MahJong Room

My partner and I enjoyed a very delightful and somewhat quirky, dining experience here. The staff were great, being very attentive. We ordered the $49 "Tasting Menu". It sounds small but by the end of the night we were so full. The steamed scallop was to die for.

Walking into Mahjong Room, which is located amongst other popular restaurants along the busy Crown St, we were struck by the unique and quirkiness of Mahjong Room. It reminds me of an eccentric aunty, and the waiters all seem friendly and interesting in their own rights. One of the waiters lead us through the front room of around five tables, and walks us down a narrow hall to our table for two. The decor is warm and cosy, with details thrown all around the place that makes the place seem home-like. However the food is far from anything we've made at home! Although the name and description of the restaurant comes across as a chinese restaurant, it's nothing like the typical chinese restaurant fare we've had. Instead the food was fresh, inventive and simply presented.

Great location :) Bland food :(

Delightfully unique, friendly and delicious dishes. I eat out regularly in Sydney but since discoering Mahjong Room recently we keep being drawn back. Firstly, the Chinese dishes are fantastic and seem like great value for the price. The decor is quirky and the service friendly. Everywhere else we have been since has been disappointing.

After my first experience with dinning at the Mahjong Room (very disappointing) some 7 years ago, I decided to give it another chance and go again. On this occasion I was very pleasantly surprised and have been supporting them ever since, introducing many friends and business guests to their wonderful cuisine and spending many thousands of dollars over the years. This brings me to my last dining experience at Mahjong. It was my 46th birthday and Id planed to celebrate it with a group of friends over a lovely dinner and a few drinks. I booked for 20 guests and chosen a banquet dinner. The waitress taking the booking explained wed have the upstairs dining room apart from one small table for four, that there may be other diners at this table. I had no problem in sharing the dining room with other guests. The evening started out perfectly, champagne on arrival and good conversation. We were then seated at our tables by our waiter, whom by the way was wonderful! It was not long before the entrees started coming and everyone was enjoying the food, the company and champagne. Shortly after the head waitress came upstairs, interrupted our group and explained that our laughter was too loud and to please quieten down, she then proceeded to single out one of my guests, a very dear girlfriend, and told her “it's your laughter thats the loudest” and walked off. We were all left feeling a little in shock and my girlfriend was very embarrassed! No one person was being extreme, we were all just talking, laughing and generally enjoying ourselves. Toward the end of the night I went to finalize the bill and was again verbally attacked by this waitress, she explained that theyd turned business away because of my party, that they could hear that girl from down stairs! After all this, as I left the counter (somewhat shaken and very upset) with the bill and proceeded back upstairs, a rather large rat ran across my foot and bounced off to the back of the restaurant. The icing on the cake, so to speak! My birthday dinner, if not for my lovely friends would have been ruined by this inconsiderate and remorseless waitress. I'm sure everyone at some point has been to, or hosted a celebratory dinner at a restaurant before, and will understand it can sometime be a little loud. You wouldn't expect all your guests to sit and say nothing or whisper everything. I suggest the Mahjong Room shouldn't take larger bookings or groups of people if they only want to have their restaurant as quiet and peaceful. I will NEVER go back to the Mahjong Room, nor will any of my friends, and I know our experience will make for good dinner conversation and will be talked about over and over, but sadly not in a good way.