Ling Ling Thai Dubbo — Restaurant in Dubbo

Ling Ling Thai has been open 11 days as of this review - and while there are a couple new-restaurant teething problems, it's got a LOT of promise. Most of the issues we had were easily chalked up to the fact that they were incredibly short-staffed, and also very, very new to the game - the owner, his daughter, and a single chef in the back were manning the restaurant during a busy evening service. We were there for a birthday party, and there were 8 of us - most of the other tables in the place were also full, and everyone was flat out trying to manage drink orders, food orders, etc.

The food was delicious and they could easily cater to our dietary needs (some of us were gluten free, some were lactose free, vegetarian, etc.) The service was also fabulous - easily the standout here. I arrived early and chatted to the owner behind the bar for a bit before things really got busy, and both he and his daughter were friendly, easy-going, and wanted everyone to have a good time. They're Dubbo locals, and they clearly have big dreams for Dubbo regional cuisine.

My only complaints are that when my sticky rice came out, the presentation was lacking (it was inside a plastic bag) and it was overcooked - dry and hard and chewy - and when a friend's dish came out (much later than everyone else's) they had forgotten her rice and fried egg. When pointed out, though, they were apologetic and offered to bring it out or comp the meal. They dealt with it like professionals, and nobody felt shorted at the end of the night.

Also - not sure if this was because of the birthday party, or because of the missing food above, but they brought the table desserts that were phenomenal. I mean, really, really damn delicious - some kind of cheesecake, a custard, and ice cream, and enough for everyone to utterly glut themselves on. It was a great note to finish on.

All in all, I'm definitely going back - though I might give them a little time to settle in before I do, and see if I can't bump that 4...

We were a party of 5 - we ordered entrees whilst we waiting for the last guest to arrive. The entrees were served promptly - The chicken skewers were average - the curry puffs were quite nice. The main issue we had was with the mains - The first to arrive was Thai BBQ pork with sticky rice - (delicious but the rice came still wrapped in glad wrap) and Massaman Beef Curry (looked stunning and recipient said it was fantastic) There was then a very long wait for the next dish - Kana Pork Belly (looked great but was apparently a little salty) Again, a long wait for the next dish - Crispy Divine which looked and tasted amazing. The waitress apologised for the delay with this dish and announced that the order was complete. They had completely forgotten the Golden Spice which I had ordered (on the recommendation of the waitress) There was some confusion where they checked the order again and then said it would not be long. The Golden Spice arrived a while later and was TERRIBLE - the crispy pork and roti was okay but the sauce looked like something the cat had thrown up and was bland. I am not sure if this was because it was rushed as an after thought or that was how it was supposed to be, The meal was paid for by someone else before I could speak to them but I would not have paid for it. I told the waitress (who had been more interested chatting up a couple of guys sitting alone at a table than looking after us) and she was shocked but did not offer any refund. The service was fairly ordinary - we had to ask twice for water to be brought and also had to chase up other drinks ourselves. It was a Wednesday night and not that busy. Some of the food was very good - some was inedible. DO NOT ORDER THE...

My hubby and I were a bit taken aback by the ‘God is faithful to keep His promises’ flag being flown so boldly as we walked in the door, and is really my main reason for giving this place 4 stars instead of 5.

Australia is a free country, and if there was symbolism present that was traditionally and culturally Thai we wouldn’t have batted an eyelid, but we don’t go out to dinner to discover a business' political or religious views, we go out for the food.

And on THAT note, this place is fantastic. It ticked all the right boxes for the 3C’s.

Cuisine: portion sizes were good and the flavours felt like they burst in my mouth, wow!

Customer Service: very helpful, friendly, lovely, courteous staff. Genuine people.

Cost: very comparative to anywhere else (to be honest, with the quality of the food and service, I thought we’d be paying more than we did, but grateful we weren’t).

I really would say, these guys are a cut above the rest, would thoroughly recommend them, as I said, the only down side was political/religious statements in a venue where I felt it should be a neutral environment to be...