Chin Chin Sydney - Surry Hills (NSW)

I have to say, the food here is incredible. Fancy Thai but unlike any Thai you’ve had before. I’m glad they open late because we’d just missed a 9pm dinner reservation at a nearby restaurant which closed early. Thank goodness for Chin Chin! Definitely saved the night.<br/ <br/ I’d previously tried their food years ago at the Melbourne restaurant and everything was exactly the same — amazing.<br/ <br/ We started with the Kingfish Carpaccio and oh my what a dish! Delicate pieces of fresh kingfish in lime flavoured dressing complimented with chillies and lime pieces which just burst in your mouth when rolled up in the sashimi. Soo good we ordered a second one!<br/ <br/ The next dish, Prawn egg noodles in hellfire chilli sauce was not as impressive, could use a little work but all in all they still deserve the 5 stars as they had absolutely nailed the other dishes. I wish the dish was as spicy and flavourful as the name suggested, barely spicy at all and not much flavour on the prawns, for a $30 dish would have expected large king prawns instead of the tiny prawns dotted among the oily egg noodles. Not the best thing they offer.<br/ <br/ BUT — if you want to be impressed you MUST try the Slow cooked beef short rib, incredible! The meat fell apart with a spoon and it was flavoured to perfection. You don’t really even need the accompanying sauce but when you add it, the burst of flavours is something else. It is served with a shaved coconut salad which is a lovely and refreshing addition which compliments the dish well. A !<br/ <br/ We also ordered a few cocktails and all were delicious and made very well. I must warn this place is a tad pricey compared to your standard run of the mill Thai joint but you must remember this is not your standard Thai!<br/ <br/ Will definitely be returning for another flavourful feast and will be trying more of the other dishes they have to offer!

For my birthday, I wanted to go somewhere special, and it 's been well over two years since I went to Chin Chin for lunch with my friend Lai Heng and meant to come back. This time, my husband and I were seated in the GoGo section (to the left as you enter). Everything is bathed in a pink light, the music was specifically early 80s, and I was amused by the very large photo art, two large separate images of women in fetish gear.<br/ <br/ Chin Chin has a storied reputation: hard to get into in Melbourne, also in Sydney. There 's no denying that the flavours at Chin Chin, whether they are learned or are an authentic presentation of a particular culture, are absolutely delicious. Rather than the much-talked about umami flavour (the sort of savoury combo of other flavours), I found the flavours of most of the dishes quite distinct: a beautiful combo of spicy, sour, salty and sweet. Although tempted by one of the 'feed me ' menus, I thought I would have more control by choosing dishes myself and that 's what I did, and was rather pleased with myself.<br/ <br/ I worried that the kingfish sashimi was too typical a dish, but the flavours on that sauce were incredible. The sticky pork was an interesting combo of meltingly tender and a crispy chewy crust. The salads that came with the proteins had such beautiful flavour I 've been trying to recreate them ever since: same with the roast pumpkin, which could be a simple dish but was not just a vegetable on the side! The beef short rib was exceptional. <br/ <br/ Oh, and some dee-licious cocktails to start with and a glass of wine each. Slighty too much food so the leftovers made a nice lunch the next day. We loved each dish. All hits no misses. Well, the dessert wasn 't a standout, but that was fine after such great food.<br/ <br/ Finally, it was an interesting mixed crowd: some young women on one side of us, a larger family with young children on the other side, a few couples like us who looked like they are local to Surry Hills: I think restaurants as good as this attract a wide base of customers. I 'll make sure we return in a shorter amount of time than my last interval!

Chin chin was amazing! The food all tasted great and the atmosphere was very sophisticated yet casual, it was very nice. Even the price was okay due to the ‘fanciness’, although the calamari squid was definitely overpriced being $30 for a tiny portion... Otherwise a great place!

I love coming to chin chin as they always know how to make delicious fusion dishes. The food is fresh and delicate. They also offer a range of unique and super cute cocktails which are great for photos.

Amazing food and tasty.! Great minimal decor and white place. All the music and vibe is great. Recommended!