Restoran Imbi Oversea — Restaurant in Kuala Lumpur

Oversea restaurant has always been our favorite restaurant and we have been their regular customers since more than 30 years ago. We had been to 3 Oversea restaurant branches (Ipoh, One Utama, Imbi) 4 times in March 2023. Imbi branch has been the most disappointing out of the 3. Hence our review for the Imbi branch is as below:

Service: We called to book a table a day earlier. Upon arrival, a lady told us that she will give us a table upstairs which she claims is more comfortable for us. We were sent to a room with 2 big tables which we shared with another family. We were told by the waitress to squeeze our chairs nearer to the table so that she has more space to move in and out to serve the other table. This is not the comfort we were promised when we arrived.

Drinks: The waitress who served us got our tea mixed up with the other table. How can an experienced waitress made such a mistake? We ordered "Tie Kuan Yin" and the other table ordered " Pu Er". Tea lovers or experienced waitresses/waiters would know the difference in colour and smell between the 2 types of tea. Instead of apologizing, this waitress kept giving a lot of excuses such as she has never made such a mistake before even during busier times. No apology.

Food: Average. We have ordered deep fried tofu topped with dried shrimps. It tasted bitter. When we asked why the tofu is bitter to the same waitress, she said that since we have eaten part of the dish nothing can be done. How would we know if we have not tasted the dish? She told us that we have to ask the kitchen staff. When we asked her to get the kitchen staff to speak to us, she said the kitchen staff cannot simply come out to talk to us. She then reluctantly called the captain to speak to us. The captain at least took the trouble to take the dish to the kitchen and came back to us to ask us whether we would like to cancel that order or to order another type of tofu. We decided to change the order.

Communication: At first, we were told by the captain that since we are having our lunch in a room, (she omitted mentioning about sharing room) we will be charged RM5 per person even if we don't order any tea but later the waitress told us that since we are in a shared room the charges for us will be only RM3+ per person and she told us that she has already confirmed on this with another person that RM5 per person is only for the VIP room. But when the bill arrived, we were charged RM5 per person instead and it's stated VIP room in the receipt. When we queried her, she called the captain who told us that it is RM5 per person. All this while, the waitress kept quiet without apologizing to us that she has given us the wrong information and she blamed it on the miscommunication among the staffs and also the change to a new management/owners.

Staffs' Attitude: Captain = bad, waitress = worst. The only staff with good attitude is the friendly waiter who served us the dishes with a smile.😃

Lastly, credit should be given to another staff who explained to us patiently on why all the staffs are giving different information to customers and she has apologized to us on the miscommunication issue and also gave us...

I have visited this restaurant from more that 33 years ago and have been visiting it off and on

My photos in Google maps as of 7 th Nov 2023 has 2,000,000 views [ it is mostly on food ] .

Today my wife wanted to try out the Vietnamese style grilled prawns

I was reluctant to because 大头虾 [ big head prawn the one that is used ; is generally a very low quality prawn , normally not found in Singapore restaurants because they have better choices] like 黄脚虾 [ Ang Ka yellow leg ] , 老虎虾 [ tiger prawns Marodon species ] etc...

The reason it's because the quality is more inferior + the head and the carcass is rather big and cannot be consumed + it's a generally a freshwater farmed prawn.

However in order not to dampen her desire we decided to order 2 pieces and try.

Considering it's being barbecued maybe like 30 to 35% of the weight is lost.

It was claimed that the 2 prawns weight ( sold by weight ) was charged 400 gm [ 2 X 200 gm each ; the size of a medium blue crab 🤣 ] something I find it is quite hard to believe ( because I had previous experience in helping an associate distribute seafood ) .

In my opinion [ which I may be wrong however quite conservatively my estimation is likely to be correct ] the witch be less.

This is really very disappointing !

Because the trust that has been built for years was just abolished in a day !

The Char Siew is still ok and reasonably good.

However the roast pork is way BELOW average standard especially the quality of the skin [ the test of the quality and the skill of the chef ] really lies in the quality of the skin, it's crispiness and perforation.

After this visit, [ I rarely say this in my reviews ] my conclusion is that ITS VERY DISAPPOINTING & I would highly recommend my friends and associates to look for better alternative restaurants which will give a more consistent quality , honesty, price and value [ comparing "Apple to Apple " ]

However , being an open person ,months later I envision do some surprise visit to check out everything again and if possible give an update or share my honest opinion hopefully to see if there are radical improvements that will give it a thumbs...

Background Oversea Restaurant, located on Jalan Imbi, is an institution in Kuala Lumpur’s Chinese culinary scene. It is renowned for its authentic Cantonese fare and signature barbecued meats, particularly the char siew. 

Ambience The restaurant has recently been refurbished, elevating its interior to a more polished and modern aesthetic. The upper levels now feature chic private rooms with warm wood tones, suitable for both casual and corporate gatherings. 

Service Service is generally adequate; however, during peak hours, it can be challenging to attract the attention of the staff. Reservations are essential to secure a table, and it’s advisable to pre-order popular dishes like the char siew to avoid disappointment.

Food/Drink The cuisine remains unpretentiously good and homey, staying true to traditional Cantonese flavours. The char siew stands out, perfectly balancing lean meat and fat. The menu also includes innovative updates on Chinese standards, such as steamed fish, noodles, and stir-fried veggies.

Overall Oversea Restaurant continues to be a go-to destination for authentic Chinese cuisine in Kuala Lumpur. Oversea Restaurant remains a solid choice for those seeking unpretentious and flavorful...