Sarah C.
Yelp
With Chin Chin in Melbourne being such a quality all round dining destination, there was much hype and excitement when it was announced the restaurant would be opening a Sydney venue. Chin Chin picked a prime spot setting up in the long time dormant Griffith Tea building. The building is unique in it's design, which had us intrigued and wanting to see the inner space. It is located in the dining and bar hub that is Surry Hills, on the border of the southern end of the CBD, an area well suited to a restaurant with their reputation. With the reputation and hype it is no surprise that a seating at this restaurant is well sought after and that there are constant line to contend with to grab a table.
We jumped at the opportunity when our friend Spooning Australia decided to choose Chin Chin as a venue for a group catch up, with fellow foodie friends. Even better when it was discovered a table could be booked. The booking was made for the early seating, with numbers confirmed well in advance and the banquet chosen, Easy! Arriving at the restaurant first confronted by the queue, that was negotiated to get to the front desk. From here we were ushered to the bar and advised to grab a drink, while we waited for the table "that was booked for the early seating"
The bar is in a long dark space with a row of booths taking the long centre line to the bar. The wall art of a male and female dressed in bondage gear. I suppose it will be a little confronting and a little odd to some. There was also some neon advertising Chin Chin, in case you forgot where you were. The Chin Chin version of an old fashioned was the drink of choice, said to be made with makers mark on the menu, but actially made with Jim Beam Rye hmmmm. Anyway, a decent whisky cocktail. Whilst ordering my drink and checking out the bar, the group had been seated in a booth within the bar section.
The food was spot on matching the descriptor on their website, with an Australian take on Asian food with perfectly balanced flavours.
However, the experience did not meet their philosophy of being relaxing and fun (this is not reflective of the company in attendance, who made this dining experience bearable) This comment is in relation to the seating arrangement, that was far from comfortable and relaxing and also had a detrimental effect on service. We understand there are usually teething problems when new restaurants opens, trying to get their systems right and that Chin Chin has the added pressure caused by their popularity.
Anyway, the booths at chin chin are made to tightly fit eight, on this occasion ten of us were stuffed into the booth (frustrating when we booked with a lot of advance), with three loose chairs set up at the end of the table in the narrow thoroughfare used by the waitstaff and diners. The table now totally surrounded making it near impossible for the waitstaff to properly undertake their role, serving and clearing the table. The food arrived at the table in abundance, but mostly too much at the one time, leaving us to solve a puzzle on how to fit the dishes on the table with each course. Then having to play pass the parcel to clear the empty plates. This also an effect of having too many people crammed at the table. Which we consider to be un-reasonable considering the table was booked well in advance.
We think they also forgot that the banquet came with dessert, with a large interval in between. It also seemed that no one wanted to clear the table and when it did come time to clear the table for dessert we momentarily vacated the table awkwardly lingering in the thoroughfare and uncomfortably in the way of the other waitstaff trying to do their job.
The highlight being the company and the food. With the massman beef, the wagyu pad see ew, the twice cooked beef rib and the isaan style spicy BBQ chicken being the standouts of the banquet. There certainly wasn't a shortage of food. It is a shame about the seating arrangement as this let down the whole experience in a big way.
