Eastern City Chinese Restaurant — Restaurant in Sydney

(3.5 stars) For a trip down memory lane, Eastern City Chinese Restaurant in Pennant Hills is worth a gander. The pale brick facade hides a substantial restaurant set upstairs (there’s a retro white mobility stair lift) around a light well at the end of an arcade. Along with a lot of tables—all bar one empty on the night I dined—there’s a wooden parquetry dance floor overhung by mirror balls, and an outside terrace, that speak of crazier times. There’s also the requisite fish tank as you walk in the door, blonde 1970s wood paneling, and retro brown bathrooms to explore.

As for the food, Mongolian lamb pancakes ($7/each) were pliable and nicely stuffed with tender meat and sweet onions. Shredded beef Peking-style ($26.80) pleased my young dining companion, with her scraping the plate clean, despite remarking that it wasn’t quite as good as the first version of the dish she’d tried in Maroubra. For me, a homely glass dish of silky braised beancurd ($21.80) with straw mushrooms and slivers of pork delivered the comfort I was seeking over competent fried rice ($14.80). For my regular dining companion, mermaid’s tresses ($11) which teamed flash-fried Chinese cabbage with pork floss and cashews added the novelty he was seeking, even if they were somewhat difficult to eat with chopsticks. Hide any technical difficulties behind a TsingTao ($8): similar to seaweed snacks, the tresses make for a great...

Rang and ordered dinner for myself and children on 1/12/20 Order arrived later than expected, but arrived. We ate the dinner, the rice smelt burnt/different, as I first time ordering afforded benefit of doubt. Ate some of ordered meals, next morning, three of us quite unwell vomiting terribly. Was extremely upset as we had travelled six hours for my daughters school presentation and now couldn’t go. Contacted restaurant and asked for manager, was told not available till after five, so called back then and was further advised he might be back during the week. Spoke with young lady, advised her what had transpired and the vomiting etc, to which I was told it was not the food but something that we already had (virus etc). If that’s the case the only child that didn’t eat was the only one not sick. We didn’t eat all the food, I did attempt on several Occasions to discuss issue with manager and was basically told too bad too sad

Never again will I grace this restaurant and certainly won’t recommend If it smells or tastes funny please don’t eat it. In fact just order...

Been here a few times in the few couple of months since moving to the area. Food started out alright, but the last 2 times, it has been declining. Ordered Lemon Chicken this evening, there was barely any sauce, I may as well have ordered fried chicken from KFC. Had to get up from seat to find staff a couple of times as they sort of hide. Nobody asked how the food was, if they did, we would have told them as its awkward to complain. Fortune cookies were provided for our first couple of visits but the last couple of times we have had to ask, disappointing as it was a nice touch before. But the last part that lead to me making a review, they charge for takeaway containers, which I find really stingy and sad when we have just spent over $100 for just 2 people (including their credit card surcharge) as regular customers, but the worst is, they didn’t even tell us that they cost when we asked before we used them which is not okay. 2 stars as the staff are very polite and attentive when they are around, but I will be going to Thornleigh...