The Rice Bowl — Restaurant in Manchester

I don’t normally leave negative reviews but felt that I needed to in this case. I’ve been using the rice bowl for years with my family and friends whenever we visit Manchester. The food is okay, but the staff are always a bit rude. However, I never let it bother me much until this evening! I phoned up earlier this afternoon as I have often done many times and booked a table for family of 5, in advance for the weekend as we are planning a shopping trip to the city centre. I’ve just had a phone call after 9pm this evening from a lady claiming saying that she is the manager and that she requires £100 deposit to hold my booking, something I’ve never been asked before whenever making a booking, including earlier today!! When I asked why, she told me that this is their policy. I have friends who I am meeting with who have booked for the same day and they were not asked for a deposit. When I told her this, she asked what their names were, which I told her is irrelevant. I asked her if I could call her back tomorrow as it was quite late and she said that there would be a good chance the table wouldn’t be available. So when I finally agreed, she then told me that she couldn’t give me the table for the time that I desired and I would have to take an earlier booking. I agreed to this also and then she asked me if I had kids which I replied “yes 2“ she then said that they only offer a set menu and I would have to pay the price for my 6 and 7-year-old. I realised then that she was trying to put me off for some reason so I said yes that’s fine and still agreed to pay the deposit, To which she then replied and asked me to take some time and think about it. When I confronted her about this and told her that she had contradicted herself as she had already told me that if I don’t pay now, I will lose the booking. She just blatantly lied and said that she didn’t say that. I offered her again to take my debit card details for the deposit to hold my table as my trip had already been planned and I didn’t want it to be ruined and she just kept putting me off with numerous over excuses until eventually she put the phone down. I know that this was done out of discrimination as this was a personal attack on my culture 😡 I didn’t think restaurants would still be like this in 2024 Britain and will be seeking...

This restaurant looks fancy; however, the staff was not professional at all.

I’m here on a business trip, so this was my first time visiting this restaurant. As an Asian myself, I’ve had a lot of Asian food throughout my trip in Scotland and England. Every restaurant I’ve been to, even a small café today, has asked if I have any food allergies. But today, at this Chinese restaurant, the staff didn’t ask.

When they served my food—sour and spicy soup (酸辣湯), Xiao Long Bao (小籠包, aka soup dumplings), and other dishes—I was surprised. In my 20+ years of dining at Asian restaurants, these two dishes have never contained shrimp unless specifically stated.

As I was about to eat the soup, I noticed several shrimp in it and was confused. I told the server, “Sorry, I didn’t know there would be shrimp in the soup, and I’m allergic to it.” The server responded, “Oh, you can’t eat shrimp at all?” In my head, I was thinking, “Do you know what an allergy means? It means my body will have a bad reaction. If it’s severe, someone could die from it.”

And then they blamed me, saying, “You should have asked us before you ordered.” I responded, “You didn’t list anything on your menu stating that this soup contains shrimp, nor did you specify what kind of meat or seafood is used in the soup dumplings.”

My colleague had to insist that they make a new one before they finally stopped arguing and went back to the kitchen. When they served the soup dumplings, we were also unsure if shrimp might be mixed inside. The server wasn’t 100% sure and kept saying, “It shouldn’t have shrimp inside, I think.” I asked, “You think? Or are you 100% sure there’s no shrimp in it?” He couldn’t give me a solid answer but instead asked, “So you can’t have even a little bit?”

Frustrated, I finally said, “Do you want me to eat it and end up in the hospital?” That’s when he finally went back to check with the kitchen. Even after they confirmed there was no shrimp, he hesitated and said, “I’m afraid… I don’t want you to eat it. I’d be scared if you had to go to the hospital later.”

It ruined my appetite and the whole experience. They didn’t apologize at all with any of the statement they made. I believe if I’m not Asian today visiting this restaurant, there will be a better way for them to resolve...

Terrible Service and Rude Staff - Never Going Back

Date of visit: 20/07/2024

My partner and I had a deeply disappointing and unfortunate experience at The Rice Bowl that I believe it is important to share to prevent others from enduring the same.

Upon entering the restaurant, we waited for an extended period of 45 to 50 minutes without so much as a greeting or being acknowledged by any staff member. This wait was particularly difficult as we were very hungry, and my partner almost fainted due to her anaemia. Despite being in view of a staff member, we received no communication or updates during this time.

She bypassed myself and my partner and actually stared through us as if we didn’t exist, but then was comfortably enough to attend to the Caucasian families stood behind us, asking whether they had a booking for a table to dine.

The only interaction that we had from the host of The Rice Bowl just as we were about to be seated was “This family had booked a table and you are Next; Okay” Eventually, we were shown to a table, but the interaction was abrupt and unfriendly. For, the host deliberately walked back in front of my partner without any courtesy of allowing her to sit first. This lack of basic courtesy left my partner very upset. Our experience worsened when we tried to address the situation. The staff member claimed she had asked if we wanted a table for two, which was not true. When we expressed our concerns, she dismissively shrugged her shoulders and walked away, not returning to address the issue.

Feeling ignored and disrespected, we decided to leave. Based on this experience, we will not be returning to The Rice Bowl. I hope the management takes this feedback seriously and improves their customer service. I would recommend potential diners if they value their time and dignity and overall dining experience, to consider these points...