Alice Dumpling Bar — Restaurant in Sydney

Had a really terrible meal here recently. Came with some friends and family visiting from overseas and we all left there bewildered. We ordered the “King prawns with coconut crumb and wasabi dipping sauce”……what we got was deep fried prawns (and this is the WEIRD part) with raw rolled oats sprinkled all over the top. We all thought we were imagining it, but there were 3 orders for our table of 10 and they were all the same, and the table next to us noticed it too on their meal. It was literally just a hand full of raw rolled oats scattered over the top of the prawns! Also, it was just regular mayo not “wasabi dipping sauce”. We also ordered the Kung Pao Chicken which was completely inedible and had some ingredient which was clearly off/horribly wrong. The whole dish had a sour off lime or lemon flavour and was so bad it was truly inedible, and no one was able to eat any of it. When we went up to discuss the dishes with the staff and manager, no explanation was offered and they all just shrugged when we pointed out the oats. I found out later only two of the four dishes were taken off our bill once we’d left. What was bizarre was no one seemed to think in the kitchen that the rolled oats instead of shredded coconut was a big deal (let alone the prawns were meant to be in a coconut batter). It was literally oats you’d use to make porridge just sprinkled on top of deep fried prawns! Very slow service and incredibly loud inside too. Won’t be...

With the word ‘dumpling’ in the restaurant name, one would expect this to be their specialty, and they didn’t disappoint. Squid Ink Dumplings were filled with tender squid and prawn (if my taste buds are to be relied on), soft fresh squid ink black wrappers and so delish. Scallop & Prawn Dumplings also were fresh, tender and full flavoured. Could have just repeated this order, they were so tasty. Duck pancakes with fresh (not pickled) cucumber, leek & hoisin sauce were tasty but the duck seemed reheated, being rather dry unfortunately. The classic combo of flavours is always a winner. Add a bottle of wine, sunny arvo, outdoor eating and friendly hosts - a bit tricky to get their attention when restaurant was full - and a menu with fantastic variety, a return visit to work through the dumpling list is a must. EDIT: popped back for second meal. More yumminess. Crab & prawn dumplings, full meaty filling were divine. Singapore noodles, half eaten before pic, had chicken, bbq pork & prawns. Great flavour, non greasy & enhanced by a bit of chilli oil. This place has been open only a week, not that you would know as food & service runs...

Awful, stressful, chaotic… they are not in control in this restaurant. We came at 6pm and they were so stressed, the place was near empty. They took our order correctly but gave us the wrong food. They slap the food in front of you, no care, no table side manner you would expect. They roll Woolies and Coles trolleys around in there to stack plates. No one can help you if you need assistance. Our table had no water glasses but supplied water jug, no cutlery or chopsticks when food came and we gave up trying to ask and took from other tables that had some but it was a scavenger hunt as not all did. The staff are arguing constantly, the food is basic and extremely over priced but I imagine this is rent related. They apply a 1.5% surcharge on card payments. Not at all enjoyable on all levels. Don’t be fooled by first...