Tong Lok — Restaurant in Melbourne

QUESTIONABLE BIZ PRACTICES - I had a very disappointing experience at Tong Lok recently. I ordered what was supposed to be the chef special sweet and sour pork chop ($30), but what I received was a sweet and sour pork - battered, which is a cheaper dish ($28). When I asked the server if the dish was correct, he claimed there was only one sweet and sour pork dish on the menu. However, upon paying the bill, I pointed out that the menu clearly lists two different sweet and sour pork options with 2 different prices. The waiter then acted like he didn’t understand, insisting the dish I was served was the more expensive one, even though it looked nothing like the picture on the menu.

The whole experience felt like an attempt to mislead customers, and the service was unhelpful and dismissive when I tried to clarify. It’s disappointing to see a restaurant of this reputation not only serve a dish that doesn’t match what’s advertised but also try to play it off when questioned. To make it more confusing, there is also a separate menu for takeaway customers which lists another set of prices. I won’t...

I walked into this restaurant because I urgently needed to use the restroom — there was no staff around to ask, so I quickly used it and came out. A man in a white shirt with frameless glasses stops me and says, “Why are you here?”

Let that sink in: what kind of person working in hospitality starts a conversation with a stranger like that?

I told him I just used the washroom because it was an emergency. Instead of showing basic decency or understanding, he snapped, “Next time just ask!” — in a very rude, dismissive tone. The message was clear: I wasn’t welcome, and he didn’t want to see me again.

There was zero empathy, zero professionalism, and absolutely no sense of basic manners — forget hospitality.

Here’s how a decent human being in hospitality should have responded: “Hey, no worries — hope you’re okay. Just next time, please let someone know.” Simple. Respectful. Human.

I won’t be coming back — and I wouldn’t recommend anyone else to either. Places like this don’t deserve customers until they learn how to treat people with basic respect.

And clean your bathroom...

Don't get me wrong, my meal was delicious, but i'm convinced their ears are painted on. I ordered a couple of extra ingredients to my order and paid an additional for this but the additions were never added. But the plot thickens. I ordered delivery (not via Uber but rather the actual restaurant as they offer this service). I peeped my head through the window a couple of times to see if the driver had delivered, but nothing. By sheer chance I thought to myself let me just check the front door, and to my surprise the delivery driver delivered my goods without knocking on the door and then just like that, vanished like a ninja. God only knows how long my food was sitting outside for. The succulent Chinese meal was warm, but would have been a far better experience if the food was piping hot considering the house I'm babysitting at is extremely close. Tong Lok, your song Funky Cold Medina may have charted high on the ARIA's, but today it's 2 stars from me. Listen carefully to customers order, and don't be afraid to knock. There are no big bad wolves...