Mr. Wu Dumpling Bar | 中山私房菜 — Restaurant in Sydney

Everything about this place fell short of what one would expect of a paying dining experience from the moment we stepped in. Even though the place was empty, our waiter tried to seat us at a tiny table right in top of the water station, right by the front door. We requested another table, a bit further in. After an ungracious back and forth with a woman who seems to be in charge (who never even looked at us) we were finally seated. It went downhill from there. We had to keep trying to get our waiter’s attention to order, to ask a question, to get cutlery, for goodness sake. Compounding this feeling of utter lack of regard was the fact that as other patrons walked in, they were greeted with much fanfare, the owner even came out to say hello, while we sat like bewildered Cinderellas. I’d also like to mention that we were the only Caucasians present at the time. When the food arrived, it was off putting. Everything, from the dumplings to the soup seemed to be coated in what I will generously describe as slime. Only the steamed vegetables were edible to me. When the bill arrived they up charged everything. Even charging $8 for tea, which was a clay pot filled with hot water and one single lonely tea bag. I also want to mention that I saw the waiter happily bringing pots to other tables, automatically, while we had to ask. I’m willing to bet they weren’t charged. The waiter never came to check on us, if all was ok with the dinner. When we left, not a single person said goodbye.

It takes a lot for me to leave a one star review. Mr Wu’s gets the prize for not having one single redeeming factor going for it. Well, maybe one. I’m writing this the next day and I wasn’t up all night with food poisoning. But then again, I barely ate. My husband, on the other hand, ate more and did have pretty strong heartburn afterwards. Take my advice and stay away from this establishment....

The experience is complicated. But for $80+ per head I may expect more from the restaurant.

The roasted pigeon ($56 each) is nice and succulent. It would be probably the best that I tried in Sydney but for doubling the price of a serve of chicken, the value is not easy to be justified.

The winter melon soup is not bad but the saltiness overpowers the sweetness of the other ingredients, which is not the best balanced taste to my preference. $88 for 4 ppl is also on the higher end price point for the ingredient in the soup (diced pork, shrimp and dried scallop).

Stirred fried dried calamari with beens (炒吊片） was served almost cold most likely due to its wait time for waiting staff. The temperature for the pieces outside is very different from the centre. I like the texture of the ingredients - the dried calamari is rehydrated very well, the beans are crunchy and sweet, the shrimp sauce is delicious and blending the veggies and seafood well together, it’s just a pity to not have it hot off the wok.

Steamed sticky rice with pigeon and abalone. We paid after we took the order and after a while the waitress told us there is no more pigeon tonight and needs to change the ingredient to chicken. I asked if there is any price difference cause to my understanding there is significant difference between chicken and pigeon. Staff said she will try to ask the kitchen to give bigger portion, and I was not too sure about it. There was not option offered to refund or change the dish when one of the main ingredient is not available. The flavour is not bad though with chicken but the rice has too moisture and I don’t particularly like this texture.

Staff is welcoming and polite but maybe it’s a bit short of hand of the team (maybe only two of them) to handle...

Much room to improve for Mr. Wu Dumpling Bar if the business owner wants to see customers again with my similar experience here. I confirmed my menu with Ava 2 weeks before my visit. The sitting table is big enough for 6 adults plus 2 kids for a birthday dinner. We arrived at 7:05pm and dishes started to come after 10 minutes but not really following the sequence of a banquet. But we still enjoyed the food and beverage without any issue until around 8:05pm after the main seafood dishes came. After another 10 minutes, the waiter and waitress started to patrolling around. To my surprise, after another 10 minutes, a waitress came to ask if we wanted to get some takeaway containers because one of the two styles of desserts were already made, while I was still eating the juicy delicious mud crab. Then I asked her what time the shop be closed. She answered 9:30pm and last order at 9pm. So, we told her that we are still eating and needn’t takeaway containers. Of course, the already made dessert Papaya dessert 木瓜雪耳燉桃膠 were placed on the table. At that moment, a pair of customers just turned up and sat next table with us. Uh oh, another waitress told us that the second style of dessert Egg whites with almond were ready to go around 8:35pm. But we asked her to wait until we request it. Eel, be careful to eat to avoid small and thin bone stuck in the throat. So, I thought to myself that why so stressed and the pleasure mood gone! Fine, we let them to leave the 2nd dessert and fruit platter around 8:55pm then paid the bill. We didn’t bother them anymore but just taking our Birthday cake back home and left the restaurant not later than 9:20pm. It’s a really “unforgettable...