New Century Plaza Restaurants and Huafa Bar Street
Does anyone know the phone number of the new Red Mango restaurant at Huafa Bar Street?
Will appreciate it much if someone can post here.
Thanks
15220523967
Has anyone been there? Review?
I wasn't going to post anything about it at first but I went there couple of days ago with my girlfriend and must say it has put me off of trying any of the new restaurants in New century City
This place is a total rip-off in my humble opinion .. the food I got was totally worthless.. absolute rubbish .. maybe I just picked something bad on the menu and got unlucky ..
I got the BBQ chicken with honey sauce or something ... there was no meat anywhere, everything was just bones and fat , ...
my girlfriend had some rice with shrimps... she does not eat pork.. and told that to the waitress so she could have something with no pork in it... the rice was all mixed with tiny pieces of pork .. just ridiculous ...
portions where really small except of couse for my BBQ chicken wich was quite a lot .. but like I stated nothing was actually edible .; maybe one or two pieces of nice meat the rest was just crap
I ended up paying 211rmb for BBQ chicken, a bowl of soup, two spring rolls and two fish balls
at the time of paying the bill I just wanted to get out as fast as possible and didnt think that they might have overcharged .. but once I exited it struck me that there is no way we had 211rmbs worth of food based on the menu prices
they overcharged us at least 50 - 60 rmb , maybe that was service fee or something , I don't know
also want to add that none of the waitresses have any idea about the food they are serving the can only repeat the names on the menu in chinese .. they also have this very fake friendly attitude
will never go back there again .. and now I am not too confident about trying the italian restaurant or the spanish one as I fell totally ripped off
of course keep in mind this is just my experience and I saw some other expats there as I was dining so others might have different experiences
Thanks Sidney.
Huafa is total wannabe snob places and even the boss is local, most of the locals don't go there. Vanilla European cookie cutter setup next to polluted river. Don't let them fool you, Zhuhai does not pollute the river but ZhongShan factory dump tons of crap into it. The place is not drivier freely because you have to go over U turn onto on-coming traffic. I bet a lot of drivers would be drunk.
If you want to experience China, don't go to Starbucks or Mcdonald. The are more pricey here than the ones back home. Go to local restaurant with not English signs. Bring a local with you. Remember in China any restaurant can serve beers and most restaurant you can bring your own drinks. Unlike bar streets like Bejing, Nanjing, and Shanghai, the bars are fill with men and serve mostly fake alcohol.
It seems that Sydney (see thread above) and I had similar experiences at the Red Mango Thai restaurant.
I’ll be as fair as possible in my review, abstaining from any over -reaction, though I wish I could be more positive about its outcome.
I arrived with my friend about 6:00 p.m. We were a bit early and so there were few patrons (by the time we left-7:00 p.m. or so it was nearly full).
The first thing I noticed is that the restaurant is very clean, well appointed with attractive furniture, an open-beamed ceiling effect that makes the main dining room feel much larger than it really is.
We asked for a table for two and were escorted to one of only two in the entire restaurant. The manner in which the table was placed put one of the chairs squarely in a door opening that leads to the outside terrace so people going out to smoke had to bump your chair and as the door closed it sent a puff of cold air down the back of my neck.
We asked for another table. The only table for two remaining was placed next to the service counter where all the service personel (and there were many) gathered to deposit the bussed dishes, refill water decanters and get tableware to reset after tables were vacated. I refused that table also and was begrudgingly shown to a table for four.
I might add that the entire dining area is basically just one large room without any built-in design for privacy (this night out was to be our Valentines celebration since we both had prior commitments on the upcoming eve of that day) so is not the most romantic setting.
We finally settled down to perusing the menu in anticipation of ordering our dinner which we did. I ordered a Singha beer to enjoy along with my meal and my friend asked for a glass of Remy Martin brandy (58 kuai). After a few minutes the fuwuyuan returned to tell me that the Singha was not yet available. So, I ordered another brand.
The same fuwuyuan asked my friend to confirm that she did indeed order the brandy.
After about ten minutes and three different girls asking four times for her to confirm her choice she was told that it also was not available. At this point a manager approached our table and tried to talk my friend into upgrading her brandy selection to Hennesy XO (98 kuai) and my friend had to repeatedly decline the offer before they finally stopped badgering her.
We found our food to be mostly of mediocre quality though it was nicely presented.
We’d ordered a spicy vegetable (hen la) which had no spice at all. The beef was of the chinese garden variety that I’m sure most of you have experienced before in some of the low-end restaurants. It had the texture of over cooked mushrooms and was not very tasty at all in spite of the fact that it was mixed among a bed of onions and bell peppers.
Now comes the bad part!
As Sydney mentioned in his post, be very careful to check your bill before paying.
My friend ordered one bowl of common white rice but we were charged for four.
They also charged her for the brandy (the brand they didn’t have) but then reversed it.
Beware that they do charge (without telling you beforehand) three kuai for water, two kuai for tissues and fifteen kuai for those little snacks that resemble something between a potato chip and pork rinds. I don’t know what they are but you see them around town at most Thai restaurants though i’ve never seen them in Thailand.
They also kick in a 10% service fee on you so be aware.
I absolutely detest restaurants that charge for items not ordered!
Unfortunately, the Red Mango gets a pretty poor rating from me. I think with a little effort they could improve their service but I’m not so sure about the food.
The whole issue of service seems very disorganized like no one’s been adequately trained.
I think you can do better for Thai cuisine around town than here.
However, to address Sydney’s concern about the other restaurants in the area, I’m pleased to say that I had a very pleasant experience at the italian restaurant Amici Meie. Authentic food, great atmoshere and real italians on the premises.
Sorry about the long post here!
There are several really good Thai places. One is on Bar Street, but away from the tony section, toward Gongbei.
Nice to hear that the Huafa Italian restaurant is good; how does it compare with Piccota de Gola (sp?) (near the original Bar Street) or other Italian favourites?
And, is Dani's Corner still open? What about the clothing store next to it? Last time I was there, it was during the New Year's break and both were shuttered.
@toby
Yes, Danis' corner is still open. I think that they were just closed over the holiday.
I have changed the title of the thread, hope you don't mind Richietee.
Well my experience at the Huafa Century Plaza bar street has been VERY GOOD. Where else in Zhuhai can you get Thai, Indian, Italian, Japanese, International and other great food varieties in one place?
Just a quick response regarding Red Mango -
We have been there 3 times now and have never been disappointed. The two reviews above are extremely critical and judging from my multiple experiences, inaccurate.
The prices are not cheap nor are they over the top expensive. I'm not a big fan of service charges and non ordered additions to the bill either, however Red Mango is relatively on par with most restaurants in China in this regard. I hope they can be more transparent about extra charges for water and/or chips (though they are minimal).
The service is exceptional and you rarely have to wait more than a few seconds to have someone at your table ready to serve you. The manager is sharp and quick to solve any problems that arise.
The food compared to other Thai places in Zhuhai is hands down better, more authentic, and flavorful. Before I wouldn't go near the Thai places in Zhuhai as they are basically Chinese restaurants with a few Thai spices thrown in for effect. At Red Mango I recommend the Chicken with cashews, green beans, curries, spring rolls, and coconut sago.
The ambiance and music is tasteful and the decor is fitting. Give this place a try yourself and see what you think!
Love sittin' by the river sippin' on a grapa watchin' garbage float by!
"We have been there 3 times now and have never been disappointed. The two reviews above are extremely critical and judging from my multiple experiences, inaccurate. "
You know calling other people's review inaccurate is not going to make you a lot of friends here.
"At Red Mango I recommend the" - I need to call upon on English police here as English is not my first language but should it be "I would recommend".
"Give this place a try yourself and see what you think!"... need a "for" before "yourself" and Exponential mark is certainly unnecessary.
Bottom line this sounds like rebuttal from HuaFa employee and if that is the case I met your CEO before before when he was a human resource offical in Zhuhai. A nice guy actually and I praise his success on many projects.
I love this kind of topics ! Pro against countra
We expats in Zhuhai all know the manager very well there and we also know she will do all the best for our satisfaction ,but unfortunatly she is not in the kitchen !
Dear Customer，
As a newly opened restaurant we are facing challenges in recruiting and training personnel. The company is actively training staff more professionally and additionally recruiting staff in order to improve customer satisfaction as well as improving communication towards non-Chinese customers.
All of our dishes include ingredients imported from Thailand and our kitchen team has more than 10 years experience preparing Thai cuisine with great success. Apart from providing Thai cuisine made with quality ingredients we also strive to become the cleanest and most professional managed Thai restaurant in Zhuhai.
Upon the introduction of our new full menu in March all additional charges including the imported Thai shrimp crackers will be clearly stated in English as well. The 10 percent service charge is already mentioned in English on the soft opening menu. Furthermore the current average check at Red Mango ranges from 90-130 RMB per person including all additional charges.
Concerning some of the other comments made on this website. Red Mango serves plain white rice only and currently no fish balls are sold. Customers are free to choose the table of their liking if available and all customers are greeted and served in a friendly way. Private rooms are available as well as a curtain booth seating 8-10 persons.
To all our satisfied customers: we are gradually introducing more new menu items to our soft opening menu until the introduction of our complete menu in March.
Also we will be launching soon the (Onyx) Bar on the ground floor serving afternoon snacks and tea and serve late in the evening cocktails, fruit juices and other drinks in an upscale smoke-free environment.
To everybody who has not yet tried Red Mango: please pass by; try our food and judge for yourself. Red Mango currently serves 150 – 200 persons daily with the great majority of our customers very satisfied with our food and service quality.
We are looking forward to serve you soon.
Red Mango Thai Restaurant and Bar
Address: Huafa Century Plaza, Bar Street.
Reservation Tel.nr.: 0756 - 3232716
Red Mango is indeed packed every time I walk pass :)
Hello Expat19 ... or should I say Red Mango Restaurant? Or should I say the manager or Red Mango?
I'm no psychologist, but if you would not take the defense ... maybe you could just take a deep breath and read the 'reviews' again. Then you could take that information (from your clients), and improve on it. Feed your chickens more food so there is meat on their bones ... or something. Make your prices clear and in BOLD WRITING. Just some suggestions. Read the reviews.
Remember, you are addressing the expat community. Customer service is about 50% of the experience.
Nevermore ... were you the manager's English teacher? Just curious.
Gustavo, do you really go there to watch the garbage float by? Is it artistic? Does it mesmerize you? I have heard this comment before.
I will stop by and try it myself sometime. Don't look for me ... I blend in. I am short. Long beard. Sometimes I have strands of gold hanging from my pockets. Sometimes.
I enjoy the comments, if only the writers would stay on topic. I want to know about peoples' experiences at Red Mango; I don't particularly want to watch someone try to parse another's English. It is patronizing, folks, and unnecessary where the English (even if incorrect at times) makes the intention clear.
That's the beauty of English: you can make mistakes and we anglophones get your meaning anyway. No hay problema, amigos!!
Nah I am just a "cleaner" in every sense of the word. :P
Every one makes mistakes - even the Native Speakers :o)
Actually, it is always good to give reviews, especially on websites where they will be seen both by customers and management - customers learn what they could possibly expect and management gets "shaken" a bit to try and improve their performance :o)
What's your experience with the Tapas bar and restaurant (La Marina, I believe?)? How expensive if the food there?
I visited Starbucks today in Huafa bar street. Loved the layout. And I saw that some of the staff from the one under Carrefour are working there. In general the bar street and the mall area look nice. I will definitely come back for more exploration :o)
@cheekygal
I have a degree in English Literature, and I make mistakes all the time (sometimes intentionally)!
And I agree - I'm glad that people can talk comfortably about their experiences on this website, although sometimes I worry that forums can become a bit of an "echo chamber" after a while. It seems like too much negativity can discourage polite discussion and positive feedback sometimes.
Matt, no wonder you are an editor ;-)))
"Concerning some of the other comments made on this website. Red Mango serves plain white rice only and currently no fish balls are sold."
sorry but the rice we got with the shrimp stuff was not plain white rice.. it was a dish with yellowish/orange rice mixed with some vegetables and pork, also we had an appetiser that was listed as something with fish and it was round, it were indeed not the traditional fish balls people here in guangdong eat ,
""Upon the introduction of our new full menu in March all additional charges including the imported Thai shrimp crackers will be clearly stated in English as well. The 10 percent service charge is already mentioned in English on the soft opening menu. ""
well that will probably be good for future customers, but it is all about the first impression, and mine was very bad so I am never going back there no matter what
I do hope you can improve your overal service but is has no use to come on here and make wild claims , I saw the kitchen staff and some of them were very young. How are they going to have 10 years of experience cooking thai food? Maybe you have on head chef with such experience but I seriously doubt you have an entire staff of 15 plus cooking personel who all have 10 years experience ...
Expat19 is not affiliated with the restaurant. All comments, ideas and suggestions are taken seriously and will help us improve customer satisfaction.
I think its 10 years combine experience. However I think expecting good service in Zhuhai is quite a stretch. Why ? Because why work in Zhuhai where you can work in Macau for 3x times the money? I see the exact waitress from zhuhai holiday resort in macau. Don't speak a leak of English or Cantonese but they are pretty and very polite.
Referencing my post on February 13 regarding my review of Red Mango Restaurant, I’d like to point out that I believe my criticism was balanced and fair according to my experience.
Expat19 says: “We have been there three times now and have never been
disappointed. The two reviews above are extremely critical and judging
from my multiple experiences, inaccurate.”
The fact that Expat19's experience was not commensurate with mine only proves that these events are dynamic in nature. That is, they take place at a given place in time, under a given set of circumstances that can be drastically different from moment to moment, not withstanding personal biases and perceptions.
In light of this, to characterise someone’s posted experience as “inaccurate” is a bit sophomoric and tragically obtuse.
I’d like to point out that, much to their credit, Red Mango management has posted here in response and acknowledged that there are indeed some issues regarding service and failure to post certain charges that they are working hard to correct.
I say, good for them! I’m willing to give them a second try, perhaps in a few months when they have some of the issues worked out.
I think we all need to keep in mind that when reviewing (critical or not) any entity that we do so with the intention of alerting readers to what they might expect and should be aware of and not to engage in bashing or unnecessarily attempting to turn readers off of a particular establishment.
That being said, I wish you all a happy experience whereever you go!
@richietee
what do you mean for 3 kuai for water?
When I was there I remember the waitress coming by every two seconds when my glass was half full to refill it. I found it strange that they insisted on refilling my glass so fast and so often. Are you telling me that each refill is 3rmb? This can not be accurate ? Surely?
@Rumpelstiltskin
yes to your questions
Wow! Gustavo, I never noticed it until today. That brown swirly stuff and the floating ... stuff. Cool. Mesmerizing. And very artistic. I think it depends on the tide. Did you see that purple stuff? What is that???
Hello richietee. Sorry, I just tell it like it is. You sound like a philosopher on acid in the 70's.
As for Red Mango. I went there today. Had gold hanging out of my pockets. The staff were great.
The prices were a little confusing, but not much. Food ... cooked.
Don't compare Macau with Zhuhai Nevermore. Things will get better. I figure I can spin a lot of gold from straw in the time it takes Zhuhai to get customer service and their "10 years of Thai experience" together.
Gustavo, that is really fascinating. I recommend everyone go look at the garbage and rubbish in Qian Shan river on Huafa Century City Bar Street (who came up with that?) I would recommend it for art classes and any Zhuhai/Zhongshan school to bring the students. And any of those ... oh so popular businesses owned by foreigners here. Check out your handy work.
I would say, while I spin gold of course, that you should head down to Port Plaza. There is a new restaurant on the lower level. Go down, then go down again. It is a HK restaurant with very good prices. We both ate and had drinks for 77 rmb. Really good food. Waitresses are brand new and don't have a clue, but the cooks .... really good and cheap food in an ambient climate. It is right next to the escalator, where there is the pet shop that sells crocodiles (alligator?), tarantulas, snakes, rabbits, hamsters and gerbals, iguanas and more. All very young.
Sorry to put it on Huafa topic.
Red Mango, there is a lot of people there. Lots. Why don't you teach them what to do instead of just stand around playing for hours. I was there for 4 hours. Inside and out.
I lived in Thailand for some time. The food is ...
You are trying.
it seems people are not free to say what they want here anymore, my posts are not getting trough anymore, nice
Whoa, this thread just keep getting weirder and weirder... What the heck did you folks consume at that place??
What is up with spin Gold Analogy? Is this a European thing?
@ nevermore
Rumpelstiltskin is a character from a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm. In the fairy tale, a poor man lies about the skill of his daughter, claiming that she can spin straw into gold. The king shuts her up in his prison and demands that she do it for him. Rumpelstiltskin, an imp, appears to her, offering to spin the gold if she gives him her first-born child.
The username is likely inspired by the contract's escape clause: if she can guess his name in three tries, she gets to keep the child.
...sorry to derail the thread, but everyone seems confused by this person's account, and I thought that I could probably shed some light.
I agree. One of mine did not get through either.
Just to be clear, nobody at Delta Bridges is censoring comments in this thread (or anywhere really, barring something offensive/illegal.) We're committed to providing a space where people can discuss things, answer questions, and provide meaningful feedback to local businesses. If a comment isn't getting through, it's most likely a bug.
Hold on to those torches and pitchforks, people!
@Sidney - it is possible your thread was just not posted for some reason. I keep getting restricted access to the forum with a page that asks me to type in some words and ask for access. It has happened a few times. I am not sure whether it is due to my IP address, but it is some automatic forum thing. I also lost posts and threads before.
@ Sydney @Toby
Believe me, I would much prefer to have the comments published directly, but since a few months ago, we receive a lot of spams from human spammers, which is really hard to block. One posted up to 500 spam comments one time.
More recently, the same spammers are now creating forum topic (you probably have across them)... and we may have to monitor them as well. Again, this is not a pleasant job, but it needs to be done to keep the forums clean.
If some of your comments have been lost in the process, I do apologize... we are usually quite careful, but some mistakes could occur.
@ Cheekygal
Same reason as above... we use a special firewall to protect our server... if this happens too often, let me know and I will find a solution, thanks :)
I have been to the various restaurants at the Century City Bar street and I am glad there are a place where I can taste different cuisine at my choosing.
I went to The Garden several times and love the burger and the home made fries. Also glad they have increased the size of the delicious burger! The price is a little expensive, but the quality of the meat is what I paid for, I guess...
The Jewel of India I am familiar with from the old location. I like the Asahi beer for 20rmb, a great value comparatively to other restaurants there. I enjoy the curry sauces there (portions a little small tho..) and the breads.
The Portugal restaurant has good food, and nice portion. I don't mind paying for a meal, but I better not be hungry after I paid for the meal!! I liked the pork chops on fried rice, but the lasagna needed more tomato sauce, but was still okay. The dark German beer was tasty!
When I went to the Red Mango, We've ordered the Ton Ying Gon soup and was delicious! Also had the egg rolls with the lettuce wrap, chicken cashews, and the seafood curry dish, and all were very good! I noticed the stir fried dishes were made with no oil on the plates!! This I learned from eating at the Chinese Restaurants in US, that you can tell the quality of the chefs cooking stir fried is how the dish was cooked. If there's a lot of oil on the plate, the chef does not know how to cook! The staff spoke a little English (we are the ones who should learn to speak Chinese since we are the guest of their country)and the managers there were helpful.
I have not been to the Itailian restaurant yet, but heard the food was good, but no decor. I am a fan of the Portofino Restaurant so had no urge to try it, yet...
The restaurants there are still testing the menus, and I am glad a few owners are taking suggestions from the patrons to improve the quality on the food, and the service. I have been to many restarants in Zhuhai, and no restarant is perfect! Each has a hits and misses, just have to be smart and order the right food. All in all, My life in Zhuhai has improved (to tolerable)with the addition of the Hua Fa Century Bar street!
JJ, thank you. It doesn't bother me for now :o)))
good to hear my comments are not being censored but it is just technical issues that kept them from being posted
Why don't we rate it by categories.
1 to 5 star ... 5 being highest
Environment: 4 Clean and open, decoration a little bit tacty but certainly a good place for guest (specially foreigner ).
Food: 3 this rating is base on comparison of Thai food outside of China... Portion are small but that is more to do with China than the restaurant.
Value: 2 I understand they spend a lot of money on decoration so the prices are expected. I only order alcohol once and they tasted real.
Service: Now this is where it gets me. If I bring foreign guest (blonde hair blue eye) the service is a 4. Smiles and always accommodating. 2 If you bring only local guest which I found very disappointing. They basically just give you the food and nothing else. If you ask for water refill their attitude is like you are borrowing money from them. Unless you bring some big shot that they all know you can not expect much from the waitress. Of course I guess that is like many other restaurants in China.
Overall: 3 Good place to entertain guest and certainly not the best food in Zhuhai. They are a bit more expensive than some of the western restaurant in Gou Bei and I find myself coming back because i want to avoid the mad house that is Gou Bei.
Also I believe they do not have to pay rent but merely profit sharing with Hua Fa so they certainly can spend the money on improvements
Nevermore said:
"Service: Now this is where it gets me. If I bring foreign guest (blonde hair blue eye) the service is a 4. Smiles and always accommodating. 2 If you bring only local guest which I found very disappointing. They basically just give you the food and nothing else."
Is this common in China? My Costa Rican friends said the same thing: when I was with them, they got better service from their own countrymen, not only in restaurants (possibly motivated by foreigners' willingness to tip more then Costa RIcans do), but also in grocery stores and other places where tips would not be a factor.
Why would this be?
Thanks JJ