My Old Place

There is an English and a Chinese menu. Offers standard fare that is tasty and good with some dishes being better than others. While I wouldn't go out of my way, I will definitely consider when I'm around the area.
Comment on this reader review

Chopstix2Steaknives - View all reviews by this user
6 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 6
Sunday, November 20, 2011

Please avoid this restaurant for your own sake. It's greasy and they will rip you off at every opportunity.

We ordered some Ma-Po Tofu and Shrimp with Noodles for takeaway.

Being from a family of chefs, I know what's good or bad food.

However upon getting home about 40 minutes later, I realised that the restaurant tried to rip me off.

Firstly the food was awful, the noodle was way too greasy and shrimp was absolutely minimal.

However, what's worse is the Ma-Po tofu. It came without meat. For those who don't know, Ma-Po tofu suppose to come with pork mince and that unless someone explicitly orders Vegetarian Ma-Po tofu, it will always come with pork mince......... well mine didn't

Upon calling the restaurant and speaking to them in Chinese, I confirmed that it should come with mince and she said it was impossible, she even said that maybe I just can't taste them and really can't help me further.

I personally think that they deliberately tried to rip me off since I was doing a takeaway, because it is nearly impossible for the chef to "forget" to put in mince since it's a vital ingredient, and I certainly didn't order the vegetarian version.

With £16 for some meat-less Ma-Po tofu and grease-ridden noodles. I was downright ripped off.
Comment on this reader review

Tony
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Wednesday, October 12, 2011

I work in the area and frequent My Old Place regularly because some of the food is good and the portion sizes are large. Price is around 8-9.50 per dish with the lunch menu knocking a pound or two off that.

The service however is nothing short of disgusting. I can say without reservation this restaurant has the rudest staff you will encounter eating in London. If you are not oriental you will be treated as a second class human being.

I can give a few examples from my last couple of visits: I once ordered a dish and sat waiting for 15 minutes whilst people had their orders taken and delivered only to have a rude waitress return to me and bark that they were out of ingredients to prepare my dish. She shoved the menu on the table in front of me without so much as an apology or explanation as to why it had taken so long to relay this to me.

On another occasion I waited over half an hour for a takeaway item (2 tables were seated in the entire restaurant), At 20, 25 and 30 minutes I asked 'what was the delay?' and 'when could I expect the food?' and I was told I arrived too early the kitchen had just opened (12PM - with people already eating in the restaurant, takeaway orders piling up on the counter) . When my food arrived the rude waitress (a different person from the previous incident) placed my order on the table in front of me, no eye contact, no apology, and turned and walked away as if I was invisible and as if I was unreasonable to enquire about my order.

On another occasion I changed my order within 10 seconds of ordering, the waitress hadn't even reached the kitchen to hang the order form on the order counter. I told her I would like to change my order and she tore up the order slip, gave me a dirty look ( If looks could kill i'd be a dead man several times over in this place ) and walked off leaving me standing in the middle of the restaurant, no order and looking for someone to take my order.

My wife is part Chinese, and it's funny to see how differently the staff treat her when she orders and I wait outside. It's sad that I see the staff so cheerful and polite with Chinese customers and so rude to me.The language barrier is a problem as most staff are from the mainland however it is not an excuse to treat customers like garbage. The front of house is a reasonably polite lady, however she makes absolutely no effort to enforce any sort of equal customer service standard, and remains silent when she witnesses her staff being rude.

Eat here if you have a Chinese chaperone or have thick skin, the food is pretty good. As other reviewers have commented, the lamb skewers are good and the beef belly is tasty as well. If bad service doesn’t put you off like it doesn’t me, then you will enjoy the place. The waiting staff do the kitchen a disservice.
Comment on this reader review

The Hungriest Hippo
3 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 5
Tuesday, July 12, 2011

I decided on this restaurant for my birthday the weekend gone.

We were quicky seated, and our order was taken by what has to be the worlds moodiest waitress. Not only was she impatient, and unwelcomng, but unhelpful when we queried the dishes. The bottle of wine we ordered took 20 mins to arrive, and despite us ordering at the same time, one of my friends had to wait a further 30 mins for her food to arrive after ours. - and this was despite us asking 2 different members of staff ( also terrible) a total of 3 times.

The potions were huge and more than enough for the five of us, the duck and crab were worth it, but the service was shocking. Our tables were not cleared after each course, and the staff just continued to pile the dishes on to the table.

This soon resulted in us having to stack the finished plates further down the table. We were often ignored, the bill was not wriiten in English, and on asking for a version we could all understand, the waiter smirked and asked if we would ' like it written in English', - which to all of us seem like commonsense, -seeing as we were the only none asians in the restaurant.

Nice food, terrible service. Never again.
Comment on this reader review

Melissa
4 Overall rating
Food 5 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 5
Monday, June 06, 2011

Me and a few friends of mine visit My Old Place fairly often. The food is always fantastic. You never really know which course is going to be brought out next but we always order to share so this has never really bothered us.

The staff are surly but they arent ever rude or offensive and to be perfectly honest we kind of like it that way. It gives the place a certain charm all of its own.

We must have tried over half of the menu by now and are never disappointed with our food. Half of the fun is trying to figure out what the table next to us has just ordered as well.

Always enjoyable even when the staff are at their surliest!
Comment on this reader review

Rob
8 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Saturday, June 04, 2011

Went last night with wife and a Chinese friend. Place buzzing and practically full with a reassuring number of young Chinese diners and others from every part of the globe. Behind the reception desk sat the boss with the demeanour of a disinterested Triad boss, but he was friendly and even smiled when we came to say our good byes. We were not well received by the waiting staff - but once we - I mean I - had asserted myself the staff couldn't have been more attentive. It helped that our friend was from Beijing and so spoke Mandarin. Li ordered Sichuan favourites for us. Lamb Kebabs that was delicious, followed by pork in dried chilli, Sea bass lightly poached in oil with more dried chilli that you fish out of the bowl (strainer provided), and a pork dish also cooked and served with dried chilli but in a pre-prepared sauce - their secret apparently. Served with fluffy plain rice and washed down with Tsingtao. Every dish was superbly cooked and tasted both unusual and delightful. Spicy and very hot - so not recommended for faint hearts - but authentic according to Li and better than we remember from our own visit to Chendu a few years back. £56,00 total bill - They don't warn you but they don't do plastic - cash only - which was a minor inconvenience for such a great dining experience. Definitely worth a visit, if only for a change, bearing in mind most Chinese restaurants in UK serve Cantonese fare - originating in Hong Kong.
Comment on this reader review

David Beauvais
9 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, January 21, 2011

Would pretty much reiterate what most have said on here. Food is very good, service is poor and they forget to bring some of the things you order. Stand out dishes were the lamb skewers, which were smoky and redolent of cumin, and the deep fried pigs intestine with chilli, which sounds horrible, but tastes like deliciously crispy sausage skins.

They forgot to bring one dish, took an age to bring us the bill and had to be called over for everything we wanted to order. Still, I thought the place was charming, the food was very good, the prices very cheap and I would definitiely go back
Comment on this reader review

Brouillard
7 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 10
Thursday, December 16, 2010

We went early on a Friday night. The place was very busy and buzzing but we got a table straight away. I really loved the atmosphere and trying to figure out what everyone else was eating.

Because of the reviews, I was expecting the service to be dreadful however apart from one fairly miserable waitress, the others were attentive and smiley.

We got served our starters almost straight away fresh and very hot. The portions are MASSIVE, the largest I think I've ever seen in a restaurant.

We ordered the spring rolls and salt and pepper squid which were both very good. The crab curry for main was divine although fairly messy to eat but worth it. The other main we had was beef in black bean sauce which was good although probably not the best I've had although to be fair in relation to price and portion this place is really good value.

Would definitely be back.
Comment on this reader review

Annie - View all reviews by this user
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Tuesday, December 07, 2010

What is the fuss about this place? It's really not that good.

Have had to visit twice in the past week, one in a group of ten, the other with a mate.

1st time round the lamb skewers and a plate of green beans were the only highlight. I really liked the skewers, and they were much nicer than at Silk Road in Camberwell, which attempts something similar.

But some of the other dishes - twice cooked pork and fish fragant aubergine for example - were unbelievably salty. Not the usual Chinese MSG fetish, but a lot of pure salt. It was awful. Really bad. Some of the worst Chinese food I've had in a long time, and I eat a lot of it.

Big portions and cheap yes, but so what. You'd get better in any average Chinatown place.

2nd time the skewers never arrived, despite several reminders to the miserable, useless staff.

We had gongbao chicken, which was OK actually, and was a good portion size. And fried noodles which were edible cos we were drunk but were greasy and forgettable.

A word on the service - of course, you'd never come here expecting a maitre d and lots of attention. But the waitresses here seem steeped in such a hostile misery that after a while it really does affect your enjoyment of the place. The girl serving us was just awful. Not rude, just miserable, scowling.

Despite it all, I'd probably go back if I had to. There aren't enough Chinese options in that area as an alternative.
Comment on this reader review

Ben P
2 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 2 | Value for money 2
Saturday, November 27, 2010

The food was Amazing!!! If you go there for the service, you are missing the all point, let them be rude as long as the quality of the dishes don't change especially "the crab curry". If you are looking for authenticity in chinese cuisine, this is definetely the place to go.
Comment on this reader review

mango pudding
8 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 10
Sunday, October 03, 2010