Do not waste your time at Chin Chin Sydney. Chin Chin is a popular South-East-Asian fusion restaurant, known for its contemporary art and culture. The original Melbourne location has been a hit for the last 5-6 years but unfortunately, the Sydney one was a huge disappointment.
Food
This was the only dish from the OG Melbourne menu 2016 and the only dish from the meal that was delicious and worth its price. Most IG reviews rated this kingfish sashimi above 4.5/5, which we can agree on. It had lime, chilli, coconut and Thai basil. There were only 6 pieces of sashimi tho 😞. Price $29.50.
It was very tasty and fresh, with a creamy mouthful. There was a lot of dimension of flavours from the earthy herbs to the citric lime, with tolerable points of spiciness. It was still as delicious as 5 years ago.
It was very tasty and fresh, with a creamy mouthful. There was a lot of dimension of flavours from the earthy herbs to the citric lime, with tolerable points of spiciness. It was still as delicious as 5 years ago.
We were advised this was their most popular entrée: the Chin Chin pork “roll-ups” for $27.50.It was slow-cooked pulled pork with pancakes, slaw and hoisin sauce. There were 4 portions.
The pulled pork was very tender but slightly too salty. The pancakes were cooked right: soft and delicate. The herbs and salad (beansprout and lettuce) were a good choice for their textures and freshness but the pick of produce was poor, because we found holes and dead edges in our leaves. The sauce was an enjoyable sweetness that complemented the meat well.
The pulled pork was very tender but slightly too salty. The pancakes were cooked right: soft and delicate. The herbs and salad (beansprout and lettuce) were a good choice for their textures and freshness but the pick of produce was poor, because we found holes and dead edges in our leaves. The sauce was an enjoyable sweetness that complemented the meat well.
Unfortunately, this crispy duck pancakes with chilli jam for $36.50 failed miserably compared to its cousin. There were 6 portions in this dish.
The concept was the same but the flavours were way milder in intensity. I was expecting saltiness or richness from the duck fat but they used a leaner cut, resulting in a taste resembling dry chicken breast. The sauce was also odd because it was overly sweet. Overall, a dry bite that was difficult to finish.
The concept was the same but the flavours were way milder in intensity. I was expecting saltiness or richness from the duck fat but they used a leaner cut, resulting in a taste resembling dry chicken breast. The sauce was also odd because it was overly sweet. Overall, a dry bite that was difficult to finish.
This was twice cooked beef short rib with coconut and Thai chilli for $42. We rated this one second favourite of the day. The short rib was tender with flavour but they were heavy-handed on the salt. The sauce was too spicy for me so every bite was more enjoyable with the salad.
Lastly, we ordered the spanner crab fried wild rice with tom yum spice and pineapple for $37.50. This was too salty. The saltiness drowned out the spanner crab so we could barely taste it.
There were only 2 small pineapple pieces. And for some reason, they had a lot of ginger chunks scattered throughout so accidentally biting into one ruined the entire experience. We also didn’t like the use of red rice because that meant more effort to chew the food.
There were only 2 small pineapple pieces. And for some reason, they had a lot of ginger chunks scattered throughout so accidentally biting into one ruined the entire experience. We also didn’t like the use of red rice because that meant more effort to chew the food.
Service
Our server (I’ll name her Shaz) was amazing. But everyone else sucked.
…
When we arrived, the Front-of-House (let’s call her RudeFace) looked up from her phone, glared at us and sharply said: “Do you even have a reservation” before we could utter hello. What a lovely greeting 🙄. Yes, we did book a table.
…
We were seated on a smaller table wedged between two bigger tables whereas every other couple next to us had a 4-seater to themselves, as shown in the photo.
We were not 1.5 metres from the tables next to us. We were less than arm’s length away from our neighbouring patrons. We were not Covid safe. We got a notification 3 days later that someone with Covid was at the restaurant during our visit so… 🙃.
…
One of the servers (Mr.Clumsy) spilt half our cocktail as he brought it to our table. No apologies. Just walked off.
…
When one of the other servers came with the EFTPOS machine, (someone we hadn’t seen yet, let’s name her CrankyPants), she shoved the machine under us, waited for a tap and walked off. No thank-yous, and she did not offer the receipt.
…
And of course, as we left, RudeFace was on her phone again, except this time she held it to her face. Make it more obvious that you don’t care about your job 🙄.
…
When we arrived, the Front-of-House (let’s call her RudeFace) looked up from her phone, glared at us and sharply said: “Do you even have a reservation” before we could utter hello. What a lovely greeting 🙄. Yes, we did book a table.
…
We were seated on a smaller table wedged between two bigger tables whereas every other couple next to us had a 4-seater to themselves, as shown in the photo.
We were not 1.5 metres from the tables next to us. We were less than arm’s length away from our neighbouring patrons. We were not Covid safe. We got a notification 3 days later that someone with Covid was at the restaurant during our visit so… 🙃.
…
One of the servers (Mr.Clumsy) spilt half our cocktail as he brought it to our table. No apologies. Just walked off.
…
When one of the other servers came with the EFTPOS machine, (someone we hadn’t seen yet, let’s name her CrankyPants), she shoved the machine under us, waited for a tap and walked off. No thank-yous, and she did not offer the receipt.
…
And of course, as we left, RudeFace was on her phone again, except this time she held it to her face. Make it more obvious that you don’t care about your job 🙄.
Review
Overall the most atrocious customer service we have ever witnessed at any restaurant or retail. The vibe was off too, like we could taste the toxicity of the workplace.
The food was average, at best, so it did nothing to save the bad experience 😠👎🏻. The produce was picked poorly because we could see holes, dead edges and dirt on some of our leaves/herbs. We also noticed they had fewer seafood items than before so maybe they wanted more meat dishes so they could save more money on ‘fresh produce’.
And the prices were extortionist. Don’t dine here 🚷.
Thank you for reading.
The food was average, at best, so it did nothing to save the bad experience 😠👎🏻. The produce was picked poorly because we could see holes, dead edges and dirt on some of our leaves/herbs. We also noticed they had fewer seafood items than before so maybe they wanted more meat dishes so they could save more money on ‘fresh produce’.
And the prices were extortionist. Don’t dine here 🚷.
Thank you for reading.
