Chin Chin (Sydney)

by - December 18, 2017

            
Chin Chinone of Melbourne's trendiest restaurants launched in Sydney in early October this year, along with some of it's signature dishes as well as some brand new creations. When it hit Sydney it was probably THE buzzword in town, and probably still is. Despite it being a 160-seat restaurant, booking isn't an option for dinner for small groups of less than 6. 


So we thought we would try our luck by getting to the restaurant at 6:30pm. We were told the wait would be about 2 hours, which then got pushed back to 3 hours (we visited mid-November on a Saturday). I guess the idea is that while you are waiting, you can grab a drink from Chin Chin's GoGo Bar which is literally next door, so be prepared to spare your whole evening (bar food menu is available).  

I did come across some comments on of their customer service (and I don't mean it in a pleasant way), so Mr Piggy and I were prepared, but we weren't prepared enough for what felt like an endless long wait. We had to deal with extremely rude staff at the front desk. However, things did get better after we were seated, our waiter of the night was very attentive and had a much better attitude. 

It is understandable when new restaurants open they may have teething problems. At least the food, whilst I'm not sure if it is worth the wait, was certainly good.


Pad Seuw $20.50
We found this dish quite creative, instead of the usual flat rice noodles, Chin Chin used these rolled up rice noodles, which absorbed double the flavours. They were topped up with braised Wagyu Beef and Chinese greens.


Stir Fry Prawn, Bug Tail, Egg Noodle $29.50
This dish reminded us of Mee Goreng noodles that were spicy, salty and sweet - waking up all our taste buds. The interesting combination of ingredients meant the texture was different on every bite.

Butter Chicken $21.5
Butter chicken can come in many variations, and we found this one on the sour side, which was a little different to the ones that we have had in the past. It was still creamy and buttery.

Roti Basket (2pcs) $5.50
What is curry's best friend? Roti (ok or naan!) would be my answer! These rotis had a nice crispy outer layer and the inside was super light and fluffy. It went well with the curry, or to snack on on it's own.

Black Sticky Rice w Coconut Custard & Tumeric Caramel $14.50
To put a full stop to our meal (and to fill any remaining space in our bellies), we decided to get something sweet. We originally wanted to get the coffee panna cotta, but it was sold out so we went with the black sticky rice. 

This was rather a heavy dessert, and I am referring to how much carb there was in the bowl and the level of sweetness. We only managed to eat the tip of the iceberg. The custard was more like an anti-custard. It was warm and dense in texture, we found it interesting, but it was not what we were expecting. 

We found the food enjoyable, and each dish had it's Asian touch.
            
Food: 8/10
Service: 4/10
Atmosphere: 6/10

Highlight:
  • Tasty food & good portions
  • Food came out fairly quickly
  • Bang for buck (perhaps underpriced)
Lowlight:
  • Staff could use more training
  • Very loud atmosphere (people were pretty much yelling at each other + music pumping in the background)
  • Long wait time
Websitehttps://www.chinchinrestaurant.com.au/sydney/
Address: 69 Commonwealth St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Hours: Mon-Sun 11:30am-late
Phone: 02 9281 3322
Chin Chin Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato

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