Chiki Chan | Modern Asian Restaurant & Bar Mordialloc — Restaurant in Melbourne

I’ve visited Chiki Chan four times previously and was consistently blown away by the food, atmosphere, and overall vibe. Despite living in Aspendale and East Melbourne with easy access to world-class city restaurants when in the city, my partner and I often chose to dine bayside at your establishment. Your creative dishes, particularly the standout cashew satay chicken, set you apart from the predictable peanut satay offered everywhere else.

On my most recent visit, however, we brought friends along—friends who booked babysitters and expected the wow factor we’d raved about. To say we were disappointed and embarrassed is an understatement.

We decided to splurge on the "Feast It Up" option, which has gone up in price to $95. While we didn’t mind the price hike, we expected the same exceptional quality and generous portions as before. Unfortunately, this was far from the case.

Here’s how the night unfolded:

The portions were unfortunately laughably small and unexpected. One oyster per person – fair enough. 1.5 scallop each – unremarkable. lamb ribs - were great and portion good. A single piece of fried barramundi the size of a golf ball – dry and disappointing. Two plates of cauliflower for five people – each with five small florets and a smear of hummus. One piece of duck per person (the size of a 50-cent piece), with sadly only one extra to fight over between five people. The short ribs were delicious but far too small for five people. The noodle and prawn dish was carb-heavy and worked as a filler but lacked any creativity or wow factor.

The only thing there was plenty of? Focaccia. It was almost comical how much bread was provided to fill the gaps. Desserts were lovely, but it couldn’t redeem the rest of the meal.

On top of this, I was disappointed to see that your cashew satay chicken—a standout dish that we previously adored—had been changed to the generic peanut version. While it wasn’t part of the feast menu, we didn’t bother ordering it as an addition because it lacked the unique appeal it once had. The cashew satay was a brilliant and creative option, not to mention a thoughtful choice for people with a common peanut allergy. Its removal feels like a decision to cater to the ordinary rather than stand out or perhaps to save costs.

For $95 per head, this was not a "feast" by any stretch of the imagination. It felt like a poorly thought-out attempt to maximize profit while delivering far less value. My partner and I were humiliated to have recommended this experience to our friends, who left unimpressed and hungry.

Chiki Chan was once my favorite restaurant, but sadly I won’t be returning or recommending it to anyone else. You’ve strayed too far from what made you great. I urge you to revisit your original formula—creative dishes, very generous portions, and a dining experience worth its price.

I hope you take feedback like this seriously, as recent reviews suggest I’m not the only one who has been left...

I attended Chiki Chans as a group of 5 for my gfs birthday and had made a reservation in advance.

TL;DR we rocked up got the starters, they then proceeded to forget about us for 2 hours. Brought out all the mains, with two of the mains being cold. Gave us whatever they had left of the dessert and didn't own up to the poor service until i politely expressed feedback, was then told they forgot about us.

The night started out pretty well, our initial server was great and had us started with drinks. We ended up ordering the banquet item that was 69pp with our starters coming out shortly after. Starters were great but the following is what soured our impression of this restaurant.

We waited over an hour for our main dishes to arrive before enquiring with the host (front of house) who said “not much longer”, our food came out 20 minutes later. Two groups with the same number of people had arrived while were getting our starters, received their mains and even left before us. All of our mains came out at the same time, the porkbelly and cauliflower dishes were cold before they got to the table.

It only got worse when we had asked for take away containers and our table to be cleared so that we could have dessert. This took 4 attempts with one of the servers fingering my take away container, and our table was never wiped clean. They never wiped our table and put spoons down on oily spots. The server gave us our new dishwear , but wiped the inside of the bowls on his pants as they were wet. When the dessert finally came we were expecting the tiramisu that had been served table side the whole night(like bar americano). It came out already scooped on plate with another dessert that wasn’t on the banquet menu. After enquiring i was told they ran out and gave us another item to make up the difference. They also stopped one server from giving us napkins for the dessert, like why?

I then pay and just get handed the bill sheepishly. I provided feedback nicely and was told sorry “sorry we had a poor handover and your table was missed...” Take that as you will, i payed $544 and wasnt even apologised to.

See attached bill for proof.

P.s. the scallop crudo tasted like...

We were all looking forward to our dinner (a group of 9), but unfortunately, things started going wrong soon after we arrived. Upon entering, there was no warm welcome or any explanation of the menu or available options. We waited nearly an hour for drinks and water to arrive—at which point we had to go up to the bar ourselves to get our own drinks. When the drinks finally came, it was clear that the staff were not well-trained, and this lack of preparation resulted in significant stress for both them and us, as it showed in the overall lack of service.

We had to wave down three different staff members before we could place our order. It became evident that they had little understanding of the menu, as they simply dropped dishes on the table without offering any details about them. To make matters worse, we had multiple dietary restrictions at our table, including a dairy intolerance. The first dish served contained cheese, and it wasn’t until we specifically asked that the staff realized it included dairy.

The gluten-free bread was another disappointment—it was more like rubber than anything resembling a good loaf. Considering there are three dedicated gluten-free bakeries nearby, there is no excuse for serving subpar bread. Moreover, portions were noticeably small for a $60 per person meal. We had to ask for extra bread just to accompany the first course. When it came time for dessert, there were only four small bowls to share among nine people.

Sadly, these issues seem to be a recurring theme, as we've seen similar complaints about the service in other reviews. It was also the second time for a couple of our group members, who experienced the same issues last time. If management doesn’t make staff training and service quality a priority, it’s hard to imagine this restaurant retaining loyal customers. All staff should be well-versed in the menu, understand dietary restrictions, and be able to deliver basic service without customers having to...