Lychee Bay 荔枝灣 — Restaurant in London

If I had an option to rate it 0 stars i would’ve.

My experience at Lychee Bay was nothing short of disappointing, and I feel compelled to share the details of our visit to potentially save others from a similar fate.

I dined at Lychee Bay with my fiancé, and right from the start, the service was shockingly poor. As someone who works in hospitality, I understand that issues can arise, but the lack of basic hospitality here was disheartening. Upon entering, we greeted the staff with smiles, but they barely acknowledged us. The menu was practically slammed onto our table, setting the tone for what would be an unpleasant meal.

We ordered black bean beef noodles, as my fiancé usually enjoys this dish at Chinese restaurants. Unfortunately, he found it to be bland and uninspired. The sweet and sour chicken was overcooked, further adding to our dissatisfaction. While there were a few dishes that were decent, the stars of the meal were few and far between.

Feeling frustrated, I approached a manager—though she wasn’t in a uniform—to discuss our concerns. After minimal interaction, she seemed to dismiss our feelings. Despite the food being largely untouched, her insistence that it was their "best seller" left us feeling unheard. Instead of offering solutions, she simply walked away, leaving us more disgruntled.

When it came time to settle the bill, we requested the removal of the service charge—a move I’ve rarely had to make. The waitress seemed taken aback by our request and insisted that the service charge is not contingent on food quality. I explained that our experience did not meet the expected standards of service, but she continued to argue. It was frustrating and unnecessary.

Upon finally agreeing to remove the service charge, we asked for containers to take home what we hadn’t finished. The same waitress then informed us that the next time we visited, the containers wouldn't be free if we hadn’t paid the service charge. This implication was offensive, as it seemed to suggest that we were attempting to take advantage of the situation—I assure you, this was not the case.

Overall, I found the experience at Lychee Bay to be disappointing on every level, particularly the service. It was clear that the staff lacked training in customer relations and hospitality. It’s painful to say that I will not be returning to Lychee Bay and certainly will not recommend it to others. I believe the restaurant would benefit from a complete overhaul of its staff and training protocols.

Consider dining elsewhere if you value good hospitality. Very very...

We have eaten at this restaurant on a number of occasions, staff were initially fairly pleasant in the initial opening of the newly refurbished restaurant, however, we were shockingly surprised to what we witnessed prior to our meal arriving; staff using their bare hands to apply ice into our drinks after handling other unhygienic materials in the restaurant. I approached them with our concerns, and we were shockingly asked to leave the restaurant after food was brought to our table. I was totally shocked at the “so-called” manager’s conduct and aggressive approach towards us, named Ms JJ Chan. Message to Ms JJ Chan, I am extremely shocked at your conduct and manner. Your aggressive behaviour was unacceptable. If you state your a manager, I suggest you define your role before stating you are a manager! Your behaviour was more like a bouncer, perhaps you need to change your role… it really was not necessary and could have been handled in a much more polite and professional manner. I guess this is not part of your forte… Given the recent health concerns, i.e. coronavirus, it’s not acceptable to allow staff to use bare hands to serve ice in one’s glass. After I witnessed this she served the drink to us. Not great hygiene Ms Chan! It’s always the upmost importance! Given that service charge is applied to the bill, staff eagerly waiting for tips on top, is not...

affordable no frills - basic flavours

I have eaten here 3/4 times now. its an okay place for something quick and social catch up. its small with mood lighting not noisy

the quality and taste is not amazing. definitely not the umm and ahh Chinese flavours but the potions are a good size for sharing , so you can get a few bits without breaking the bank and the food is served very quickly

the staff are not the most welcoming or professional

my last visit i was a bit disappointed, i ordered a special noodle dish the menu stated chicken, pork and Prawn. but the chef decided to add additional ingredients " fishcake", now fishcakes when i eat them make me vom (some sort of seafood intolerance).it wont kill me. i just wont eat it . i didn't complain, but I did ask the staff why this was in there and she said that the chef can choose to put it in sometimes and its my fault for not saying i have an allergy. another lady who was not in uniform then came and told me loudly - making people look at me (so embarrassing) what is the problem fish cake doesn't have fish and its just flour - which is just lies. and they can add anything without asking it doesn't have to be on the menu.

based on this experience I'm not...