Red Lantern — Restaurant in Northern Territory

It was my birthday, I spent hours deciding on my dinner, I don't know why? We have ordered Red Lantern for the last 3 years.

It arrived with a cute little gift.

Everything was there, but I ordered spare ribs and I thought they had mixed up my order. I thought I had sweet and sour something.

My husband tried to stop me, he didn't want to complain to the nice people, but I rang cause I thought I had someone else's food, and that someone else might be upset.

I felt like such an idiot when they explained "our spare ribs are boneless"

That means they have somehow roasted something a really long time, then battered it and cooked it again.

I was embarrassed, but they were delightful and courteous and still said

"Enjoy your birthday"

It took me hours to decide because I kept reading terrible reviews, fake meat, watery, bland?

Maybe they aren't as good as remembered.

Everything was DELICIOUS!!!! Don't know where you are all eating??

Even the Chicken Chow Mein and Crispy Noodles that is not on the menu, and I don't like chicken, they make it special for my husband each year.

I don't think seafood is their best stuff, so I just don't order it.

I will ask for extra cashews in my beef next year, but that is my only criticism

Thankyou for my...

I am rating Red Lantern two stars based on their dine in option.

The menu outside the establishment looks decent enough- however, little do you know, it's actually the takeaway menu. Very deceiving.

I entered inside with a friend, thinking the prices were around $20. But once I picked up a hand held menu inside, the prices jumped up by about $5 more.

The photos of the interior are also deceiving... It's actually much smaller in person.

I questioned the staff members and asked them why the menu on the table is different to the large board outside the establishment. And they responded, saying that the board outside is for takeaway only. But that's not mentioned on the board. So you basically the high prices of eating in are pounced on you when you're ready to order.

There was no way I was going to pay extra money to sit inside a disappointing eating area. So I ended up thanking them and telling them that I might just order take away instead another time.

Although, of course, I haven't gone back.

But to end on a high note, the staff are friendly. But if you're someone with social anxiety, don't dine in. It had been stressful for me while...

This place used to be our go-to for Chinese takeaway but we'll be changing restaurant now. The quality of food is no longer the same. We ordered noodles, salt and pepper pork spare ribs and sweet and sour pork. Majority of the salt and pepper pork and sweet and sour pork were batter or fat. Had to throw away almost 80% of the dishes because they're just batter and solid fat. We asked for extra chilli on the salt and pepper and I could barely see any chillies in our order. The vegetable hokkien noodles we ordered barely had any vegetables in it. They did put a complimentary slice of carrot and capsicum in the sweet and sour pork. Ordering food here has now become a total waste of money. Will definitely not be coming back again. Very stingy and cheating the ingredients waste of money. Highly UNRECOMMENDED! Never again after 3 occasions of poor quality food. Might as well just eat flour...