Lin's Restaurant & Bar — Restaurant in London

Before I say anything else, I realise the hospitality trade has had a very difficult time over the last 18months+, I realise that they need to recover lost revenue and I have a huge amount of sympathy for the situation they have ended up in. But.....

I popped in here for a quick dinner whilst staying in London overnight.

Was greated at the door perfectly professionally and shown to a table.

I had....

Tiger beer, 300ml bottle served in an IKEA glass (I have the same ones at home) £3.50 fine.

Starter - Satay Chicken Skewers - 4 good sized skewers of chicken, a lump of cucumber? with satay sauce tipped over the top on a small plate. £5.80. hmm. However it was ok.

Main - Stir fry beef with Chillies. - 9 (yep, I counted them) small pieces of beef, with a LOT of Onion and Chillies ( it was almost painfully hot, but your milage may vary). Half filling a small bowl, that came complete with 3 chips and 2 cracks £10.50 - nothing like good enough.

Rice - Egg fried rice. Over cooked, soggy rice with a tiny amount of egg and 4 tiny pieces of spring onion. Served in an even smaller plastic bowl, think children's pudding bowl. No chips or cracks though! Given the main was £10.50, I assumed rice would come with it. Nope £4.50

To add further insult, there was then a mandatory 10% service charge, so total cost for a starter and main + a beer, £27.10

Overall pretty terrible. The heat on the main I can forgive, that is just personal preference. The soggy rice, damaged, and thus unhygienic tableware, poor presentation and the cost I can not, so sorry. 2...

As a Chinese I reckon that this place is nothing special. It gets busy during lunch and dinner time, and waiting time could be 10-20 min. Some of the dishes are really nice, despite the small portion. Other dishes do not seem to be authentic and do not taste good. The price is high and there is a service charge added on. This is probably the only Chinese restaurant within a one mile radius, so if you really want some Chinese food and don’t want to travel far, give it a try. Otherwise, there are some better options.

*Added: one thing interesting that I noticed: those 5 star comments are mostly given by non Chinese customers, while Chinese customers tend to give a lower rating. Personally I think the taste of the cuisine in this restaurant is altered to meet western people’s tongue, and thus actually not seem as original and authentic as it should be. As a Chinese, I would more prefer to go to those Chinese restaurants in Leicester Square to get the “real” taste of...

Went here for a quick lunch bite. The interior IS a bit drab, as people have pointed out, but it doesn't really detract. I get the feeling it is more of an informal lunch place rather than a 'special night out treat' place. Staff were polite enough - no complaints. I ordered Tofu with Preserved Egg, and Chongqing Spicy Street Noodles. Both were excellent, I couldn't fault either dish. Total price including a bottle of Aloe Vera drink and service was £20, which I think is a touch on the high side (the only reason to pull my rating down to 4 stars). Especially considering the decor. If I am going to sit in cafe-style surroundings, I want to pay cafe-style prices. For other reviewers who complained about the food, all I can say is they were suffering from a condition called "Failing to order properly" . If you go for the lunch special fried chicken with sweet and sour sauce because it is the cheapest thing on the menu, then don't be surprised if you get cheap...