Riddiford Hotel

I'd avoided this restaurant because of its low rating, but after trying the dim sum for a second time, I had to admit I was wrong. The portions are generous, there's plenty of filling, and it all tastes fresh and really good. The salted egg yolk custard bun is a must-try, and the polo char siew buns were tasty too. Sorry, I couldn't attach the bun photos.

We were left feeling unwelcome from the start. Nobody greeted or acknowledged us, so we had to ask the woman behind the counter to seat us ourselves. The yum cha choices were limited, and the food was okay but nothing memorable. What really stuck with us was how rude and dismissive a male staff member was throughout the meal. His manner made us uncomfortable and affected the whole visit.

I've gone a couple of times because it's convenient in the Hutt, and the food is okay. But the service is so poor that it ruins the meal. The guy is very rude and always has a bad attitude. I won't go again. With service like that, I'd rather drive into Wellington.

Never going back to this dump. We came for yum char and tried to order a couple of vegan dishes for two guests, but the male boss serving was rude and implied they didn't have time to cater for vegans or vegetarians. He was busy with his trolley and wouldn't take the order. The female boss was just as bad, pretending not to understand English. We eventually got a friend to translate, then waited 45 minutes for the food. We had to ask about it more than once, and she argued, “you NOT been waiting 40 minutes, it only 30 minutes…food come soon!” Even getting tea refills meant chasing staff. If your table isn't positioned well, you may get no food by the time the trolley comes around. The food was slow and the selection so limited that I'm surprised anyone returns. If you're not vegan or vegetarian, you could try it and take whatever comes by on the trolley, but don't expect service, let alone good service.