5 /5 John Parish: We waited two years for Zaibatsu to finally come back like a phoenix rising from the ashes, and now here it is and it did not disappoint. I last did a review on the old restaurant some 10 years ago.
My wife and I tried it out on a Thursday evening as we could not get a booking for the Friday.
We walked into an empty restaurant and within minutes it was a if a coach party had suddenly descended upon the place, suddenly every seat in the place was taken.
Most of the people there seemed to be patrons from the old restaurant.
I love spicy food so I ordered the soft shell crab followed by the Sizzling Sichuan Chicken and the wife had the Sizzling Teryaki Salmon, followed by deserts and coffee.
My wife loved her Sizzling Teryaki Salmon, but I was a bit confused by my meal.
When it arrive I thought it would be like almost all Sichuan dishes, covered in chilli flakes or at least some form of spicing.
I confirmed with the waitress that it was the Sizzling Sichuan Chicken and she said that it was.
When I ate it out became clear that this is not Sizzling Sichuan Chicken as unlike what was stated on the menu the dish was totally devoid of any chilli, spiciness or fiery punch of any kind.
I ate it regardless as it tasted delicious and the price of what I thought I got was the same.
It just went to show that the waiting staff are not too familiar with Sichuan cuisine or what is on the menu.
The menu selection was enormous with 206 items to choose from on the menu.
Despite the mix up with the dish the food was very delicious and the wife was impressed with the portion sizes especially the rice.
Two things that they have carried over from the old to the new restaurant is that the payment is still cash only, no debit or credit cards accepted. The other is the BYOB ( Bring Your Own Booze) policy with free corkage.
We did not bring our own booze, but every other table was awash with wine bottles, some had a bottle for each person on the table.
One downside that I found with this new establishment was that because the evening was cold and the door was shut, the windows steamed up and the air permeated with the smell of fried food, and consequential, when we left our clothes smelled like we had been working in a chip shop all day.
When this place used to be Peters Cafe and on the few times I used it I never experienced that problem. Peters Cafe had an extractor fan out back where the food was cooked. Perhaps Zaibatsu need to invest in a better extractor fan or improve the ventilation.
Would I reckoned Zaibatsu? Yes without a doubt the food was excellent and the waiting staff service was attentive and friendly, despite the mishap with the dish. The food choice is vast and the portion sizes are generous and the price is reasonable.
This place has almost a cult like status praised by the old and loyal customer base. Most of the other restaurants in the area would kill to have a full house on a cold Thursday evening. This place packs out with ease.
You will have to book up in advance at this place as prospective customers were being turned away due to its popularity when we were there, and they give you a one and a half hour time slot in which to eat, so the next batch of customers can eat.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND RESTAURANT.
