I am a cantonese guy born in HK, raised in London. I took my mother and father to Jade Garden on Wardour Street for a Sunday lunchtime dim sum. We are a cantonese family, we go to dim sum regularly, my father owned a restaurant in the UK himself for many years until retirement, and so we are used to the food of chinese restaurants, and the level of quality and service that can be experienced.
The food was OK at best, pretty average for a dim sum restaurant. We ordered lots of various dim sum dishes and it all arrived in a reasonable amount of time.
However, in this place we received probably the worst level of service I have ever experienced in any restaurant anywhere in the world.
Cantonese customer service is a contradiction, as they usually treat customers with contempt at various levels depending on the restaurant and the staff, but for Jade Garden I can honestly say it is the worst (and I have eaten in hundreds of places around London).
After we had nearly finished what we had ordered, my father was still hungry, and usually, in dim sum restaurants, they allow you to order more food, much like a tapas bar. However, before we even finished our food, they just kept hovering around trying to take away food that hadn't been finished from the table, and huffing with displeasure when asked if we could have the teapot topped up with hot water for chinese tea. When we tried to order more food for my father (in cantonese), the waitress started telling him off, unbelievable, for not ordering enough in the first place!!! The cheek of it!! My dad did not want to cause a fuss, and my mother became embarrassed, and so my father told the waitress not to worry about it then. She then angrily retorted, Well, what do you want to order then? My father said Well, if you're sure it's OK, can I have some Char Siu Pork Buns please? The reply came What? No you cannot order those because they take 20 minutes to prepare! Look, we have other people by the door waiting for free tables.!.
At this point I lost my patience. Forget it, Just give us the bill.
What kind of restaurant treats their guests like this? I'm used to terrible service in chinese restaurants in London but Jade Garden takes it to another level.
The camp head waiter spent all of his time shouting and abusing his waitresses, who in turn had faces like they were about to be fired, arguing in cantonese and shouting abuse at each other. A great way to manage your staff openly in the restaurant for all customers to hear.
The prices are not the most expensive, but not the cheapest either.
The food is OK at best some dishes were mediocre, some OK, none outstanding, portion sizes have shrunk since I last ate in there, the food is nothing special at all.
The service will be hit and miss if you dare try it, and if you go as a couple they will place you on a massive table sitting with other people. The front door is kept open by other guests waiting for free tables, and so a massive icy cold draft meant my mother had to wear her coat and scarf at the table.
All in all, on this occasion, I have to say I was absolutely flabergasted at the service, I was left extremely angry, and felt really bad as my parents had travelled down from a long way to meet us, just to experience angry ratty service that simply left us feeling like they were doing us a massive favour and that we had wronged them because my father wanted to order more food.
Jade Garden has been there for many years with the same staff and management for many years. Clearly they are always going to get passing trade because of their location, and will always look busy, which is unwarranted in my opinion.
If you don't mind waiting ages for a free table, getting treated like dirt, rushed in and out and then spoken to rudely, all for some underwhelming [at best average chinese food], then this is the place for you.
We left the place feeling cheated and angry and upset. Not the sort of feeling I usually like leaving a restaurant with. read more