When we arrived here on a Sun night at 6.30pm, the place was pretty full, and there was a small line of people queueing up outside, waiting for tables to become available. Always a good sign. Luckily, we had taken the precaution of booking ahead, so we just sailed in and were seated right at the back near to the service desk.
The atmosphere is casual and laid back, with fast service; it’s not the kind of place that you’re likely to linger all night, so it didn’t really matter that we didn’t have the best spot. In any event, there were only three of us, and this was a table with six chairs, so we were easily able to fit all the dishes and drinks without too much trouble.
They have an unusual self-ordering system that I hadn’t seen before. You’ll find a sheet of paper on your table, pre-printed with all the different menu choices You fill in the quantity of each dish that you want and hand that to a waiter. To know exactly what you’re ordering, there’s a proper menu on laminated sheets in a leather bounder, complete with prices and pictures, to help you to choose.
Having made our selection we handed the sheet over to our friendly waiter and within about 15 minutes, the dishes were on our table, steaming hot. We ordered two kinds of dumplings: chicken ($12) and vegetarian ($11). There were six pieces to a serve. For mains, we shared a beef in black pepper sauce ($26), a sweet and sour pineapple chicken ($19), spinach in garlic ($15) and two serves of boiled rice at $5 a pop, and a single drink. All up, after our 25% Ent Bk discount (up to max $25) we paid a reasonable $68 for that lot.
The food was outstanding. Everything was fresh and flavoursome and served in generous portions.The dumplings were melt-in-your-mouth softness with tasty fillings of vegetables or chicken mince. The main dishes did not disappoint. The beef was tender and well cooked, with a tangy, slightly spicy peppery sauce, and served with a smattering of onions and green peppers. The sweet and sour pineapple chicken had crunchy and succulent pieces of battered chicken in a fragrant, sweet and sour sauce, served with diced pineapples, shallots and peppers. What an excellent dish that was. The accompaniments were pretty good too: the spinach in garlic sauce was a simple, but refreshing dish,and together with the fluffy white rice, they made the perfect complement to the meat and the dumplings. We all enjoyed our meals.
The decor is modern and stylish, with strong lighting and comfy, sturdy wooden furniture. Ambience was lively and energetic, but being mostly family groups, it never became too loud or noisy and we were able to easily converse. Tables are well spaced out, and cleverly arranged in such a way as to allow waiters and guests to move around easily. It doesn’t feel cramped or claustrophobic.
The service was friendly, polite and efficient. These guys are clearly well trained and know exactly what to do. There was no long wait for the food to be delivered or payment to be taken: It all runs like a well oiled machine. Once we finished our meals, we simply took the docket up to the service desk to make our payment.
Being at the Westfield Shopping Plaza at Chatswood affords two advantages over other restaurants that aren’t in a shopping centre. There’s plenty of parking in the centre car park, and it’s free after 6pm. And, there are ample toilets, and they’re clean, easy to find and well stocked.
We had a pleasant evening here and it all ran smoothly. Our booked table was ready and waiting for us. The place has a nice, relaxed, but lively atmosphere, the food is first class, with efficient and fast service to match, and reasonable prices. Add to that, the easy parking and adequate toilets and you have a winning combo, which explains the healthy turnout. We’ll certainly be back!
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