China XO — Restaurant in Tamil Nadu

The question for China XO when we went was "What does the Luxury 5 Star Dinner Experience actually mean?".

Leela's China XO delivered a 110% on our expectations.

We went at about 9-9.30, so the ambience was amazing. China XO's interiors were as regal as the hotel it is in. Everything was plush.

When we first walked in, we were led to our table and given starters, the peanuts and kimchi pineapple.

I would have to give a 10/5 to the service that we got in this place. Huge shout out to Samarkh ( I hope I'm not butchering his name).

He came to us and gave a recommendation about a Cheung Fueng dish and how it's something different that we should try.

A lot of places don't do this. This is probably the third place that I've been to in over 50 places in Chennai that recommended a dish.

Also when asked, he was able to explain how the dish was made and why it was special, which also was a first.

Then when we ordered mains, we chose Crispy duck and one of the other people there recommend against it since it will be a little bland compared to the Indian palette. I looked at the recipe after I went home and they were perfectly right. So huge kudos there.

Everything was prompt and Swift. From the water getting filled to our plates getting removed.

I also like taking pictures of the food. One the waiters noticed and cleared the table and brought the food in the center so I can take a better picture. A+ service

Also this was probably the first time the people who waited on us (Samarkh) talked to us. They asked us about what we do, our jobs, is there any occasions why we are here. He told us about his work, what he did before and everything.

This probably made the day because it was the first time it happened to us and it was a breath of fresh air. It felt like we were a part of the experience with them as opposed to an isolated experience.

Samark also recommended both our desserts, which were amazing. Flourless Sponge Cake with Pistachio Sauce and Raspberry Sorbet and Mango Pudding. Both of them were amazing.

They even noticed I didn't have pistachio sauce and got me more. They also told me get ready for a video before pouring pistachio sauce.

The mains were also amazing. Kung pao prawns and crab fried rice.

After the meal ended, we chatted a little more and I asked to see their outside area which was closed and they opened it for us. We walked a bit and then left.

The Service was excellent. Like so much so i didn't even focus on food. That is what defines a luxury 5 star experience to me. The China XO team didn't dissapoint at all.

Would highly recommend to all and we will definitely...

China XO intends well. But at this price point at a 5-star hotel, you have to do better. Let's get over with the good stuff - great atmosphere, great service, and fantastic ambience. The food however is where we start to see the cracks.

We ordered the prix fixe menu, as there are so many choices to make in the menu and we couldn't make decisions. It started off well, a fantastic wanton soup and some good dim sums. At this point, everything is heading well towards a fabulous night.

Then comes the fish and chicken and lamb, all deep fried with batter and coated with various sauces and spices, but quite underwhelming. The lamb was so thin that it felt like chewing cardboard strips. The fish was just completely soaked in sweet & sour sauce where it lost its texture and identity. And the chicken was heavily dusted with some unique spices unknown of origin. I wasn't sure whether this was a sauce competition with some protein or whether the sauce complemented the meat.

The fried rice made with basmati rice is a quintessential Indo-Chinese entry but completely bland and without character. The flat noodles were decent though.

Finally the biggest disappointment was a random mango pudding, so dry that it was dusty. And whatever fruit or artifact they put in the middle was better passed as a piece of rubber.

I cannot recommend China XO for locals nor foreigners visiting. Perhaps if you need the atmosphere during a date night, it might be okay. Other than that, it's largely overpriced and delivers...

China XO has become a parody of what it used it be before COVID. We opted for the bubbles dim sum brunch and they ran out of LPG … so we couldn’t get dim sum for an hour out if the 2.5 hours id service. What a joke. Any restaurant shouldn’t have this issue let alone a 5 star.

They also were very very very slow with their pours. So we got drinks 40 mins after ordering them. They even gas lit us on the amount of bottles we consumed 😂😂😂

Pls avoid it like the plague. Wasn’t worth the 6k per head. Wish we removed the service charge. They didn’t deserve it.

0/5 service 2/5 food - some things were really good but very inconsistent. So the first batch of dimsum would be great, after that it would be terrible. Some things like the duck and pork were TERRIBLE. Felt like badly cooked frozen meat.

I hope they work on this or just close down. Focus on quality not influencer...