We have been going to Zenya since more than 10 years ago, always been our go to Japanese Ramen place when we feel like something near by.
The restaurant has been in renovation for a while and it was just reopened, happened to be in Eastwood with my teenage son, went in to see what's new.
What. A. Disappointment.
Upon walking into the restaurant, there was a strange smell, yes, it's the smell of used oil, one you can always smell in a corner Chinese restaurant.
Looked around the restaurant, none of the waiting staff were the one used to serve us, and none of them seemed like Japanese. You can always tell the quality of food when a Japanese restaurant operated by Japanese people.
The few we also go to in Chatswood are operated by Japanese, THEY ARE GOOD.
Either of myself or my son is a big eater so we ordered Teriyaki Chicken Ramen to share, which was something we always did, he also ordered an apple juice.
Apple juice came and it was not just a bottle of juice, it was an apple juice with cartoon characters (Thomas the Tank Engine), my son was so embarrassed, he had to peel the label off under the table. And the juice was so sweet, he could not go further after the first sip.
The ramen came, the broth was almost just above room temperature, it was way too sweet and did not have the thickness as it used to. The ramen did not have the same texture as before and while the price was the same, the size was almost half.
We quickly finished it and when we get the bill, we were told by the lady with Chinese accent that there was a surcharge for payment less than $35 for EFTPOS and you could not pay by card. $35?? That's ridiculously high. We had to pay by cash at the end. Not because of the amount of the surcharge, we really did not feel like we should be paying for it.
I'm sure we will never set foot in this restaurant ever again.
Edit: 06/08/2018 Added picture with for lease sign. read more