Chinta Ria

oh boi! I have had the pleasure of visiting this restaurant on a number of occasions-and everytime my friends and I leave feeling happy, content and ready to hit the cockle bay clubs!the naan bread is our favourite-served with a satay sauce, its delicious. Their curries and other dishes are just as good!!

In Sydney, there are a number of restaurants that really evoke the East - or at least, an idea that people may have of it. So you'll find places here which you would never find in the country of origin and I can't help but think that Chinta Ria is the epitome of this. The decor is beautiful - a giant Buddha and gong greet you upon arrival, and there's this muted light throughout the restaurant which gives off a slightly mysterious air; it feels like you are somewhere a lot more exotic and exciting than Darling Harbour. The setting and the noisy atmosphere are simply wonderful.

I ordered one of my favourite dishes, nasi lemak, which is a quintessential Malaysian dish - and I had to wait absolutely ages. When it finally arrived and I had a spoonful, it was immediately apparent that what I got just wasn't very authentic or tasty. And it was expensive too, all things considered. It's as though the person who made it looked at a picture of the dish but with no idea how it was supposed to taste. I haven't been back since because good food is more important to me than good atmosphere.

Perhaps I just had a bad experience the one time that I went there but I have since asked numerous Malaysian friends what they think of the food at Chinta Ria - and they all agree that the food is just not very good, let alone authentic.

Food is fantastic, i can recommend the curries- everyone i tried was fantastic. Can be a bit pricey if you are on a serious budget, but worth it for the atmosphere. Great views of cockle bay. They dont usually take bookings so if your in a large group go early, put your name on the list and head somewhere like Pontoon for a drink first.