New Garden — Restaurant in Wales

Visited on 17/01/25. There were four of us and we had booked. On arrival we found lots of people sitting in the front area, with no apparent staff around. We walked through to the main seating area and it was full. We were told by a member of staff to go and sit back at the front and they would get to us when they could. We asked the member of staff at the bar if we could have drinks but they said they couldn't serve us at that time.

After at least 15 mins we were taken to our table. The restaurant was extremely full and noisy. Our drinks order was taken, followed by our food order. The staff who laid the table literally dropped the plates and cutlery onto the table rather than placing them down. The food arrived quickly, but we had to keep asking for our drinks. When the drinks finally arrived, the order was wrong and it took some time to correct. There was also a table next to us with two couples on it and they also appeared to have had an issue with their drinks order, which appeared to take a lot of conversation and three members of staff to get it correct in the end, but in a very abrupt manner from the staff.

All in all, the food was at best average, the chicken chowmein just had chunks of chicken on the top, no shredded chicken was actually cooked in it. The main disappointment was the attitude of the staff which left a lot to be desired. Most of the staff looked miserable and not customer focused at all. It may have been busy, but there were quite a few members of staff waiting on tables, they just needed more to cope as it seemed most did not want to be there. It seems that the restaurant is relying on it's previously good reputation, but I'm afraid this is no longer there.

The only pleasant member of staff was the manager who was going around at the end of the night chatting to tables with a smile on his face.

I've been to certain Chinese restaurants in China Town, London where you know the staff are going to be rude to you as part of the experience and at one point, I thought that this is what we had gotten at the New Garden!

Would we go back....no, we will look for somewhere else to have a Chinese meal. It's a...

Delicious food but poor service.

Visited on a Friday evening. The restaurant was busy and, as a result, loud! At times conversation with the person sat next to me was difficult. I'm sure the piano music would've been lovely, but we were sat quite close and still couldn't hear it very well.

It took 25 minutes for anyone to come for our drinks order and, when they arrived, the drinks were dumped on the edge of the table and we had to guess what's what. Also charged for one more drink than we ordered. Soft drinks expensive.

The guy taking our order seemingly couldn't wait to get away! He offered to leave twice (which we definitely didn't want after it had taken so long for someone to arrive in the first place) and then disappeared before we'd all ordered and had to call him back for the last two.

Then food did arrive quickly and was OK, I wasn't blown away. The sizzling satay didn't have a peanut taste, duck seemed pale and bland. Crispy beef was good!

We were brought a dessert menu but nobody came back to take our order so we abandoned any thoughts of dessert and asked for the bill. Then sat waiting to pay the bill for ages before managing to flag someone down and being told we could pay at the counter.

We had sat for over an hour between finishing food and managing to pay the bill (even thought by that point there were maybe a handful of tables remaining). Although it took under an hour from ordering to finishing eating, we were there for over 2.5 hours due to slow / non-existent service.

I certainly wouldn't return on a Friday or Saturday evening, if this is the abysmal...

If you're looking for a great Chinese restaurant in Bridgend, look no further than New Garden! I recently had the pleasure of dining there and was blown away by the food and the overall experience.

First of all, the restaurant itself is beautifully decorated and has a warm, welcoming atmosphere. The staff were friendly and attentive, making us feel right at home. The menu offers a wide range of dishes, from classic favorites like sweet and sour chicken and chow mein to more exotic options like crispy duck and sea bass with ginger and spring onion.

Everything we tried was absolutely delicious. The ingredients were fresh and flavorful, and the dishes were prepared with care and attention to detail. The portion sizes were generous, and we left feeling completely satisfied.

In addition to the food, I was also impressed by the value for money. The prices were very reasonable for the quality of the food and service we received.

Overall, I would highly recommend New Garden to anyone looking for a fantastic Chinese dining experience in Bridgend. The food, atmosphere, and service are all top-notch, and I can't wait to go back and try more of their...