Review Waitan - Sydney

Quite simply a dreadful experience. Advertised as a Seafood Buffet. I don't think so ! Used a Groupon coupon for 2 people. $88 without drinks which is fine if you get good seafood. The reality is different.. Buffet Table 1 was noodles, Steamed Dumplings and fried Calamari. All almost empty and cold. Buffet Table 2 was vegetable, Chicken, Meat and Duck dishes. "Not much seafood in that lot". Many of the dishes were empty. Buffet 3 was the Holy Grail. 5 Hot Seafood dishes. Well five containers but 2 were empty. I had to complain 3 times to try and get something done. Finally some hot fried calamari which I could have purchased from a local chipper. We were seated 45 minutes and I was informed that there was a time limit on the tables but we could stay an extra half hour. Very decent of them considering we were trying to drink the $39 bottle of red which costs $13 in Dan Murphy's. Finally after filling up on the very items we did not pay to have we decided to call the whole experience quits. At this stage the restaurant was getting quieter and they decided to fill up the seafood buffet. A bit too late for us. I have to say the decor is poor and really this could only be described as a Chinese version of an RSL Buffet with poorer quality food and double the price. Do yourselves a favour and do not go here. Always check every available review before buying a Groupon Coupon.

Apparently the highlight dish to try was the duck. My munchkin friend ordered the duck even though it was for two people and she is tiny. Her verdict was good but expected more for a signature dish My fish was really nice and well cooked in a thai red curry broth. It probably needed a little more moisture to be perfect. The dessert was nice but I couldn't taste the miso. Maybe give it a miss and get dessert elsewhere. A nice place for a posh dinner Price = ~ 40-50 per person

Looks nothing like the extravagantly decorated settings shown in the pictures, and certainly does not serve the experimental fusion cuisine described in the blogs about this place. What you are getting is a standard Chinese restaurant dinner that you could get elsewhere in Chinatown, at a slightly higher price point. From what I can tell from wandering around the place, the fancy decorations and bar area have closed down, and are no longer in use. The food was pretty good so I can't fault them for that, but if you are looking for a high end 'Bund' experience, prepare to be disappointed.

Very bad!!!!!!!!! They are cheating!Terrible!!! Can not go to this restaurant again. I ordered lobster for only two person. The y told us only have lobster not less than two kg. Thus I have to order one with 2kg. But it should be changed by them when they cooked in the kitchen. It is impossible for two person to eat up one 2kg lobster easily. I was charged 964 AUD for the dinner just two person. Cheating!!!!

This restaurant is not what it purports on the website. Do not be mislead. In fact I'm surprised they have not been sued due to their misleading website and menu which is nothing to what you can order at the restaurant itself. I assume the original restaurant went bust no doubt given it's 10 million dollar fitout. Let me tell you, the restaurant's decor does not exude quality nor class and thankfully I did not require use of the facilities. There is no bar, there is no great service, there is no asian fusion, there is nothing you cannot get at any other restaurant in Chinatown. Do not waste your money. Food was average, service was woeful and decor was cheap and tacky.

We dropped into Waitan for dinner and not having been here prior to the changes the cuisine is now largely hongkong/singaporean with a larger focus on authentic asian cusine. Liked just about all the chinese food dishes we ordered - from the Peking Duck to the Singaporean prawns. Cold starter dish, the szetchuan chicken dish was great. Wagyu beef was buttery and rather amazing. The dessert was a bit of a miss though. Fellow dinners like the pav dish but for me it was all kind of middling and a miss. Would have been nice to end on some killer tarts and mango pancake.

I just had dinner from WaiTan yesterday. It's brilliant. Think about that 138 dollar plus 25 dollar cooking fee per kilo of lobster in this kind of elegant restaurant. It's really cheap.

I have no idea to say bad thing about this restaurant. That's food so delicious and I think you're must try go there to get some dinners with you family or friends there is good place for the dinner n feeling comfortable with services especially the runner who always keep smiling while the service that look like they have a good manager :)

Service was unprofessional and very off putting. We had to chase down a waiter in order to be seated and when we were shown to a table, it was dirty and missing a chair and he made no effort to clean or find a chair for us. We had to ask twice for water, our utensils were dropped not once but twice by fumbling waitresses and when we were given the wrong order they argued with each other right next to our table. The correct dish never came and after being asking a couple of times if it had arrived yet, we decided to cancel that dish. I envy the patience of the table next to us that waited 40min for their dessert.<br/>As for the food, I can only speak for the two noodle dishes that did arrive. In short they tasted like 2 min noodles and didn't justify the $20+ price point.<br/>The prices are unresonable for the food quality, poor service left much to be desired and an overall terrible experience.

Didn't know what to think with the mixed reviews but we bought a Groupon voucher to try anyway for the all you can eat buffet. Dined there yesterday (Sunday 13th Nov) for lunch. Cold, fresh and tasty prawns, fried prawns, chilli fish, crab cooked two ways, wagyu beef, Peking duck, crispy skin duck, steamed dumplings and about 60 dishes in all - and at no time were the serving platters empty for more than five minutes - most were topped up before they ran out. The place was full so they really did excel at keeping up. Amazing flavours too. Highly recommended. Photo 1 shows some of the 60+ dishes octopus down the bottom, next to it Peking duck pancakes and to the left wagyu beef. Photo 2 shows the cold king prawns and photo 3 shows chilli fish on the left, crab with one sauce on the right, somewhat obscured are the cold prawns and two more closed servers, one with fried prawns the other with a second crab dish. Note also in this photo how full the restaurant was and how full the serving bowls/trays were.

This place really deserves a 5. The food is fantastic, I got Peking Duck (1/2 duck), Wagyu Beef fried rice, Stir fried beans and San Choy Bao.<br/>The Wagyu Beef fried rice is amazing, the beef is really finely diced almost infused with the rice and there's little rice bubble pops on top that gives it this amazing texture. <br/>Furthermore, the service and ambience of the place is great. They are almost over staffed so the waiters are really attentive. Definitely will keep going back!

The host is ridiculous. She let us wait outside because they are not opened yet. After 5:30, she let us sit on an table inside and told us that they will take our order after their brief meeting. But just about one minute, she came back and told us that they do not accept walking in guest on that day and ask us to leave. They should be clear that this action is not acceptable! It is SO RUDE! To let their guest go in and then ask them go away! How could a restaurant do this to their guest?! They should be aware whether the restaurant is booked out or not! What a pity that zomato only have rate from 1 to 10, if possible , I would like to give this place -10!!!!

Dined tonight following a recommendation from a colleague and what a mistake that turned out to be.  Do not be fooled by the pictures on the website, this restaurant has gone bust and is being run by amateurs (riesling served in red wine glasses, menu on an ipad)  inflated prices, msg, appalling service and cheap and tacky decor.  The food is no different to any other restaurant in Chinatown. Showed the waitress the website and she didn't have any clue what I was talking about. One big misleading joke. Go to Golden Century instead.

Delish pepper beef! So succulent. Slow and indifferent service. Feedback to management was met with supreme indifference. Considering the pricey dishes, the experience did not measure up. Will not return.

They served decent Peking ducks. Can tell some unique and pleasant fragrance (fruity & woody) "infused" into the duck, probably due to the special kind of wood they use during the preparing process (not quite sure). Anyway just enjoy it, it's Peking duck and it's yum.

So disappointed. Take your money else where. Went to waitan only to be greeted by a rude door host who kept looking at me with great displeasure. It was the Chinese girl with short hair. I will never come back here again. The food is over priced and the dishes arrived at our table cold. When I told staff they got a angry. There is no more bar so no more lovely cocktails. You guys fired all the wait staff who weren't rude. The Chinese staff are very rude and give you terrible looks as if they want to spit in your food. Only go to waitan if you want to feel unwelcomed. I would not surprised if this restaurant goes down like china republic.

Wai Tan. This place was one of the most popular places last year, and I’m here late in the game! Never fear! Food will always be there to be consumed, especially for a place as fancy as Wai Tan. The place sure is fancy! There’s as whole floor dedicated to private rooms of varying sizes. This visit is kindly sponsored by my boss, and I didn’t get a chance to ask about how to book a room...

Wai Tan is definitely a breath of fresh air for Chinatown. It’s bold, brave and unashamedly modern. Considering $10 million was invested in this restaurant, the lavish decor, private dining rooms and formidable bars do not come as a surprise.

Waitan is another restaurant that has been on my list ever since I decided to enter the blogosphere. Mostly because I read a tonne of media coverage regarding their opening featuring models, Lamborghinis and chefs flown out just to be there. I mean, come on.<br/><br/>Hot girls, hot cars and hot food is basically my life in seven words.

This place will definitely make its way up to the top very soon. The dining experience will no doubt be a memorable one, allowing you to experience the richest of the Chinese culture.

This is a new restaurant so you don't really know if it will good. Time generally determines whether one will make it or not. Having read a few reviews about the lavish opening and how much coin was spent on this place; I didn't know what to expect.   Apparently the highlight dish to try was the duck. My munchkin friend ordered the duck even though it was for two and she is tiny.

Then we had to put up with the disappointing serves of Balmain bugs in black pepper sauce which was mostly shell and sauce. I don’t think any of us got a decent serve of bug out of the dish. We basically filled up on a plate of spinach which was the last thing we had ordered. Discouraged to spend any more money at the establishment, we walked off even though we weren’t full. A little embarrassed, feeling cheated of a good meal as we strode past far more worthy places like East Ocean and Golden Century. Take your money elsewhere. The experience here isn’t worth it.

We arrived at the entrance to Lamborghini's, models and a red carpet. Once we walked inside it was a jaw dropping surprise.

3 Lamborghinis Murcielagos, a club’s worth of tall, pretty models, a $10 million+ fitting, a $50,000 bottle of Hennessy – the only one of its kind in Australia, a master chef specialising in Peking duck flown in from Beijing and head chef John Rankin (pedigree Quay | Astral | Sean’s Kitchen), Australia’s largest dining table, and a $10,000 membership.

Waitan just screams luxury from practically every angle. It’s definitely one of the most beautiful restaurants I’ve ever been in with gorgeous plush carpets, stunning wooden tables and Chinese-style chairs ...

Half a year down from their launch, Waitan has undergone a few nip tucks with their opium daybeds and cavernous dimly lit space tweaked. The menu’s also been streamlined with the peculiar fusion out the door and shaped into a tighter more focused pan asian (think chinese, hongkong, singaporean) menu – with pictured menu to boot. Verdict out the way: it’s actually pretty good. Part of the experience here is definitely a wander around the venue. There’s the big dining room and also tighter 2 seaters hidden away in the booths. Waitan’s dining interior is still dim but light levels are comfortable. Entree: poached chicken in a chilli/peanut oil This was pretty nice being a favourite of the table. Very tender and the sauce was nice – apparently someone complained to the restaurant that the serve was too generous for an entree? Who does that?? More please.  It sat on a mound of semi cooked sprouts. Salted duck egg encased in terrined duck. Quite interesting, with the salted duck egg being br

I always wondered after the renovation of the new building on Sussex in Chinatown, what it would become. The shops down on the street looked very new and nice…never did I think that upstairs would be a massive restaurant…and of course suiting the whole Chinatown area, it would be a Chinese restaurant. The decor of Waitan is really nice, not like any other Chinese Restaurant…It’s a very comfortable place to have a meal there, not like those super noisy Chinese restaurants where you can have Yum Cha. Alot of seating is available, and on the night we went, many of the tables were filled. However, the tables were wide apart, so you still feel a sense of privacy and comfort. Most importantly, how was the food? First came the cold dishes…we had the cold chicken with chilli and sesame oil- one of my favourite Asian dishes. Waitan did it the way I liked- heaps of peanuty sesame oil! Loved it! I t

WAITAN: A NEW CONCEPT IN LUXE ASIAN DINNING WHERE EAST MEETS WEST AND OLD MEETS NEW LIKE NEVER BEFORE Located at the heart of Sydney Chinatown, Waitan has emerged in Oct 2013 with a promise to deliver the ultimate Asian foodie experience. Waitan is the first Australian venture for Asian hospitality groups, Xiang Er Qing and Tung Lok, with Patrick Tian as the local managing director and Aaron Ching as the Chief operating officer. Together with over $10 million spending and a stunning 2,500sqm venue, Waitan has certainly set its impression to bring a new and exciting vibe to the old Chinatown. "My Hunger will go on" was really grateful to be invited to this party at Waitan, and we knew what we were going to see on the night would be amazing and memorable. We arrived just before the sun went down, and there we saw the colourful Lamborghinis sitting glamorously at the entrance and attracting many attentions from the public. At that instant, we couldn't wait to walk up the red carpet and ch

The Peking duck pancakes were a definite crowd favourite. The smokey flavours of the freshly cooked Peking duck with the crispy skin really makes you want to keep coming for more.

The unique twist to this dish however is that the pancakes are served on a purpose-made tray with a heat pack and boiling water to keep the pancakes hot and moist which I thought was a really nice touch to a dish that normally turns cold quickly.

Quite possibly the hottest restaurant opening of the year, the $10 million Waitan in Chinatown caused a big stir on Sussex street on the 30th October at its official launch event. The streets were lined with media, models, Lamborghinis and even a few celebrities from Masterchef and possibly others as the restaurant opened up its doors to celebrate the opening of a new and exciting dining destination. Miss K and I were invited by Krissie at  Hill Knowlton Strategies  to attend the red carpet event and we were very excited as the event got closer, we also bumped into a few familiar faces including Matthew & Beryl ( Plan-MB ), Michael ( I’m Still Hungry ), Jen ( JENisHUNGRY ), Ando & Belle ( The Lamstock ) and also Mina ( My Hunger will go on ). Although there was plenty of food going around during the night, please note that these probably do not represent the dishes that are available on the full restaurant menu. Although very likely to be similar, they were mostly finger food made spe

Say hello to the newest restaurant addition to Sussex St in Chinatown whose concept is to connect east and west, old and new like never before.

It is impressive and every penny of that $10m spent to furnish the place didnt seem to go to waste. The Shanghai-”esq”, colonial era stylings were very tasteful and very reminiscent of the 1800s wealthy period during the Opium wars. One of the things i liked most was the “Opium Den” style bar lounge area which offeed a sense of privacy, when you want a nice quiet drink without the hussle and bussle.

A while back I was invited to attend the extravagant launch of Waitan Restaurant and Bar in the Chinatown precinct and at the time I had vowed to check the place out once it was officially open. Fast track to a few months later and I finally actioned that thought. A few weeks ago it was Chinese Father's Day and the dad was coincidently in town so I thought it was a fitting time to try out Waitan properly. The interiors of Waitain are ultra opulent and luxurious in comparison to most of the Chinese restaurants you are familiar with. It definitely has that luxe modern vibe which rings true to its "fine dining" style of cooking and presentation. The entire restaurant sits on two levels - the area you see here is the general dining hall which is beyond spacious and the top level is more for functions and VIPS from what I recall.  Tea is served very differently here - you get charged per cup! Very pricey indeed. I apologise in advance for failing to include prices for each dish - unfortunat

Waitan is simply spectacular. They spent over $10 million renovating this classy place and it shows. Yet the prices are not crazy considering it's like stepping back in time to the 1930's in Shanghai. This place is different. this is deliberate.

Arriving on a rainy Friday night at around 630ish, we entered the restaurant very casually and was seated immediately. No longer were there the models and Lamborghinis or red carpet. Just your normal restaurant located on the second floor of a Chinatown building. You probably wouldn't know it was there unless you were looking for it.

The restaurant itself is split over 2 levels and 4 main sections. The first section is a standard Chinese restaurant table area with authentic oriental styled chairs and tables cloths.

Waitan looks to deliver the ultimate contemporary Asian food experience – honouring the traditional and including new Asian food concepts. And the two Asian hospitality groups behind Waitan know a thing or two about Asian cuisine – Tung Lok with restaurants in Singapore, China, Indonesia, India and Japan and China-based Xiang Er Qing.

The ambitious vision of team behind Waitan is to fill the niche for upmarket Chinese dining in Sydney, a trend which appears to have started with Mr Wong and continued with the arrival of China Republic roughly around the same time as Waitan late last year. We think that this vision has shone through in the expensive fit out of the restaurant, which is split into 4 distinct areas over 2 levels. On the first level, there’s the dining area to the left of the entrance, where we ate tonight and also the bar area to the right of the entrance, with cabana lounges in the adjoining room for a more relaxed and novel way to enjoy your drinks.

An email invitation to a restaurant launch arrives in my inbox with a logo of a man riding a rickshaw with a cargo load of the words WAITAN. “Hey, another street food court is opening up in Sydney” I tell Mysaucepan.

The food was executed in a classy way, but I'm not sure whether it really hit the spot for me. I'm very impressed that they actually built a Peking Duck oven, and am equally impressed with the 10 million dollar fit out. But is it food that you can't get any where else in Chinatown? Perhaps not, especially with the accompanying price tag.

Dim and moody lighting, crisp white tablecloths, hanging birdcage light fittings and dark timber furniture are a sign that this is no cookie-cutter Chinese restaurant. There's a deliberate push for opulence here, including its O Lounge with partitioned cushioned platforms - or "opium" beds - for guests to recline on.

After a shaky start, Haymarket’s ten million dollar player has found its feet. Over a smooth MouTai Cocktail ($25) I muse: it’s a totally different restaurant to the one I first visited late last year for the launch and a subsequent dinner. All traces of the somewhat uneasy fusion between East and West have vanished (along with the previous chef). They have retained David Blackmore’s wonderful wagyu - try it as buttery Dry-Aged Ribeye ($49.80/100g) sizzled tableside on hot stones then accentuated by sauce Bordelaise. So complete is the change, some menu specials are printed only in Chinese. Never fear, I ordered a Lamb Hotpot ($69.80) from this menu anyway, enjoying the rich hearty flavour brightened by chrysanthemum (tong hao) leaves. Precede your hero proteins with one of the Chinese cold dishes I’ve come to love - Sichuan Poached Chicken ($19.80) with chilli oil and sesame dressing - or experiment with beautifully toothsome Wood Ear Fungus with Onion and Wasabi Oil ($12.80) . Even t

Five months in and changes are afoot, with particular focus on the menu. Taking into account constructive criticisms and suggestions for improvements, and with new chefs brought in from China and Singapore, the Singapore-influenced Chin

In a case of ‘if you build it, they will come‘, Waitan’s opulent fit-out is unlike anything Sydney has ever seen before. The restaurant was unfazed about flaunting this at their launch party last year with many people to this day, still associating the restaurant with the $10million dollar fit-out figure and the Lamborghinis that lined the restaurant entrance at the launch event. Waitan encompasses 2,500sqm, spread across two levels. The name pays homage to an area in Shanghai which historically was one of the earlier ‘East meets West’ areas. Confusingly, Waitan as a restaurant doesn’t actually serve Shanghainese cuisine but aims to be the cross-cultural ambassador for modern Asian. Catering to Sydney’s elite Asian community, what they’ve nailed are the 14 private rooms, each with a minimum spend from $1000 (scroll down for a peek at these private rooms) and its own themed decor. Depending on the size of the room, guests may have dedicated wait staff or private chefs. And the people

NO NO NO! Was actually keen to give this infamous restaurant a go despite all the bad reviews I read, so I called them to make the booking after first trying the website but the booking page was down. So a lady picked up the call, and I asked if I could make a booking for Friday, to which I got a response of 'No sorry no table' in a rude and unfriendly tone and then straight away hung up, without giving me any chance of checking another date or even to say good bye. That was the most shocking manner I have come to experience first hand in many years. I just cant imagine any restaurant handling a potential customer like that. So thats it, NO NO NO! I am not going to spend money on an already overpriced restaurant for such horrible service. 16 year olds at Maccas and KFC have better manner.

Great furnishings, Mediocre Food. Dodgy waitress!. Sydneysider here. Went to this restaurant for an evening meal with a work colleague. It is a very beautiful restaurant, with charming furnishings, great moody lighting, and comfortable seats (that have soft cushions). However, then we ordered the food, and we were shocked by the quality versus the price.<br/><br/>Positives: Food came quickly, and was cooked through. Waiters were always nearby ready to take our order or fill up our glasses of water.<br/><br/>Negatives: For the price you pay, the value for money leaves alot left to be desired. We ordered a starter of calamari rings which turned out to be more batter than actual calamari pieces, as well as three mains which were the spicy long beans, mapo tofu, and steamed coral trout. The spicy beans were exactly the same as you can buy in the dixon food court 5 mins downstairs but at double the price and 50 % less of a serving. The mapo tofu was cheaply made, the tofu was very fresh however everything else in seemed to be skimping on the ingredients, ie no peppercorns in it, the use of preserved vegetables as a flavouring agent, miniscule amount of pork mince etc. Finally, the coral trout was the best part of the meal, it was very fresh, and cooked well, the flavours nicely done. But at the cost of $120.00 AUD for a 600g coral trout which was the supposed market price, you'd expect it to be fresh and cooked well!!<br/><br/>Overall for our 3 mains and a starter we paid a $180.00 and the waitress asked us for tips as well, we obliged out of giving her face a 10% tip so we ended up paying $198.00 for two people, for a meal that in terms of value would probably be worth $80.00, accounting for the decor and actual quality of the food. <br/><br/>We will not be going back, and I would unfortunately not recommend Waitan either, simply for the fact that the beautiful decor and furnishings just dont makeup for the low value for money that this restaurant provides. The quality of the food was very average (except for the overpriced coral trout which was excellent) and the asking for tips was a little outrageous considering the high prices of the food we paid as well. <br/><br/>Also, bring cash, as if you pay by card, the head waitress WILL stand there and watch you enter your pin number on the mobile card reader they carry around. I had to change my card pin number when I got home, as I did not get a positive feeling from the amount of attention she paid to the pin number I entered!!!

I asked if they have soybean milk. The guy went to ask the manager and said yes. They gave me a cup of SOY MILK which you use for coffee. When I saw the bill, it said "macchiato" and charged me 4.80 for that soy milk. This is deceitful plus a rip-off. Bad service too. Extremely terrible. Dined on Aug 8th 2014

As a Chinese myself when I walked into the restaurant I didn't feel welcomed. We asked for a table for two and was told there was a one hour wait when half of the restaurant was empty.<br/>While we waited there they gave us the feeling that they didn't want us Chinese to be there. Of course we left after waiting for 15 mins. We feel embarrassed. What kind of Chinese restaurant is this when Chinese customers are not even welcomed? Very disappointed.

Was not worth the money you pay, food was ok, but you could get the same in a food Cort . A joke of a place.

Disappointing. We were looking forward to Waitan with its promise of upmarket chinese dining. Living in the city with its line of same old chinese restaurants which are uninspiring, Mr Wong's is the only standout. <br/><br/>The mood lighting and decoration was promising. <br/>Service was terrible. The waiter having little knowledge of the menu. <br/>The Sancerre we ordered was out of stock. The sommelier's suggested replacement was 'there are some good Sav. Blancs coming from new zealand these days'. Really? Who knew? <br/>We were generally spoken to like tourists who didnt go out much from wine selection to being offered a knife and fork to eat with! Perhaps tourists who visit once are the target market? <br/><br/>The waitresses wear thick woollen scarfs for good reason. The air conditioning is freezing and coats are advised while dining. <br/><br/>The vegetable dish we ordered was 'sold out' However, we did enjoy the food we ordered, apart from the wasabi prawns which were dry and ordinary. <br/><br/>Table placement at waitan is not conducive to upmarket dining with a large table taking centre place, surrounded by tables of two. However, the several couples trying to enjoy their evening did form a sympathetic bond with looks passing between tables at the ear piercing demands of the bored children running round the centre table.<br/><br/>Mr Wong has no competition here. More's the pity as you are able to actually reserve a table at this one.

Great taste and enviroment. Great Royal Peking duck,wagyu beef and seafood!! This the best restaurant in Chinatown. Must go to have a try!!<br/>They have level one fine dining and level two private function rooms. <br/>Great customer service, just like own family member to take care of you.<br/>Lobster is very fresh!

Top tier chinese dining. This is perhaps one of the most luxurious Chinese restaurant in Sydney in terms of the environment, and it's great to see Chinese restaurants picking up their games. <br/>The food here is a little pricey but we loved what we ordered - the Peking duck, the tofu dish, stire-fried noodles with seafood. It certainly exceeded my expectations given the numerous negative reviews I read here. Mum loved this place, and so will definitely be going back again!

BruceTan. I like the environment and service there. Environment is so luxury and people are so friendly there. I will definitely visit there again with my friends.

Overall the food was great, yet the poached chicken is abit too large as starter. Liked the singaporean chili crab in particular and the rib eye. <br/>the place is hard to find...

Waitan is sumptuous and the food is great. We have just had a wonderful night at Waitan eating great Asian fusion food. Whilst the service still has a little way to go, it is clear to see an amazing restaurant growing and taking its place at the top. Highly recommend you give it a go.

Noreen. Enjoyed a beautiful night at Waitan Last night. Ambience great, service excellent, and the fusion food, not only presented artistically but it was delicious, tasty and we will definitely be taking our friends there. The desert was delectable. Floor Manager Paul was attentive and constantly observing his patrons to ensure their comfort and satisfaction. <br/>Admittedly one fish dish was a little late making an appearance but the waitresses noticed, enquired as to whether our fish had arrived, and it appeared in two minutes. Most impressed as she had not taken our order.<br/>Naturally one would expect to pay more. After all it is not just an eating experience but a peaceful pleasurable and beautiful environment to enjoy an unhurried evening without the noise of Chinatown contesting for your conversation. <br/>Chinatown needs some sophisticated restaurants, and next time I will relax with a re dinner drink in the elegant ‘den” before the main meal.<br/>Try it out for yourself.

Nice interior. Nice interior especially the opium lounge

Dobnslob. Waitan certainly did not live up the hype or standards it had promised and was up there with one of the weirdest dining experiences I have had. Starting with me asking the waiter to recommend anything to he replied "beef or rice". Asking for a little more information he simply repeated himself.<br/><br/>We were also told that we could only have the duck if we had all three courses and must have the duck skin started. This was served simply as skin that was not crispy, cold, bland on a single dish. ( perhaps I should have listened to the waiters recommendation of boiled rice!! )<br/><br/>In sum the food was bad, the service though friendly and very pleasant lacked any knowledge of food / hospitality. Thats fine if its a simply a basic eatery but where Waitan are trying to position themselves and subsequently charge for, is<br/>simply a joke.<br/><br/>The best decsion of the night was my wife's to cancel the mains, skull our wine and leave

Good service. There was great place I've ever been in whole my life. <br/><br/>Nice side dishes and main dishes as well. I strongly recommend you can feel great environment.

Seriously, are all you bloggers for real? Or are you just making crap up, just to sound good or just cos you had a free feed. After reading most of your blog reviews of this disgraceful place, I won't trust your judgement anymore. Seriously. This place, for all its wonderful decor, serves very ordinary food. The Peking duck is a rip off.. They serve you hardly anything compared to other restaurants Peking duck. The vegetables dishes is not fresh. The fish fish is not fresh. The pork dish is not properly cooked. But it's all ssoooo expensive. What a waste of time! If you don't believe me, you go try it yourself at your own expense. You have been warned!

Not great value. No wonton soup! Menu very misleading. Peking duck really only 2 courses-skin and limited pancakes @$47 ( menu states 3 courses)<br/><br/>Wine prices outrageous! Cheapest wine $55<br/><br/>Don't know how this restaurant will survive.Staff very inexperienced. They forgot to charge us for the wine until we pointed this out to them!

Excellent manager. Was walking pass and notice this restaurant with no reservation. Got in with breeze. Excellent decor. Was very impressive with the manager looking after our service. He was top class. My fiance enjoyed the assort dim SIM. Excellent overall

Just OK. Went there last night for Christmas dinner reunion with my ex colleagues. We are all chinese from different backgrounds, Indonesian, Malaysian, Phillipines and China. Nonetheless, we are all agreed we will never come back for the second time. The foods tastes ok, the duck, the squid, the croquettes, the fish in numb broth, the runny egg bravas, the smoked chicken, the pork belly, nothing special. I ate them because the foods were less salty than your standard chinese foods. Nice Decor, Clean Toilets & Great Services though.

Being served in what is supposed to be a top Chinese restaurant by what seemed to be some Irish backpackers was a concern. The concern was then confirmed by the level of service. Whilst they are nice they really have no idea what they are doing. There must be next to no training.<br/><br/>Then there was the lecherous waiter who couldn't keep his hands off the waitresses.<br/><br/>It's simply not good enough for a restaurant that aims for greatness. They should know that the interface between the customer and the restaurant is the wait staff and should have broken a few hundred off the $10m they apparently spent to put it into training.<br/><br/>The food was ok. Just ok. Some good things. Some shockers. Give the Peking Duck a miss for a start. It was too cold so it just tasted like a chunk of cold lard.<br/><br/>But the atmosphere created by the staff (which, I assume, is supposed to be laid back and mellow) made me feel like I was having a Chinese feed at a pub - until I got the bill.<br/><br/>Before I went there I was seriously interested in taking out the $10,000 level 2 membership because of what I had seen of the decor etc. Now I am not interested in ever going back.<br/><br/>By the way, if you are interested in the membership good luck in getting some info on it.

Lovefood. Dined at Waitan last night. Very average experience, thought this restaurant would be something of a higlight as far as the food and service is concerned. Started with service, a bit unorganised. Followed by food, small portions, nothing out of the ordinary, in fact just go down to Dixon street to the market stalls and you can buy better there for a third of the price. Much better restaurants elsewhere in that area.

Dont go there. Such a shame, beautiful decor but service, food very disappointing. Waiting staff are very inexperienced, they served our mains before our entree's, food served cold, food was not at all exciting, very small portions for very expensive prices. We went after reading some negative reviewes thinking we shall give them the benefit of the doubt, I am just sorry we wasted so much money eating here. We will not return nor would we recommend. <br/><br/>These people are obviously not very experienced in running a good restaurant.<br/><br/>Very poor.

Using salmon to cook fish soaked in spicy water? Dish was also really tiny. Extremely unauthentic Chinese, will not return

All show no go stands correct for this restaurant. Went for dinner there last night and was very dissatisfied with the food and service. My partner and I ordered 1 entree, 2 main course dishes and 1 special fried rice. Our main dishes were served before the entrees and nobody knew where our rice were. We ended up eating rice with no main dish and entrees after our main dishes. The quality and taste of the food was standard, nothing mind blowing. Frustrated with the service I asked for the bill and found out that they have charged us for 2 entrees and not 1!!<br/><br/>In order to save my mood for the rest of the evening I paid the bill without any complaints......FOR NEVER TO BE RETURNED AGAIN

The food was good - had the salt & pepper calamari, beef buns, scallops & duck. They need to iron out the kinks when it comes to the service. We weren't allocated a waiter & had to practically wave someone down to order our food, even though you can clearly see us waiting to be served. One pet peeve of mine is seeing other tables who come in after us & get served before us. Also hearing waitstaff telling off other staff within earshot of customers is quite cringe worthy considering this has been marketed as a 'fine dining' restaurant. Hope this improves as I would like to come back to try more of the menu.

Disclosure: I went pre-opening, in their test week. Went upstairs to peek in the window... and the door opened and we were invited in.<br/><br/>It is a beautiful beautiful room, evoking The Bund in 1930's Shanghai. All dark wood, red lanterns and low lighting. (Yes! low lighting in Chinatown - leave your midnight sunnies at home!)<br/><br/>The food was inconsistent, but hey - it was test week and they have multiple kitchens and they are massive. Some things were terrific - the salmon salad was brilliant (now i think about it... it might have been tuna). But the (momofuku inspired?) pork buns were not hitting the mark for me anyway. The duck - magnificant.<br/><br/>The front of house team really needed the test week. Some were super professional, essentially 3 hat standard, and yet others were Fawlty Towers-incompetent. But they were trying so hard it was funny. We had a good night.<br/><br/>What would i change? The MUSIC! <br/>You could play brilliant 1930's 40's Shanghai jazz in this room. Instead we had the same bland elevator tune going around and around all night. Someone go ask William at Marhjong Room on Crown street where he gets his chinese jazz sound tracks from.<br/><br/>Verdict: I'm going back. I really want this place to succeed.