Chin Chin — Restaurant in Sydney

With Chin Chin in Melbourne being such a quality all round dining destination, there was much hype and excitement when it was announced the restaurant would be opening a Sydney venue. Chin Chin picked a prime spot setting up in the long time dormant Griffith Tea building. The building is unique in it's design, which had us intrigued and wanting to see the inner space. It is located in the dining and bar hub that is Surry Hills, on the border of the southern end of the CBD, an area well suited to a restaurant with their reputation. With the reputation and hype it is no surprise that a seating at this restaurant is well sought after and that there are constant line to contend with to grab a table.

We jumped at the opportunity when our friend Spooning Australia decided to choose Chin Chin as a venue for a group catch up, with fellow foodie friends. Even better when it was discovered a table could be booked. The booking was made for the early seating, with numbers confirmed well in advance and the banquet chosen, Easy! Arriving at the restaurant first confronted by the queue, that was negotiated to get to the front desk. From here we were ushered to the bar and advised to grab a drink, while we waited for the table "that was booked for the early seating"

The bar is in a long dark space with a row of booths taking the long centre line to the bar. The wall art of a male and female dressed in bondage gear. I suppose it will be a little confronting and a little odd to some. There was also some neon advertising Chin Chin, in case you forgot where you were. The Chin Chin version of an old fashioned was the drink of choice, said to be made with makers mark on the menu, but actially made with Jim Beam Rye hmmmm. Anyway, a decent whisky cocktail. Whilst ordering my drink and checking out the bar, the group had been seated in a booth within the bar section.

The food was spot on matching the descriptor on their website, with an Australian take on Asian food with perfectly balanced flavours.

However, the experience did not meet their philosophy of being relaxing and fun (this is not reflective of the company in attendance, who made this dining experience bearable) This comment is in relation to the seating arrangement, that was far from comfortable and relaxing and also had a detrimental effect on service. We understand there are usually teething problems when new restaurants opens, trying to get their systems right and that Chin Chin has the added pressure caused by their popularity.

Anyway, the booths at chin chin are made to tightly fit eight, on this occasion ten of us were stuffed into the booth (frustrating when we booked with a lot of advance), with three loose chairs set up at the end of the table in the narrow thoroughfare used by the waitstaff and diners. The table now totally surrounded making it near impossible for the waitstaff to properly undertake their role, serving and clearing the table. The food arrived at the table in abundance, but mostly too much at the one time, leaving us to solve a puzzle on how to fit the dishes on the table with each course. Then having to play pass the parcel to clear the empty plates. This also an effect of having too many people crammed at the table. Which we consider to be un-reasonable considering the table was booked well in advance.

We think they also forgot that the banquet came with dessert, with a large interval in between. It also seemed that no one wanted to clear the table and when it did come time to clear the table for dessert we momentarily vacated the table awkwardly lingering in the thoroughfare and uncomfortably in the way of the other waitstaff trying to do their job.

The highlight being the company and the food. With the massman beef, the wagyu pad see ew, the twice cooked beef rib and the isaan style spicy BBQ chicken being the standouts of the banquet. There certainly wasn't a shortage of food. It is a shame about the seating arrangement as this let down the whole experience...

I don’t usually write reviews, but my dining experience was so disappointing that I feel compelled to share some feedback for both future customers and the restaurant itself. It was a complete waste of my time, and I'm really frustrated, but I have to leave a review. Overall, it was an unpleasant experience. The food lacked proper seasoning, the service was poor, the wait times were too long, and the atmosphere was noisy with greasy smell.

We arrived on time for our reservation, but still had to wait in line to be seated. I observed the front desk staff juggling reservations and seating guests, which seemed inefficient and time-consuming. Things eased up when other staffs came out to assist.

Once inside, the space was large, with many tables placed close together. We could easily hear conversations at neighboring tables, and the loud music only added to the noise, creating an uncomfortable environment where everyone had to speak louder to be heard.

It has an open kitchen, which is quite interesting to watch, but unfortunately, the cooking fumes spread heavily into the dining area. The strong, smoky smell from stir-frying can be overwhelming, often making you want to cough. The odor also sticks to your clothes. I’d recommend that kitchen staff wear masks to avoid inhaling too much smoke, as it could have negative health effects. The restaurant should also take more care in managing ventilation. As for the food, it was disappointing. Regardless of the price, almost every dish fell short. While the menu offers a mix of Asian and Western fusion dishes, the flavors are over-adjusted, either too sweet or too salty, with many dishes losing the fresh taste of the ingredients. First, the oysters were topped with a mix of onions, vinegar, and salty fish roe, which completely overwhelmed the natural taste of the oysters. Also, the cold appetizer wasn't served as the first dish; we had finished two other appetizers before the oysters arrived. We ordered a shrimp and scallop sandwich and roasted chicken wings as side dishes. Unfortunately, the sandwich was overcooked, causing the shrimp and scallops to lose their texture, and the wings were too salty. After finishing the appetizers, we waited at least 30 minutes for the next course. For the main course, we chose the beef ribs, which were overcooked and became stringy, almost like jerky. Even with the tangy sauce, the overwhelming sweetness of the meat couldn’t be masked. I would not recommend this dish at all. We also ordered stir-fried green beans. We specifically asked for it not to be spicy, but the dish initially came with chili. After informing the staff, they separated the chili and nuts. This dish was the only one that tasted reasonably balanced and normal, without being too salty or sweet. We also ordered crispy duck, which took an entire hour to arrive. By 9 PM, we had finished most of our meal, and were still waiting for this dish well into 10 PM. During this wait, we tried to speak to the staff, but they seemed too busy or just ignored us. Finally, when we decided to cancel the dish and asked for the bill, a staff member came over to check. The manager then informed us that the duck had been out of stock earlier but was now available and asked if we still wanted it. The lack of communication and poor service attitude were unacceptable. When an ingredient is unavailable, the staff should inform customers immediately and offer alternatives, rather than making them wait over an hour and then surprise them with availability. Our entire dining experience lasted almost 2.5 hours, with about 70 minutes of waiting. During that time, the staff rarely refilled our water, and although I understand they were busy, they could have left a water bottle on the table for us to refill ourselves.

This was a very disappointing dining experience. The restaurant’s management is chaotic, the food is over-seasoned and overcooked, and the service is lacking. The management should seriously address...

Hi, I am writing to express my disappointment regarding the experience my party and I had at your restaurant recently.

Firstly, we encountered confusion with our order that was not addressed by staff with a great attitude. Despite ordering the salt and pepper tofu from the menu, the dish brought to our table was labelled as tofu curry by the waiter. The confusion came about as the menu description for both items were oddly similar, and we were under the impression that we were given the wrong dish. We sought clarification from 2 different waiters, and there was still a lack of uncertainty about the menu items, leaving us feeling frustrated. Given that these menu items are quite expensive and one of us had a shellfish intolerance, it was within our right to confirm that we received the correct item, yet the waiter who addressed our query gave us an attitude and was not friendly at all.

Secondly, as we approached the front desk to settle our bill, we overheard a waitress alerting the manager that we hadn't paid yet in a rude tone. One of us heard this and clarified by asking if we pay here (where we were standing) or at the front desk, as we noticed there was some type of register/system at the entry when we first entered. This created an uncomfortable atmosphere and left us wondering if there was a lack of trust in our intention to pay.

To add to our dissatisfaction, we were met with yet another hostile encounter as we prepared to leave the restaurant. As we were paying for our bill, we noticed a bowl of snacks and chocolates placed accessibly on the counter and thought they were complimentary for customers as they are at many restaurants. We grabbed one each, in front of staff who were aware that we took them but did not react to it at all in the moment. As we left the building, a waiter followed us outside and accused us of taking the snacks which were “meant for staff and not for you guys to take”, which left us feeling embarrassed and misunderstood. Whether or not they were staff snacks, we believe that it was completely unnecessary for the waiter to follow us all the way out just to accuse us of taking 4 little Malteser bags.

Our intention is not to accuse but to share our perspective on these instances, as we believe they significantly impacted our overall dining experience. Given that your menu comes with a hefty price tag and we waited over an hour for our food, we expected the customer service to be at least up to par. Yet, by the end of the night we felt misrepresented, and the assumptions made by the staff tarnished what could have been an enjoyable visit to your establishment to celebrate a friend’s birthday.

We hope you take this feedback constructively, as we believe every customer's experience matters. We appreciate your attention to these matters and hope that steps will be taken to improve the overall customer service and communication within your team.

Thank you for your time and...