BBQ King, Goulburn Street, Sydney

BBQ King, Goulburn Street, Sydney
Saturday 1 April, 2006

BBQ King is an institution - widely known for it's amazing food and the so-called hang out for chefs after midnight. It's not for the faint hearted - BBQ ducks hang by hooks in the shop front window and there is a regular sound of the machete slicing through something. The decor is also not for the faint hearted - it's simple, old and the rickety staircase to the first floor looks like it will collapse.

Why eat at BBQ King? It's all about the food. It's definitely not about the service or decor...

Tonight we were off to see the Chinese ballet, 'Raise the Red Lantern' at the Capitol Theatre. Deciding where to eat beforehand was easy...Chinatown. I called BBQ King to make a reservation on the day. On arrival they sent us upstairs to the rabbit warren of rooms that constitute the first floor. The staff upstairs were completely disengaged and couldn't care less if you were there to eat. Several attempts to gain somebody's attention led to one of the diners at another table taking matters into their own hands and going back to the front to speak with someone about getting some service. It's such a bizarre restaurant...for about 15 mins we couldn't find any staff then out of the woodwork appeared three staff at our beck and call. What the?@!

We ordered a feast - peking duck pancakes, then duck fried rice and grandmothers beancurd. A dinner of champions and everything was delicious.

The service is hopeless and they don't care - we watched the staff deliver the wrong meals to tables, drop dishes, retrieve wrong dishes and place them on the next table after the previous table had already tucked into them, take drinks orders and never deliver them..the list goes on.

This Sydney institution can only survive so long with such poor service. Whilst the food is great, it's not enough to keep you coming back.

BBQ King - 18-20 Goulburn Street, Sydney - (02) 9267 2586