Nihao Kitchen — Restaurant in Melbourne

We visited for Father’s Day dinner due to friend recommendations and its recent one-hatted rating and while the food was good it was tainted by the poor service at the end.

It was communicated to me when booking that they needed the table back by 7:30 which was acceptable and understandable especially for Father’s Day. So at the start of dinner we placed our order with a man who seemed to be the restaurant manager including dessert so we could finish efficiently.

After we finished our food and I mentioned to the waitress who was cleaning up that we were ready for the buns we ordered for dessert. She said ok and didn’t say anything else. 15 minutes later (just before 7pm) we got free icecream blocks and a fruit platter which was lovely so we started having those and 15 minutes after that I realised we were still waiting on our buns, so I asked another waitress who escalated to a woman who could have been another manager. They said they would check.

The buns arrived at around 7:25 which was when many tables were clearing for the changeover for the next session. These were steamed buns (and quite hot) so at 7:30 we had gotten through half of it only for the man who took our order to come over in a rushed manner packing up some of our dishes to say ‘can I have this table please’ in an rude and abrupt manner. We were a bit shocked and taken aback by this and I said yes and that the buns had only just arrived a few minutes ago.

I immediately go to pay and also to approach him that I had actually followed up on the dessert twice only for him brush it off that he shouldn’t have taken my order because they weren’t making desserts today before rushing off to prepare tables - something that could have been communicated earlier. I understand these are busy and stressful days but the aggressive nature of his approach implied blame which was upsetting and unnecessary despite the delay on their end when it could have been avoided on 3 separate occasions if they had just said they weren’t doing dessert.

To add to that they were doing cash only just for today and no one had informed me when I booked via phone. Luckily they were able to take my card payment in the end.

Despite good food and a nice Father’s Day gesture (a lucky draw and freebies), the poor communication and passive-aggressive attitude really soured the experience for us and we...

Nihao Kitchen at Kew Visited on 21/5/2021

I had meals at this address on several occasions when it was under different owners and management, but this is the first time under the name of Nihao.

There are sufficient carparking spaces on the narrow side street, and at the rear of the restaurant, provided the restaurant is not completely full.

The restaurant has undergone substantial renovation especially the first floor. The ceiling of the front portion of the restaurant has several lit up boxes with some Chinese characters, including the famous Hong Kong night-life street named Lan Kwai Fang.

I have a wonderful evening to celebrate the birthday of our friend whom we know for 50 years.

This meal is a treat from the birthday lady, who took the trouble in organising every detail, including the selection of the dishes.

It is a pity while I was taking photos of the first floor, the first course of the dinner, Eight Treasures Duck, arrived and the waiter completely "destroyed" the beauty of the artistic work of the chef by opening up the belly of the duck to expose the eight treasures within., before I had a chance to photograph it.

The duck was meaty, and yet tender, or strictly speaking soft. The gravy complemented the duck well.

I can bet my bottom dollars that there are different cooks cooking tbe Baby Pea Sprouts and the Eggplant E-Noodle. The former dish has hardly any salt, while the noodle is a bit spice hot and very salty.

Steamed Full Range Chicken is correct for the na e of the dish, but it is not quite right to be called and served as 贵妃鸡 or Favourite Concubine Chicken, and charged as so. Concubine chicken has distinct flavour of ginger, orange peel, certain spices, which the dish served by the restaurant lacked. I have to give it a border line pass for the flavour and price charged by the restaurant.

Unfortunately, like many Chinese restaurants, most dishes are poorly presented and garnished. Just take the Sweet and Sour Pork in this instance. Not only the deep fried battered pork pieces are of various sizes, but also topped with a few pieces of chopped onions in the most sloppy manner. The pork pieces were a bit over fried, or the oil required to be filtered.

Overall the food is better than many...

Nihao Kitchen has been consistently good each time I have dined there, which is quite often.

The Chinese inspired-decor and decorations give the surroundings a comfortable, authentic feel and an intriguing character. There is space between tables so even when busy it does not feel squashy and cramped, and the chairs are comfortable. It can get a little noisy when busy.

The staff are efficient, knowledgeable and accommodating, and are happy to assist with questions about menu items.

The food is excellent and the menu extensive to cater to many tastes. A number of dishes are specialised, such as scrambled egg with crab, and hotpot with beef and vermicelli. There are also more commonly recognisable ones like stir-fried seafood and meat dishes. Noodle, rice and vegetable dishes are aplenty and excitingly varied.

Whichever dishes (it's too hard to stop at one!) are chosen, they are unlikely to disappoint. The flavours are exceptional and finely balanced.

The price of each dish is variable- some specialised dishes involving seafood can be quite expensive- upwards of $50. An average main dish is about $35, entrees about $20. Servings are generous and it's worth sharing a few dishes to taste different flavours.

The parking can be a bit tricky. There are a few spaces at the side and back of the restaurant, but these are shared with several other businesses. It can be difficult to get a park on the High Street side at busy times. There is a nearby suburban street which usually has a spot or two nearby with a little walk. During the day these are two hour parks, but some are permit zones before evening.

Highly...