Portia's Place — Restaurant in District of Canberra Central

When I entered the establishment, I was greeted by a quiet elderly lady, a friendly young woman, and a nervous young Asian man wearing glasses. However, the experience was marred by the behavior of the young man, which significantly impacted my perception of the restaurant.

His attitude and behavior were biased and not customer-oriented. While placing my order at the counter, he informed me of a $25 fee per person for dining in or suggested taking the food to-go. This came across as off-putting, and I ultimately chose the take-away option for $40.

Upon receiving my order, I inquired further about the dine-in fee, hoping to clarify the matter. His response was dismissive, suggesting I look it up online, despite having already done so. When pressed for more information, he changed his explanation from a dine-in fee to a minimum order requirement.

My main issue stemmed from his unprofessionalism, which created an unwelcoming atmosphere from the moment I interacted with him until I left Portia's Place. Despite this, the restaurant itself is pleasant, and most of the staff seem to be courteous. It appears that this particular individual may have personal issues affecting his professionalism, which he should address in order to meet the expected standards of customer service.

Incident Date & Time: Thursday 9 May...

I had been a happy customer and big fan of Portias Place for 22 years. We hadn't been in over a year and I missed my favourite dish- Shantung Lamb, so I took my teenagers along to experience my favourite Chinese in Canberra. I am actually sad to say that the food is not of the same calibre it once was. The Shantung lamb came out, I was excited and noticed they didn't pour the usual delicious sauce on top. It was dry, lots of pieces of skin with no meat and my 22 years of joy was over. The fried rice was the most ordinary, tasteless rice I'd ever eaten. We ordered some other dishes and they were sub par, certainly not worthy of the price tag and even that has increased beyond the worth of the dishes. I was always happy to pay the higher prices at Portias due to the quality but it no longer exists. I'm almost certain it's changed hands which is very unfortunate. My kids were saying it was nothing like i talked it up to be. I also ordered a Char Kway Teow to take away, its the most bland Ive had, the food hall has,done better. I was very dissappointed, devastated and certainly won't be...

I Walked in and looked at the menu on the table then went to sit down, Then the staff said it was a different price and I laughed and said maybe cheaper because of no plastic takeaway containers and didn't see my sarcasm with tongue in cheek. Avoid, no atmosphere, Average service, no smiles, overpriced food and small portions. Get this just on entrees 1 beef spring roll for $5, and two burnt curry puffs for $10. Two Chicken wings $10, chicken and Corn soup$10.

But the kicker was the restaurant had 10 annual golfers in and this was once their favourite restaurant in Kingston and now not. $16 take corkage each bottle! They all said we would never come back, then sat there and made the most of the $16 corkage and strung it out beautifully. They asked the owner for an explanation and he said do your research most bottles around this area are $30 to $50, it's up to you if you don't buy from us. Wow! I won't be back. I was ready to order the main meal but after that, I said I would get the bill. Last time for me and others by the...