London Jade Garden

This has got to be the worst restaurant in China Town. The food is ok, but the service is the worst I have ever experienced. The waitresses are flippant and rude. We went there for my sisters birthday and we had a Chinese banquet. Normally when you have a banquet all the dishes come enough for each individual. There where 14 of us. When the starter came there was only enough for 13 people. I asked them about it and the waitress replied (in Cantonese) there are only 13 of you! We doubted our initial count and started counting, before we even finished counting she shouted "yeah count properly and tell me the correct number!). And the correct number was 14! Like we initially said. She reluctantly went back to the kitchen to get another crab claw.

I wanted to order two bottles of wine. The wines were either sold out or not chilled. Out of the entire wine menu there were only 5 bottles of wines available (just so happens only the expensive ones). they brought round the beers for the guys first, the time the wine came the guys had already finished their beers and we still had a bottle of wine on the table when we finished our meal. It was two bottles of wine for 6 people. Also we bought our sister a birthday cake as a surprise. And we asked them to put candles on it and bring it to the table. Not asking any more from them than a normal restaurant. When my sister got up to go to the bathroom the cake was right behind her and they asked how old she was, and then took the cake away to put the candles on it. It totally ruined the surprise and after all the trouble if getting a surprise birthday cake they ruined it on purpose. What kind of waitress asks the birthday girl how old she is before putting the candles on. We only gave them 10 candles! (My little sister is 28!). I didn't see the point in her asking my sister how old she was before putting the candles on as there was no relevance.

In addition, the waitress kept rushing us and telling us that it was time for them to go home and finish work and tapping her watch. We were ordered to put all our plates, napkins and chop sticks in the middle of the table as they couldn't reach. Practically doing their job for them! the table was difficult to get to as they pushed us into-the side. there was no room for the waitresses to get passed comfortable and thats when another order came from them not to leave our coats and bags on the back of the chairs instead but them on the floor! Then half way though the dinner, she switched from speaking Cantonese to mandarin. firstly i am British Born Chinese, and we were speaking english a lot, our Cantonese isn't bad, but it isn't great! Our waitress Mandarin was even worse than mine! i have studied in Beijing and no repsectable person would ever speak mandarin like the way she did. she did it on purpose thinking we couldn't understand. Seriously the service in this restaurant is awful. These are just a few example of what happened on the night.

I have a lot more but do not want to write an essay. The service in London's China town is bad, however Jade Garden take it to another level. You come out of the restaurant annoyed, and embarrassed. I felt bad for my sister. she arranged all her friends to come for her birthday and the place was just awful, to the point where everyone just sat in silence after she left because of her sniffy remarks. The whole experience is just so shameful. I have the right mind to go back and film the while experience and stick it on YouTube so that the whole world can see what a terrible place this is. I used to go here quite a lot when I was younger 12 years ago! But I can honestly day that I will never ever set foot in this restaurant again! (Unless it's to film their bad service of course!) ; ) STAY AWAY FROM THIS RESTAURANT. I WOULDN'T WISH THIS PLACE ON MY WORST ENEMY!!
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Goldpearls
2 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 1
Friday, February 08, 2013

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 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 flabbergasted 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.
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2 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 2
Monday, December 03, 2012

i read comments here. all reviews seem to say the service is bad. i just want to point out that why you never notice that this place is crazy busy. all staff run off their feet and i can tell from their faces that they are really tired. working in restuarants earn so little money but they have not many choices.

going to restaurants these days is like travelling on a plane. you buy low cost air line, what else you expect! if you want great service, go to some where expensive with michelin stars then.
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Ann
8 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 9
Monday, September 17, 2012

I am glad i am not the only one who found the staff of this restaurant rude, so many people said the same thing, and even if the dim sum is nice, it kind of spoils the "eating out" ,, the atmosphere in the restaurant is unpleasant and "cold" ..
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mchan
4 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 5
Sunday, December 11, 2011

I have to agree completely with the 4/4/2011 reviewer: reasonable food but terrible service. The front-of-house guy gave me the menu and an order form whilst I was queuing up outside (if this happens to you you'll need to cross-reference the form with the numbered picture menu as it's written in Chinese only). However, this not-so-jolly chap turned out to be the politest staff member there - everyone else said nothing at all, just took the order and delivered the food in a way that felt like I was as unwelcome as a fox in a henhouse. When I sat down at the start of the meal I noticed that the paper tablecloth was soaking wet from the crockery that the staff hadn't bothered to dry properly. Dim sum was fine, in fact probably above average although a steamed rice dish was overdone slightly. The bill was practically thrown at me (in silence, of course) before I'd actually finished my tea. The price was on the cheaper side of your typical China Town expense, but this hardly made up for the service. Dire, and I've eaten in Clacton.
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Discerning Eater
4 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 7
Monday, April 04, 2011

Went there for Dim Sum on a Sunday. The food was OK but the waiters/waitresses were incredibly rude. One cannot expect great services in a Chinese restaurant in China Town but it was something else.

The second we finished our food and put our chopsticks down, they took everything away including tea pot which was still half full. We managed to cling onto our tea cup but then they started changing the table cloth while we were still drinking our tea. And the next moment, the bill arrived without us asking giving us no option to order dessert

The waitress who did the credit card payment did not seem to be able to speak a word of English. She even could not say "thank you". Complete silence all way through.

The rudest restaurant ever.
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2 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 1
Monday, April 04, 2011

I mainly go to Jade Garden for dim sum. Other dishes from the menu are average. It's one of the best dim sums in town. Other places are simply uninspiring, sloppy or greasy, but here it's really delicious.

The service is fast and efficient. Chinese waiters will be rude if you linger around at the table, when there's a queue of people waiting outside. Afterall, they have to make a living and other people have to eat.
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Greedy Pig
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, February 04, 2011

The restaurant in general was quite nice but the staff with their bad customer service let it down.

We just literally finished eating our last plate of dim sum and the bill was already on our table without giving us a chance to digest it, while we was looking at the bill shes already changing the table cloth and putting new plates and chopstick out, to make it even worst she puts her fingers in our tea cup about to collect it and said have we finished with it.

As we was about to get up to leave the next customer was already standing next to us on our table, no GOODBYE, no THANKYOU and definately no CUSTOMER SERVICE.

DO NOT COME HERE IF YOU WANT A RELAXING PLACE TO GATHER AND CATCH UP WITH FRIENDS.
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2 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 2
Monday, January 17, 2011

I went to Jade Garden with my friend and i will NEVER return, the staff are rude, rude rude.
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Yinny Yintun
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Thursday, December 30, 2010

The Jade Garden is the WORST restaurant I have ever visited! The service was terrible, worst ever. My friend and myself were told to 'GET OUT' by one of their staff.

Don't try your luck there as I was shouted at and chased away by their staff. The manager could not be bothered to do anything as they had tourists who did not know much about other good restaurants in town.

My friend for HK and myself had lunch there and we did not know there was any time limit - there was not. However, the staff was complaining in Cantonese that we should not have occupied the table for more than an hour - he basically wanted us to leave. We explained and said we were only there for an hour or so but the staff got mad and started shouting at us and asked us to 'get out' - I couldn't believe it at all. I have never been shouted like this before. I would not want to go near that restaurant again.
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1 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, October 12, 2010