coca chu — Restaurant in Hamilton Island

I had read mixed reviews about Coca Chu, but I decided to give it a try anyway, giving them the benefit of the doubt (after all, the glowing review is worth a shot). Unfortunately, I have to agree with the negative feedback. My dining experience here was far from satisfactory. Let's start with the food:

Food: The quality didn't match the pricing. I understand that being on an island in a tourist area can affect prices, but even considering that, the coconut rice was disappointing. It was basically plain rice with a dollop of coconut cream on top, requiring extensive mixing to infuse any flavor possible from the canned coconut cream (not how coconut rice should be done). The pork belly in the dry red curry was chewy and had a strong gamey taste. While Australian pork can lean towards being gamey, it shouldn't overpower a dish, especially in a curry!

Despite some really disappointing dishes, the crispy chicken wings with lime leaf, coriander, and house sweet chili were a standout. They were genuinely crispy, and the seasoning was flavorful (excluding a few overly salted bites). I'd consider returning for this dish if the service were up to par.

Service: I've received better service from a McDonald's cashier. Here's a brief explanation of why: We arrived punctually for our reservation and were seated. The restaurant was only about half full, with plenty of empty tables. It took roughly 10 minutes before we were offered water. We only saw our waitress twice—once for water and to take our order, and again when she brought three out of the five dishes we ordered. After we finished eating, we spent 15 minutes trying to flag down a staff member because we wanted dessert for our child. Eventually, I managed to get the attention of a different waitress and apologized for bothering her. We explained that we couldn't find our waitress and we wanted ice cream for our child and the bill. She happily said she'd take care of it (this was the first friendly response we received all evening). About 10 minutes later, she returned to clear the table, and my child asked, "Can I have my ice cream now?" She responded, "It's coming in a few minutes, sweetie." (Perhaps they needed to churn the cream to make the ice cream—who knows?) But 20 minutes later... still no ice cream. Finally, I gave up and said, "Let's just pay at the front and leave." We got up and went to the hostess to pay. At this point, we ran into the waitress who promised the ice cream and bill. She avoided our eyes and quickly left when the hostess went to get our bill. There were no apologies, no acknowledgment of her mistake—just a clear attempt to avoid us.

Save your money and go down to the Marina to Manta Ray or the Pizzeria - at least there you will be greeted in a friendly manner and you get the food you order at 1/2 the price you have...

This is a good modern Asian restaurant. It has a pleasant open aspect with a stunningly beautiful view of the sea and hills looking over Catseye beach. It’s not a perfect place but it’s very good.

On the negative side, the inside round tables are mikes too big. People are so far away that we were straining to hear others on the other side. Plus, it’s hopeless for sharing dishes especially without a lazy Susan in the middle. The service is also uneven here. Sometimes good, sometimes very ordinary. The habit of dumping a dish on the table and then letting the table sort out who owns it is lazy and rather off putting. Surely they can afford a few more staff given the high prices they charge here.

But, that aside, there’s plenty of upside here. They have a thoughtful wine list. We had Ad Hoc Pinot Grigio which was superb. This is a genuinely interesting WA product from Larry Cherubino which was excellent with this cuisine.

The all important food here was mainly outstanding. We had some superb edamame to start. These were plentiful and fresh as a daisy with a beautiful fresh tang to the seasoning. This was as well done as we’ve had anywhere as they’re often small, overheated and shrivellled. Not here. These were plump and just the right temperature and that seasoning was captivating. The cured snapper was very nice too. Lovely tang here with that as well.

The Roti and rice were excellent too. The roti was thin and crispy and really far more satisfying than the thick gluggy roti you often get at restaurants. This one was really satisfying and tasty with a side sauce that was delicious. The rice was lovely too - superbly cooked - but the serve was a little too small.

The Asian vegetables dish was nice as well but the real standout dish for us was the white curry main, something we’d never had before. This was an utterly brilliant dish with a superb flavour. While it was a bit light on seafood it was still a knockout dish for us and the serve was very generous. Order extra rice is my tip and soak up that exceptional sauce.

This is a very nice restaurant. The long line waiting out the door to get in as we left confirms its status as the most popular restaurant on the island. It’s a must visit if you...

They should call this place “hair hair you chew” Pulled a hair out of my mouth from my coconut rice!!! Yuk! Worst experience ever! Even before the hair (which topped off a horrible experience until that moment) the mains were terrible! Starters okay (squid and chicken drummets) - if you go here don’t waste your time and money on mains, just have starters.

They do NOT know how to make Thai food at all! Anyone saying this place was their favourite on the island, is because there is NO GOOD FOOD on the island and this place is no exception!!!! And waaaaay Overpriced! The pumpkin curry had two pieces pumpkin and two baby onions (wow) and the sauce was disgusting! The beef massaman (which is my go to dish anywhere in Sydney) was so strange!! The sauce was really “off” and nothing like an authentic massaman at all (I described it as a pungent cheesy tomato taste at first try) and the beef within was mostly glob fat, only 1 bite of meat! The whole thing was off. The roti bread had been cooked like it’s been put under a heavy iron press and like cardboard! Not pan fried like it should be. Should be flaky and edible. Not hard to bite off a piece of it and rip it like old leather.

We left majority of the food uneaten after pulling a hair out of my mouth! We did not want to touch anything else!! When my husband looked over to the kitchen he was angry to see not one person wearing a hair net!!

I commend the manager for dealing with our complaint appropriately and not charging us for anything. (though only 25% of the food was actually eaten) he was patient and listened to my partner giving him a lecture on hairnets in commercial kitchens. I wanted to give him feedback on the terrible inauthentic Thai food as well but we had enough and just wanted to leave! We cut our holiday short and went back to Sydney the next day because we were over the overpriced TERRIBLE quality food on this island.

I feel like there’s no qualified chefs, only backpackers working. We don’t mind paying extra for a good quality meal, but this...