Goldfish

I went to Goldfish to celebrate Chinese New Year and it was one of the most horrendous eating out experiences I have ever had.

I strongly advise against going there for Dim Sum, good service, atmosphere or anything that you would potentially wish to get out of a restaurant

However, if you enjoy watching other customers' amazement at how bad a restaurant is make sure you go as soon as possible.
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1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 1
Monday, February 15, 2010

I visited Goldfish with my girlfriend over the weekend and it was my worst experience in a restaurant ever. We walked in to the restaurant and stood for 5 minutes without a single member of staff even making eye contact and given that half the tables were empty it wasn't like they were rushed off of their feet. Eventually we were shown to a table without a word and left there without even a menu. After sitting there without anyone coming to serve us we eventually called over one of the waitresses and ordered a couple of drinks and said that we would like the Sunday brunch buffet.

The food took forever to arrive and was incredibly average and seemed like we were given leftovers. We had several plates of particularly boring dim sum followed by plain noodles, sweet and sour chicken and a platter of deep fried pastry bits and ribs. Perhaps this is the normal arrangement but to us it seemed a very strange combination.

Our drinks arrived after our food was finished. Once our inital round of food was gone and an age had past we were given more dim sum and when we asked if we could take it away she went to ask the manager (I presume) who looked at our food and deemed it unworthy of being taken away. My girlfriend is a restaurant manager and was astounded at how badly we were treated.

I would rate this restaurant a 0/10. Rude staff, awful service and extremely average food that might as well have been served in a trough.
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Max Bush
1 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 0
Monday, February 08, 2010

Awful - will not be going back. The food is average at best, and certainly not worth these prices. The chilli beef was stone cold - sent it back, for the same plate of (even colder) beef to be brought back three minutes later, this time by the manageress. Her response was to say that if we did not like it, she would stick it in the microwave, but their beef even if cooked again would be cold......left, and asked for the service to be taken off. Service is terrible, food is average at best. This place does not deserve to survive and I hope it doesn't - for these prices, go to Mandarin Kitchen, Singpore Garden or Royal China.
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Benny - View all reviews by this user
2 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Saturday, January 02, 2010

Before I say anything else - a quick warning. You *will* pay for water here. You don't get a choice about whether you want it or not. We were led to our table and, as we sat down, the supplied bottle of still water (that was already on the table) was opened and poured without asking. The implication was that this was simply tap water. But it was not. They charged £3.50 for this alone and it was not even 1 litre.

The best facet of this restaurant is the atmosphere / decor. It is quite unique to say the least. Think trendy art deco with an 80s undertone and you're there. They've made very good use of the space, as there isn't very much of it. This part of the job was very well done.

The service was also quite sharp. Generally non-intrusive and present without being pushy. Also very friendly. As well as efficient. Again - job well done.

The menu and the food were strange to say the least. I'm not used to seeing items like "The Pheonix of Thai". Furthermore, I found the menu quite hard to navigate in that it wasn't always clear which were dishes to be shared and which were complete meals. The food, when it arrived didn't actually impress me too much. I can speak from ethnicity on this point. What arrived was an interesting experiment in trendy oriental cooking, but it didn't appeal to my palate. That said, it was definitely very fresh. I don't think anything that arrived had ever seen a freezer.

The bill? Well it was a bit steep, as I believe the other reviewers have also found.

Overall, I'm not sure I would recommend this restaurant. It's probably quite an interesting experience for a family outing, or a group of friends. But if you're on a one-to-one date with someone special, there are plenty of other choices in Hampstead.
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Alan Ingham - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Friday, September 11, 2009

I came here with my parents to celebrate graduation. I'd been before with a friend and really liked it that time.

I ordered the same thing I had eaten before and it was alright but not as good as last time. Probably different chef. My parents liked their food.

We thought the service was great and liked everything until the bill came.

It was basically a total without the individual items on. My dad thought the price seemed too high so asked for a detailed bill. Turns out they added quite a few things we didn't have. They said it was a mistake but not sure..If you're going here make sure you scrutinise the bill!
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6 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, June 30, 2009

I had lunch time dim sum at one person for 17.50. Hoever, I do not recommend this because firstly we can not make selection and secondly they do not allow doggy-bag even though we did not order second round dishes (this menue is eat as much as you like one). The food is average. Neverthless, I personally do not pay 17.5 for Chinese dimsum. Avoid it.
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Shimada
4 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 1
Sunday, October 12, 2008

I totally not recommend to my friend if you know chinese cuisine.
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- View all reviews by this user
3 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 0
Saturday, April 26, 2008

Went her in a group of 4 after a slightly ridiculous review in the Guardian. First off, the decor is very good. Quite a small place but looks the part, such as authentic looking chinese shutters, nice water-wall, and well decorated.

Service started off well, very polite and prompt. However they forgot about two of our dishes and were often nowhere to be seen when the restaurant got a bit quiet. Food however was generally excellent. Some great starters like duck and hoi sin, good dim-sum and some fried pork. Mains were good too and quite original, like a creamy wasabi prawn. My odd banana desert wasn't too great, but their ice cream is excelent, especially the mango flavour.

Generally a good place, quite pricey at £50 each with no wine, but recommended.
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Stephen H - View all reviews by this user
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 7
Sunday, April 13, 2008

This place is absoloutely delicious! If you want a lovely chinese meal with fantastic service that is always friendly then this is definately the place to go! A few of my favouriteds are their ribs (to die for) and the duck is also always perfect! the atmosphere is always cool and relaxed and it is by far the nicest chinese i've ever had! It is not cheap, but....definately worth the money you pay!
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alex ramirez
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 3
Friday, September 28, 2007