BungaRaya@Easts — Restaurant in Newcastle-Maitland

Bunga Raya is the best thing to ever happen to East Maitland Bowling Club, finally they got rid of that stupid buffet style dining from the old Billabongs restaurant, having to line up waiting to grab what you wanted to grab it used to feel like you were in prison half the time..... But now they've updated it to a PROPER sit in chinese restaurant and it's a complete breath of fresh air. the area is now split for 2 restaurants the other being Wild Flame bar and grill and there's a nice new bar in the middle to cater for both restaurants so you dont have to go all the way out to the main bar to get more drinks. Bunga Raya has sensational food. The sizzling mongolian lamb, creamy garlic king prawns, crispy skin duck with plum sauce, the dim sims and sweet corn and crab soup are all sensational dishes, proper authentic chinese style. the meals are a tad on the dear side but that's basically everywhere you go now and you do get a slight discount as a member of the club. I can't believe the people on here rating it only 1 star.... seriously, if you people know a better chinese restaurant nearby than Bunga Raya then i'm...

Update: My view of this place has unfortunately changed. The consistency has been dropping for a while and last night it was the worst we've had. Ordered our usual and it was completely different. The duck spring rolls were no longer fresh and tasty and had a more veg and filler than meat. The satay chicken was not its normal quality and a funny taste. I'd say it's a staffing issue as they always seem to do their best. Might be time for the head chef to spend some time training staff for when they're not there. I hope this can improve because when it's good, it's the best Asian food in town.

Original review: Yummy food served quickly at an affordable price. Great place for families. The satay chicken, spring rolls, me goreng and veg curry are all amazing. And it's about 30% cheaper than other Asian restaurants in the area. Have had 5 times, dining in and taking out and always...

Best satay ever!

For some background, when I was younger and lived in Camden, satay dishes from a place called Jumbo were a favourite. Ever since then, ordering satay was a sloppy, weak-flavoured disappointment at numerous Chinese restaurants. Then I came to Bunga Raya.

They actually know how to make a proper paste with real flavour. And their lunch special version is spicy as well, the chilli-addition making it even better than the version I loved so much from long ago.

On top of all that, the young fellow who seems to be in charge of the service is excellent: friendly and helpful. The prices are brilliant too, particularly for East's members. Lunch possible for well under $20, if you just consider the food without any drinks.

Highly...