilets were clean.

Service: Mains were really slow in coming out, only 50% of tables were asked for coffee after dessert.

Value: I didn't pay for this, but I'm sure it was quite pricey and it wasn't worth it.

Parking across the road was OK.

Aug 10, 2011

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  6      Service  9      Value  10     

Food: very good for a cheap place. Very authentic and well made. Ingredients were very fresh.

Ambience: the lighting is a bit dark. Not a good thing when eating at a cheap (but good) place. Please increase the brightness! Compact fluorescent globes are cheap! At least the place is clean and reasonably maintained.

Service: very fast and efficient. I went on a busy day but still the food arrived in minutes.

Value: my har mee was < $10 and the bone soup was < $10, what more can you expect?

Feb 04, 2012

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  8     

Without a doubt the best Thai I've had in Sydney. A good number of my colleagues in Ryde say that the food is better than the one at Gladesville, but I haven't been to that one. Had a group of about 20 people and we all went home very satisfied.

One person in our group said she'd eaten at over 10 Thai places in Sydney and never enjoyed Thai until coming to this one in Top Ryde.

The only minor quibble was that the size of the table they reserved for our big group was too small. We asked if we could merge with other free tables and it was fine. Also the brightness inside and out should be increased.

Sep 22, 2011

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  8     

Food: The pasta impressed me on both occasions. The sauce was very rich, but slightly on the greasy side.

Ambience: Inside it is just perfect, can't hear the hoons on Burwood road. I'm not sure what it is like sitting outside. If you go during the quiet period you can have a comfy table at the back to yourself.

Overall a very pleasing experience.

Sep 09, 2011

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.8 Average

Food  4      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  5     

Summary: Wait a few months till the restaurant people know what they are doing, then the service should be better. Menu was good with English, photos, and Chinese. Food is mostly good, quite different from the Hong Kong style Yum Cha's. The flavours aren't quite what you get in Shanghai. If you want genuine Chinese food, go to the Spicy Sichuan Restaurant on Glebe Point Rd.

We ordered a hot pot which wasn't hot and not served in a stone pot as it should be. Ordered some chinese tapas. Well made but didn't have the structure to be picked up by chopsticks without disintegrating. The place wasn't as packed and stuffy like many Chinese restaurants. Well ventilated, bright and clean inside. Some of the food preparation is visible from the dining area to give an area of cleanliness.

Service was abysmal. Even with the menu in pictures and numbers, the waitress did not record the correct dish. Waiting times for lunch was unacceptable. There was even a queue to pay the bill.

Update: June 2010 - Service much better. The food was much better than I remember. Flavours are very close to what you get in mainland china. Quite happy to return.

Update 2: Aug 2011 - After the renovation things have gone downhill. Flavours aren't as authentic as they used to be. The flavours seemed to be dumbed down for the Cantonese crowd rather than keep their authenticity. Ambience has improved a little. The chilli beef was overflowing with Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilli but wasn't spicy, no idea why.

Sep 06, 2011

2.8 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  2      Service  5      Value  2     

Went there for a wedding.

Food: steak was dry and leathery. The fish tasted off. I'm not much of a foodie, and even by my simple standards the food looked nice, but the mains were really badly prepared. The entree and dessert was OK. Canapes were OK.

Ambience: The outdoor drinks session was bad. The view of the harbour is limited. There were no lights so you couldn't see who you were talking to. Inside it was well lit. For this wedding there were several weddings of around 150 each, and we could hear the music from next door. They really need to work on the soundproofing better. Was nicely decorated inside. At least the toilets were clean.

Service: Mains were really slow in coming out, only 50% of tables were asked for coffee after dessert.

Value: I didn't pay for this, but I'm sure it was quite pricey and it wasn't worth it.

Parking across the road was OK.

Aug 10, 2011

5.3 Average

Food  5      Ambience  9      Service  5      Value  2     

Location great, only issue was the wind. They could build some glass panels to channel the wind away. It was a 28C day but the wind chill got to many in our group.

Short rib was dry and lacked flavour. The angus scotch fillet was good and there were plenty of people on the day ordering the dory fish and chips. Charged $11 per bottle of plain water. That's $55 for 8 people. We didn't expect to have to specify tap water.

A queue for the toilet when the restaurant was half full didn't go down well with some in our party. Had a lot going for it but didn't quite hit the mark.

Nov 23, 2010

6.3 Average

Food  5      Ambience  8      Service  2      Value  10     

The western food here isn't bad like it is described in the other reviews, it's cooked like the way it is in HK. When paying the bill, the person at the counter ignored me and served several other people who came after me. I don't mind the impersonal service but not serving people in the correct order is rude.

Msg to owners: For better and faster service, please leave the bill on the table so when paying, we can provide exact change if we want and we don't need to finger point our table.

Nov 23, 2010

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  6      Value  8     

Review is for the Lucky Buffet in Granville RSL. Was always pleased. Came here several times in 2009. I think people who run the place are new and have done so for a year or two.

Food quality was mostly good. Just like any cheap buffet, steer clear of the bad stuff or stuff you don't like. Though most times I got something from every station. It can be described as honest food. This place is packed most nights of the week which gives them good turnover. Probably a reason why their food is very fresh.

This place is basically a food court so it isn't a place for fine dining. The ambience was always good as the crowds weren't making the place squashy yet gave the place a good vibe. Try to come here when they have the midweek evening specials.

Mar 26, 2010

3 Below Average

Food  2      Ambience  6      Service  2      Value  2     

The only thing good about our dining experience was the view. We went on a weekday. They ran out of food with half the restaurant still full of patrons. They served egg tarts cold. Sure this restaurant is in an RSL but I've eaten much much better in RSL's in Syd. Staff had difficulty understanding what I asked for, even when I spoke to them in Cantonese. Food very expensive and no variety, even for a suburban Yum cha place. Will never come again.

Mar 26, 2010

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  10     

Very pleased with this dining experience. There were plenty of Koreans here which is a good sign. Very cheap mains and good food quality. Had some Ssangwa tea which was good and had a lovely aroma.

Location was a little hard to find as the shops in the bakehouse quarter weren't marked by their street or shop number. It is on the northern end of the strip.

Remember to bring your Entertainment book coupon to this place. Service was always with a smile but I had to wait 5 minutes at the counter to pay the bill. There were assistants behind the counter that didn't make eye contact during that time.

The main sizes were small in our opinion. Our table was full people with small appetites but we were still hungry after the mains. This isn't a big issue as the prices were very cheap so the additional cost of extra entrees and other shared dishes didn't result in a big bill.

The only issue with the ambience was that we were always swatting flies away from our food. Inside the dining area and toilets were very clean.

Mar 26, 2010