Chilli & Spicy Restaurant - Haymarket

This is a restaurant with two faces. The food clearly is extraordinary. If you like the spicy style of Chinese, this is a must. Excellent range of different dishes.The other side is the appallingly bad service. Wine that never arrives, drink bottles without a glas - I am still waiting for my beet... One cannot blame the students who work there, they simply do what they can but are completely overwhelmed when the restaurant is busy. The management is clearly trying to save money when it comes to service. This is a real pity, because this could be a hidden gem in Chinatown. So, Chilli and Spicy lift your game. Then you will be perfect.

Located inside the Break Free Hotel on George Street, the ambiance is not that great. The vinyl seat covers were ripped which wasn't a great look. The service wasn't outstanding. Every other table had a pot of tea delivered to the table except mine, so I requested a pot that was left sitting on the bench by the staff and it was delivered to me cold. None of this mattered greatly but the thing that was slightly annoying was that half their menu was unavailable on the night I attended. I choose three other menu items that I would have had in preference to my final choice only to be told they weren't available. The one redeeming feature is the food, which is good. The chilli beef and broccoli had great clean flavour and was very good. Excellent value too at $20 and the serve was large enough for two people.

What a delightful surprise, this food was some of the BEST chinese food we have had in a long time. Both dishes we ordered were delicious, just enough spice for us (we ordered medium spice) a vegetarian dish, beans, eggplant and chillli and a double cooked pork with tofu and chilli, both sensational. A great end to a fabulous day in Sydney sightseeing.

My wife suggested this restaurant but, being inside a hotel, I was not keen as there is such a selection in the middle of China Town. What a surprise! This is a completely new style of Chinese cuisine to Sydney, related to Szechuan but from Hunan, where the Szechuan pepper is replace by real chilli, and boy, it can be hot, but they certainly give you the choice in all dishes. They are all unique and will not be found in Cantonese nor Beijing / Shanghai type cooking.Arrive early and be prepared for explanation – many of the staff do not speak English, and the place is frequently full by 6 pm.The “Maîtresse’ d’ “, Emily will soon get to know you. She is bright, funny and extremely efficient. Brings me my beer without asking, and, unlike many Asian restaurants, the wine list is good and very reasonable. She even keeps special wine glasses for me and my guests, not the tiny glasses served in most Asian restaurants.There are many favourite dishes, the pork knuckle being the best (seems almost German) but is a traditional dish. Be careful as many of the chicken and duck dishes are very bony and difficult to eat – these are quite authentic. The Chairman Mao pork is very interesting. Apparently he came from this province. One tip – if you arrive at 5:30 you will see the staff eating the best dishes.

Just awful. Service standard non existent. Food just above average, swimming in far too much oil. There are many many better options.