No.8 Noodle Bar 绽放.中餐馆 — Restaurant in South Island

It’s easier to criticize than to praise so I usually don’t but this was the WORST Chinese restaurant I’ve ever experienced! I had to send back one out of two of the three entrees we ordered because everything was way too salty as in biting into salt type flavor which masked all other flavors. The sweet & sour chicken was frozen/reheated/not fresh as were the won ton and spring rolls. The pork stir fry with cabbage didn’t look like the menu item and was light in the meat. It felt like everything was oriented to be skimmed from providing a real savory food experience that Chinese cuisine is known for.

What was worse was the pricing —! $144 for lunch for two with three entrees, two beers and an appetizer. Horrendous prices won’t stop me if the food is excellent but it was anything but. Heavy grease was the other predominant flavor.

To be fair, they brought a replacement green bean stir fry that was acceptable fairly quickly but the blank look and non recognition not any meaningful interaction or acknowledgement of my complaint by the owner (which is typical of Chinese staff and restaurant owners from China 🇨🇳) convinced me to NEVER return even tho, as a 25+ year resident of the area, Queenstown DESPERATELY needs a good Chinese restaurant suited to locals, not just tourists or Chinese nationals who live there.

All in all, a pitiful experience that also left my stomach upset and in cramps throughout the night afterwards. AVOID...

I am visiting from Sydney and want find a good Chinese restaurant for dinner in Queenstown. My first night eating at this restaurant, I tried their most famous beef ramen. Taste excellent. I can tell the chef of this restaurant must be a hidden gem (隱世高手）！ So I come back second time and tried something different and more expensive dish. I ordered boiled dumplings, stir fried Gai Lan vegetables and stir fried NZ black abalone with chicken. The dumplings are soft n juicy and good favour. Vegetables is special deliver from Christchurch, fresh and crunchy. And the abalone dish, I have to tell you, is out of this world. The chef thinly sliced the abalone and quick stir fried ensure it is soft and sweet, then it added in the wholesome sauce and chicken strips to make it complete. I have to say, I cannot find a place in Sydney that can cook better than this. The restaurant owner and staff are very friendly and attentive. Overall, this restaurant performs well at dishes of all price levels. This is a must visit restaurant at Queenstown....

Absolutely shocking experience.

We ordered lamb, beef, and noodles — all average but acceptable. Then came the mushroom chicken. After eating several bites, my partner noticed multiple live maggots in the dish — at least 10 clearly visible. I was horrified to realize I had already eaten part of it.

We alerted the waitress, who took the dish away and promised a refund for it. But then we were completely ignored — no one came to apologize, no explanation, no initiative to offer compensation. We had to follow up ourselves.

When I requested a discount on the bill due to the serious food safety issue and emotional distress, they reluctantly offered a 10% discount, which I found completely inadequate. After further discussion, I overheard kitchen staff shouting things like: “Just ignore them,” and “What do they want from us?” — extremely unprofessional and disrespectful.

In the end, we just took the refund for the contaminated dish and left. I regret ever stepping into this place. Poor hygiene, disgusting food, and shockingly bad attitude.

Never again....