852 HONG KONG RESTAURANT — Restaurant in Sydney

We were all hyped by the high ratings and decided to give it a shot but….

The food and drinks simply weren’t my palate - not a hint of authenticity despite it claims to be Asian fusion. Rice and vegetables tasted stale albeit generous and yellowed respectively - not Instagram worthy and pork was lean and soaked in honey - not enough to go with the carbs. The lack of roast pork taste just didn’t sit well with me. Not the kind of char siew one would expect at that pricing when I could purchase 1kg worth of char siew cooked to a tee from Chinese bbq shops in predominantly Asians suburbs for $38.

Drinks was worse - unsure if it’s the 2/3 cup of chunky ice in the cup or too much sugar in it. By the time we finished the drinks, there was still a good half cup of ice in it! Don’t bother with their cocktails - couldn’t taste any alcohol indicated on their menu. That itself was a rip off.

Cannot fault their services, the reception received was warm and friendly unlike other HK eateries, it comes with a grudging grumpy greeting and appalling attitude. But the wait for food on the table was a long one especially when we informed them that we have a show to attend at a theatre nearby. I thought we were explicit when I said that would be all for the time being (暫時係咁多） as I am not a risk taker with not tried eateries. Customers that came in later had their food served way earlier than ours which we chased up on our order as a good 20-25 mins went past and yet we were still waiting for it. To our surprise, the bubbly waiting staff was expecting us to order more food before she puts our order through to the kitchen. 😱🤪😅 How odd a response…

Decor was a clutter of knick knacks that I hoped they are cleaned on a regular basis as I sure do not hope to have dust and dirt to land on my food or drinks. So much that it makes one giddy.

In short, it’s overpriced for the quality of food served which on this visit, all we tasted was sugar and more sugar. Good place to go to if one is looking for sugar rush. Will not recommend to diabetics, calories conscious folks nor the ones in a hurry. I would be more gutted if I had ordered more food only to find it is not up to my taste. Good thing we walked past several tables and that’s when I decided to just go with one basic staple thinking it must be good to warrant $25 for it.

I just didn’t get the hype… sadly. In this instance, using promising reviews as a guide was a mistake. Should have guessed as much from the nylon signage and retro decor and menu, they are still in search of their footing as Hainanese chicken rice is not a dish originally from HK. Chinese characters in traditional Chinese does not equate to HK. It didn’t bring back fond memories of HK. It was more like a twilight zone for me. But there’s room for improvement… hopefully. The plus side is that you get 5% discount when paid in cash.

The above review is our honest assessment, not to incite hate nor a personal attack as the owner implied. This is what reviews are all about - my personal take. And I’d like to think for one who has lived in the countries for no less than a decade or more where the food on your menu is originated from, I can tell what’s good and...

I am a bit disappointed in this place, I had high hopes seeing certain reviews and was keen to find a new HK style Cafe to try out, first impression was good with the decorations around the Cafe, unfortunately it didn't get better from there. Went on a Sunday around lunch time. The place wasn't pack yet but they lack staff, only one waitress serving the whole place was a bit inadequate causing customers not being served and tables not being cleaned to a point a customer had to clean up a dirty table themselves in order to sit. Also seeing food sitting on the counter for a few minutes before being served really shows a lack of planning... For a weekend I think the business should better equip themselves for business. The food was good but portion was definitely smaller compared to other HK Cafe's and this place is definitely a lot more expensive for their dishes $25 for a baked pork chop and rice is a bit much especially with a small portion... To make matters worst they charge a Sunday surcharge of 10%... I don't think a place like this with the lack of staff and service should charge a 10% surcharge if they want to build their data base... Unfortunately with this experience and the surcharge I don't think I would return but I do recommend try their food if your around and don't mind the waiting and surcharge on Sunday as the food...

Loved this HK retro themed restaurant in Newtown. Serving some of the famous HK dishes with a fusion twist! There was even board games, arcade machine and drinks which makes it a perfect place to hang out on a friday night.

🍍 ᴘɪɴᴇᴀᴘᴘʟᴇ ʙᴜɴ ᴡ/ ᴘᴏʀᴋ ᴄʜᴏᴘ What makes a pineapple bun is a perfect flakey top. This is exactly what you get here with your choice of a classic slab of butter, spam & egg, juicey pork chop or chicken thigh

🍝 ᴄʜᴇᴇꜱᴇ ɴᴏᴏᴅʟᴇꜱ ᴡ/ ꜱᴡɪꜱꜱ ᴘᴏʀᴋ ʙᴇʟʟʏ We wanted to order the udon noodles but they sold out so we got the instant noodles, but I reckon this was better because it catches on all that cheesey goodness! The swiss pork belly was also so tender and juicey.

🍗 ʜᴀɪ ɴᴀɴ ᴄʜɪᴄᴋᴇɴ ʀɪᴄᴇ Love how its served boneless! The chicken is so juicey and the rice is fragrant just like how you would expect it to be.

🍛 ᴄʜɪᴄᴋᴇɴ ᴛʜɪɢʜ ʙᴀᴋᴇᴅ ʀɪᴄᴇ This is like comfort food on a cold night. The chicken is juicey as always, with the melted cheese, its perfecto!

🍆 ꜱᴀʟᴛ & ᴘᴇᴘᴘᴇʀ ᴇɢɢᴘʟᴀɴᴛ We always order this if we ever see on the menu, and this did not disappoint. Seasoned beautifully with a nice bit of crunch

🍞 ʜᴋ ꜱᴛʏʟᴇ ꜰʀᴇɴᴄʜ ᴛᴏᴀꜱᴛ An absolute must everytime I go back to HK! Crispy on the outside with the perfect amount of peanut butter in the middle. Delish!

🧀 ᴄʜᴇᴇꜱᴇʏ ᴘᴏʀᴋ ꜰʟᴏꜱꜱ A crispy cheesey egg waffle to finish...