Master Kong — Restaurant in North Island

We booked for a 5pm table, knowing we needed to be out by 7pm. On arrival we were pestered every 5 minutes for our food order. I expressed that we wanted to have a drink first and we would order by 6pm. At 5.40pm the manager came over and said we needed to order, which we did after looking at the menu. The food arrived at our table within minutes. Hardly prepared fresh. It became overwhelming with them piling up plates that we asked them to stop and hold off on some food. We had ordered entrees and a main and they were trying to serve all at once. Regardless of us asking them to hold the food back so we could finish our entrees, the main came back out again 5 minutes later. All before 6pm. A whole hour before we needed to vacate the table. The food was nothing short of fast food, fried, reheated slop. Everything was overly sweet and slammed with what seemed like MSG. We had the prawn crisps, popcorn prawns and ceviche for entrees. All very underwhelming. Popcorn prawns had no pop and were just all batter and had none of the yummy side seasonings mentioned, ceviche was tiny and ho hum, prawn crackers were the most basic boring dish anyone could imagine. Then we had the Peking duck for main. Dry, bland,1/4 duck (should have been half a duck), with some basic sauces and unseasoned, uncured cucumber. The pancakes were dry and caked flour on the outside. Just yuck.

They did deduct the Peking duck from our bill but it still can't save them from getting a low review as others...

The wonderful Asian fusion experience at Master Kong was truly memorable. To fully savor and appreciate the dishes on offer, I recommend assembling a party of 4 or 6, possibly rolling a D12, and sharing everything for a truly immersive culinary adventure.

The mains were very substantial in size and all showcased amazing flavours, a couple sharing a main and a few sides would not be disappointed.

The simplicity of the edamame beans belied their status among the best I've ever tasted, complemented perfectly by an outstanding and spicy sauce. Prawn crackers also stood out, again accompanied by a delightful sauce.

Our party opted for individual mains and an array of shared sides, unintentionally discovering that sharing mains would enhance the Master Kong experience, which some of us did. The dumplings, both pork and prawn, were partially submerged in an expertly flavoured broth. All the dishes at our table had sauces, flavors, and aromas reaching extraordinary levels. The whole place was a feast for the senses.

Step into a world of flavor at Master Kong and experience kai as it was meant to be, shared.

Arrive hungry, leave a little poorer, but immensely satisfied. Where every dish tells a story, and a culinary adventure is your reward. Indulge in the extraordinary richness that Master Kong has to offer, make it a night to remember, don't come for lunch or dinner, come for...

We came to Masterkong for a family lunch on Sunday. We chose to do the Yum Cha which is the continuous set menu food and drinks option. We arrived and were shown to our table. Not one server asked if we had been there before or explained to us what happened during our 2 hour sitting. No one confirmed how many of us were ordering just food or the food and drinks option. It was roughly 20mins into our sitting when the first plate came out. For 6 adults paying $64 each and 2 children at $15 each, we were served 1 plate of edamame salsa. Not sure how that is justified with that many adults. We were then brought the remainder of food options MINUS the Korean Fried Cauliflower, Pai Thai Street Noodles, Mushroom & Truffle Dumplings, the Korean Fried Cauliflower Bao Buns and the Dessert. We had a 30 minute wait for a round of drinks (including softdrinks) that we eventually reminded the server about, to which she was confused and realised she had never put the order through. Considering there was only 1 other table of 8 people and a few groups of 3-4 people in the restaurant, the service was poor. We re-ordered a few dishes that we were lucky enough to try and liked. But again, they didn't make it to our table. Sadly, this was a bad experience. The price you pay, you expect to get what you have paid for. Sorry Masterkong, this used to be a great Restaurant, but we won't be...