San Choi Chinese Restaurant — Restaurant in Wollongong City Council

I had very high expectations for San Choi. It was a very interesting place and it was a 5 minute walk from my house. So the location and corner it was on was quite good. But I drove there anyway because I hate walking.

As I entered, I noticed the lack of good seating inside. It appears that they have degraded in quality since I last visited 10 years ago. I was shocked to see the wooden and old looking chairs creaking. I also didn't enjoy looking at the walls very much. It was strange to see such a lack of decorations for an expensive restaurant. They could've at least added more stuff to the walls to make it more pretty to stare at. There was nothing else to stare at so I was appalled. This put me to sleep early on. I needed some adrenaline injections to keep me alive for the experience.

The menu was so expensive. I swear it was cheaper a few years ago. People do takeaway from the restaurant all the time, but now I am shocked. Why would you pay so much?

I didn't appreciate the high price. But I did respect the fact that they split the bill. It was a pleasure paying for just my meal. Most places don't allow that, but they did. And they do it efficiently. But the food was still too high in price. The food wasn't even did it that much.

I ordered the very famous special fried rice. I eat at many Asian restaurants as you all know. So I know what special fried rice is like. I know the best rice dishes in all of Illawarra and surrounding regions. And I can safely say that this was the worse special rice I have ever tried. It had zero flavor and zero taste. It was so basic and bland. I agree with the other people that made reviews. The lack of flavour ruins the vibe. I couldn't enjoy it at all. There were other ingredients in the rice, attempting to make it taste good, but it didn't do anything. It was greasy and cheap. The greasy feeling it left on my lips made me very uncomfortable and definitely painful.

Also, the beverage that I ordered was so tasteless too. They water down all of their soft drinks and juices in order to maximise on their profits per unit. I was appalled to be the first to discover this. If I come to a restaurant, I want to enjoy a sugary beverage or alcoholic drink, not cry due to the lack of taste. It was simply just water. COLOURED WATER! The drinks were so cheap, but they still charged a pretty penny for it. Why do they charge so much for such low quality?

But I must also mention the terrible customer service. The waitresses are constantly whispering. I need to hear what you are saying. If I whisper back they would ask me to repeat myself. But that is such an inconvenience for me. I don't want to waste my voice talking to an employee. I want to eat. And eat. And eat.

The service was lame. They recommended we get a large bowl of rice because it's cheaper but we failed to finish it because it was too much. I was shocked that they forced us to get a larger bowl. It was a waste. Do they always support food wastage? I am shocked that they would do such a thing. Their portion sizes were also too small on some things. The side dish was too big though. All the rice sides are huge in a small or large. A small is also not worth it. The price per unit is more. But the large is too much and you never finish it.

The lady we had also didn't seem to care that much about our table. We are good paying customers, so we need respect. But we need attention and good service too. The look on her face was as if she didn't want to see us. The disgust was making me look at her in disgust too. I can't believe that an employee would have the audacity to stare at me. If you don't want me there, then say it to my face. I will gladly pay for good service at a good venue, not a bad one.

This restaurant was quite the upset. I will never go back there again. The food lost it one star. The service lost it one star. The atmosphere lost it one star. The drinks lost it one star. And the prices lost it another. Therefore, this place gets zero stars.

I was very very very very very very very very very very...

The service was quick, staff were friendly and the food portions were generous. However, presentation leaves a lot to be desired. We ordered chilli king prawns and boneless lemon chicken. There were no vegetables with either of the dishes. Chilli prawn dishes usually come with sliced onions at least or strips of carrot or capsicum to give the dish a balanced flavour, some texture and colour. The lemon chicken dish was just a fillet in thick batter and obviously deep fried, sliced into chunks and plopped on the plate without garnish of any sort. It looked like a hunk of fried fish. The sauce was in a large separate bowl. The meals were way to sweet but tasted OK once mixed with rice; they just looked very unappetising on the plate. It wasn't a great experience because there was a lack of thought in presentation. Maybe we didn't order their signature dishes. I would probably eat there again but would order more savory...

Came to san choi at the recommendation of a friend. Was not too impressed with the fact we waited at the front for a good minute and basically had to ask if we could sit down when it was not overly busy. We got our wonton soup right away and it was not too bad but not great. then our mains started to come in a very random order. We had to ask for plates to dish the food out, which ended up being dirty and having to send them back. And last to come was the rice ? Rice was extremely bland for a fried rice and when we poured the soya sauce on it, it almost tasted like it was off. Singapore noodles not too bad but the Mongolian beef didnt taste like mongolian beef and the meat tasted like very poor...