Dong Ting-Little Fish & Rice Town — Restaurant in Melbourne

First review on Google. The experience was rediculous. We ordered one starter (cold dish) and 3 hot dishes. The cold dish has never reached our table until we finished the lunch and asked for the bill. Our lunch was about 1 hr 10 mins. I asked the waitress (looked like a store manager) 3 times where the starter was during our lunch. I asked the waitress to delete the cold dish from our bill at the 3rd asking. The waitress said it was in preparation. She refused to remove the dish from the bill. In preparation for 1 hr? Another staff brought it to us finally when we stood up and ready to pay. Fine, I said to her that I needed an explanation why I had to pay for that dish which never came to our table during our meal. I got the wrong answer....She said it was a difficult dish to make.....I could not argue with her for a small dish like that. I paid the bill regardless and told the waitress to put the dish in takeaway box. The waitress was not rude but insisted we had to pay for it simply because it was a difficult dish to make. The cold dish was peppers mixed with dark eggs... The rice was tough to chew because it was not cooked properly. The next door table asked for hot water to mix the rice because it was hard to swallow. I did not exaggravate the whole thing. I do not blame the waitress because she was not trained properly. She gave the wrong answers when I questioned her about the cold dish. The management Of this restaurant was way below the standard. There was a couple came in and sat down but they left after 15 mins because nobody served them...very poor experience. I would never come...

Dong Ting specialises in authentic Hunan cuisine, characterised by its bold, spicy and aromatic flavours 🔥

The menu is a treasure trove of Hunanese delights, with classics like their comforting Slow Cooked Beef Brisket with Potato 🥔 and Whole Sizzling Fish that’s served piping hot at your table 🐟 Their Hunan Signature Fried Pork with Chilli is one of their most-ordered dishes and for good reason - it’s so flavourful and goes perfectly with a bowl of rice 🍚

It was also our first time trying Sautéed Beef and what an immersive experience! 🌟 The staff bring out a pot to your table and prepare the dish right in front of you 👏 The bottom of the pot is lined with heated pebbles 🪨 thin slices of beef and vegetables are added, and then hot oil is poured into the pot to cook everything 🔥 As soon as the oil hits the beef, there’s an epic sizzling sound and the aroma immediately wafts up 🤤 The freshly cooked beef is SO fragrant and tender, and unlike anything we’ve tried before - ended up being our favourite dish of the night and I highly highly recommend trying!

Featured: 🥩 Sauteed Beef $38.8 🥔 Slow Cooked Beef Brisket with Potato $42.8 🌶️ Hunan Signature Fried Pork with Chilli $29.8 🐟 Whole...

This restaurant is easily walked past with no fancy signs and an official name nearly as long as a sentence. But what is hidden behind the doors was nothing but authentic Hunan cuisine.

With a huge Chinese menu made to order, this casual Hunan-style restaurant was made for me with its fresh chilli, dried chilli, chilli oil, and chilli spices, sometimes all in the one dish.

Not everything was too hot to handle though with something for every palette, like the braised pork belly and chestnuts which surprised me with such tender pork, the softest of chestnuts in a thick tasty marinate and enough meat to have left overs for the next day.

The sizzling kick of the sizzling squid tentacles not only smelt amazing but tasted amazing too and is a must try for any seafood loving chilli fiend like me.

And the sizzling whole fish is their staple dish for good reason.

Don't let the lack of decor fool you. It might not be the cheapest eats in Melbourne, and more oily then I'm used to, but I found the serving sizes adequate and the quality and taste absolutely worth the venture!

Just watch out for their differing menus with a more extensive list of options online than what's...