Doodee King - Chatswood — Restaurant in Sydney

I used to like the noodles here but was given customer service so appalling I suggest that others steer clear of this place. I ordered the massaman curry and was shocked at the pool of oil swimming on top - the half inch of oil really was just unreasonable. Having a digestive sensitivity to oil, I tried to soak it up and was left with a mountain of napkins and a stubborn pool of oil, so then I tried to eat around it the best I could. It proved impossible with how oily the dish was, and having only taken 2 bites, I let a staff member know about my dietary issues and asked the if it would be possible to swap the dish for another. He refused. I asked for a refund instead and was refused.

I've worked in the food service industry for years and I felt second hand embarrassment on how unprofessional, unaccommodating, and rude the staff were to the customer. The man kept on refusing to take a refund with a sour attitude and insisted the dish was meant to be that oily due to coconut oil, and didn't seem to acknowledge at all the dietary sensitivities I'd raised. We only received a refund after a more reasonable staff member at the counter convinced him of it.

There have been many other reviews complaining about this particular guy and his bad customer service, and while I can ignore a bad attitude if the food is good and the practical service is okay, this experience provided by Dodee was an nightmare. I just want to be able to eat my food and go, and if the food isn't up to par, for the restaurant to make up for it by either remaking the dish or refunding. This is just standard operations and Dodee can't reach that floor level bar. I've never been left with such a bad impression at an eatery and have never been treated so poorly by staff.

I truly don't think this place deserves patronage. Btw, the supposedly stewed sweet potato was still crunchy :/

*EDIT in response to owner reply, this review was originally posted 2 years ago! Glad to hear the staffing situation has since changed. Hopefully the above described issues have been amended, will update if I happen to dine...

Severely disappointed. Heard of lot of good things about this place, and had walked past this restaurant several times over the past few years so was very keen to try it out.

Menu seems pretty extensive and authentic. We waved a waitress over to take our order, 3 times she looked at us and pretended we did not exist. Had to wait for the male waiter to come over to take our order.

Ordered 2 mains (jumbo egg noodle + pineapple rice) and 2 starters (fish cake and fried pork skin). The egg noodle and pork skin arrived after a 10 minute or so wait, but the fish cakes took at least 25 minutes, and my pineapple rice 5 minutes after that. Clearly they missed cooking 2 of our items, but waiting half an hour for food when the restaurant was barely at 40% capacity is inexcusable (around 2:30pm Sunday, lunch peak hour already died down). Having to wait for others' food to arrive so you don't finish eating too quickly is always a mood killer, and it means the food that came first gets cold by the time the other dishes arrive.

Taste was average, but honestly it was probably dampened by the misfire of the order. Starters felt uninspired, and really felt like something you can buy yourself from an Asian grocer and reheat (which is funny because the fried pork skin was not even hot/warm, just room temperature, which I noticed they sold in plastic boxes at the counter afterwards). The accompanying lettuce they used for the fish cake and pineapple rice was not washed properly; could clearly see speckles of dirt and grit in the leaves. Did not bother with it, which is a shame because I hate having ingredients go to waste.

Wish this restaurant put more effort into presentation, cleanliness, staff attitude, and timing of orders.

Bonus points goes to the fact that the customers right next to us ordered the same pineapple rice, and theirs arrived within 5...

I made a booking for dinner and specifically asked if I could have a table in the 'cabin' outside the restaurant. I was told that would be fine. However, when I arrived, I was shown to a very small table inside the restaurant, more suited for two people, with one side pressed against a pillar (my booking was for three). When I mentioned to the waitress that I had requested a table in the 'cabin,' she immediately took me to an available table there. This gave me the impression that they were trying to keep the more desirable tables with better ambiance for other patrons, hoping I wouldn’t mind being placed at a less favourable one.

On a more positive note, we thoroughly enjoyed the food. We had:

Stir-Fried Crispy Pork with Prik Khing Sauce - This was the standout for me. The pork crackling remained crispy, and the prik khing sauce was full of flavour. A definite must-try. 5/5

Panang Chicken Curry - Creamy and fragrant with just the right amount of spice. That said, the curry was a bit watery and would have been better with a thicker consistency. 4/5

Stir-Fried Chicken in Cashew Nut Chilli Jam Sauce - A lovely balance of sweet and savoury. The chicken was tender, and the vegetables was fresh and crunchy (not overcooked) the way we like it. 4.5/5

Fried Bread with Pandan Custard - Freshly fried and served warm. The bread was crispy and went very well with the creamy pandan custard. It was a little oily and perfect for sharing. 4.5/5

Despite the issue with the table, the food made the experience worthwhile. I would have rated it 5 stars if not...