One of my favourite restaurants in Canberra has long been the Chairman and Yip and on our recent…read moretrip I was a little disconcerted to see it was no longer at its Bunda Street address - I found later it had moved to new digs in Barton - and in its place is Tasting China. Well we were there, so in we went.... Still a very elegant and inviting place -dark wood, a splash of colour around, comfortable seating, moody lighting - and the menu was appealing. A good range of dishes representing the cuisines of Canton, Sichaun and Shanghai. The wine list is well put together, with a fine selection of regions and varieties, although somewhat limited where "by the glass" is concerned. But a bottle of Geoff Merrill's Grenache rosé suited us just fine! To the food - we began with Zhong dumplings - gelatinous and tender dumplings filled with a mix of chopped boiled prawns and ginger, and doused with a mix of soy and garlic and chilli oil. These were simply outstanding - among the best dumplings we have eaten - the filling was juicy and aromatic, full of warm flavours and the companion sauces and oils a wonderful boost. Our second starter, sea scallops with sugar snap peas, sesame oil and ginger sauce, was another mouth-watering experience - the scallops were plump and luscious, so very lightly cooked, a scatter of shredded ginger added warmth and spice, while the snappy peas crunched and delighted. Stunning. Warned of the size of the mains by our waiter, we ordered only one - a very wise move - and our Sichuan Rock Ling in hot chilli oil arrived - a massive bowl of soup filled with batons of succulent fish, and well stocked with Sichuan pepper, numbing the lips and delighting the palate. A bowl of steamed rice helped soak up the soup. This was a very spicy and fitting conclusion to a brilliant lunch. I have to say Tasting China is a more than worthy tenant of the old Chairman site - excellent food, great waiters, very good beverage list, welcoming décor - it will be on my must visit restaurants for future trips to Canberra. We loved it.... Absolutely recommended!!

Delicious authentic Chinese in a great upscale atmosphere. Angus beef stir fry was excellent. Loved…read moreit!

Got the steam dumplings, beef, chicken, and pork. All are great. Also got the pancakes which were…read moreawesome. Good service it was quick good price.

The menu had so many things on it! Lots to choose from for sure. Came here with a couple buddies…read moreand we settled on some steamed dumplings and some pan fried ones. Steamed were fluffy and the beef was great, pan fried were super hot (watch your mouth!) and crispy. Exactly what you want out of a restaurant. Had a couple of beers to wash things down and had to go because we were in a hurry. Server told us there can only be one tab so one person had to pay?? That threw me for a loop. Had to get a manager to let us split the check. Seems like customer inconvenience to make it easy for the server. Not liking that, but I'll definitely be back to try some things out. Just either by myself or ready to treat my whole party, lol

Great food. Quick service. Honest advice on what's good. Strange location in basement, but been…read morearound for 20 years, so must be good. Will come back.

A Canberra classic since the early 1960s. Decor looks unchanged since then as well!…read more Quick, efficient service, and plenty of Chinese classics unthreatening to skippies. But a selection of the "real thing" dishes as well, and generally some Chinese people eating-in - definitely not a tourist trap. Food is tasty and served promptly. Never a bad meal here. Not trendy and not scenic. Just eating good honest food.

The dumpling masters folding away in the front window are an inviting sign at this loud homage to…read moredumplings. It's busy, clean, modern and friendly. The menu is quite extensive so ask your server if you get overwhelmed. The hot and sour soup was quite yummy and was enough for two small servings. We also ordered two plates of various combo dumplings - pork, shrimp, veg etc. It was about 20 dumplings in total and was enough for two for dinner with the soup. We really enjoyed everything. The dumplings were freshly prepared with good ingredients and excellent seasoning. Recommended.

I've been going here for years always perfection chefs kiss The food incredible and super tasty…read morefor vegetarian/vegan. Great vibe and service!

If you are in Canberra and the sun is down your dining options are limited. Doubly so if you are…read morestaying at the University House on the ANU campus. Golden Drum is an excellent option in the great desert of parking lots and parks that is Canberra. The food is good and the prices are right. I highly recommend the spicy steamed fish dishes.

We found this Chinese restaurant near the ANU campus a couple of months ago and we loved it so much…read morethat we come here at least once a week. They have Cantonese and Szechuan cuisine, Yam-cha, and even supper late by night until 11pm. Whenever we have come here the food was excellent, with very friendly service. It is difficult to find a decent place for late dinner in Canberra, and this one is a welcoming relief after a long drive from Sydney.

Combination chow mein , special fried rice, and steamed dim sims, fabulous, i would recommendread more

Is it just me or is Chinese food having a bit of a renaissance these days? This gem,…read morewell-frequented by locals - as well as visiting politicians, if you don't mind - is a shining example of this new found affection for Chinese that goes a bit beyond the basics of just chicken and cashew and beef and black bean. You will still find the classics on the back page of its plentiful menu, but the true star dishes are on the front - the Yin Tai Chicken, the crispy fish, the crab entree - my mouth is watering just thinking about it. It's become a family regular and somehow we can always get a table, despite it being a popular restaurant that is still quite intimate. The service is friendly and familiar, and helpfully the restaurant is BYO (there's a bottle shop around the corner).

This is all about good food…read more It is a restaurant which is street level in Canberra city within a large retail precinct. There is indoor and out door seating available; it is set up to be functional with little emphasis on the ambience. Dishes we enjoyed were: - pepper salted chilli calamari - honey king prawns - chicken w macadamia nuts and button mushrooms - shan tung lamb - english spinach w garlic sauce The chicken was a beautiful dish, lovely even taste and good flavours. Shan tung lamb is always good here too. Looking for a casual meal on the go, with some friends or passing through. This place serves consistent food which is well priced with efficient service.

Had this recommended by a work colleague and avoided it the first night due to underwhelming Yelp…read morereviews. I am SO sorry I read them Yelp reviews because this place deserves so much better than Yelp has them rated. The food is excellent -- some of the best I had in Canberra -- and served in generous portions. You have your choice of dining inside or outside. The wait staff is omnipresent without being overbearing. I'm puzzled by the lower reviews, they don't fit my impression of the place at all. I look forward to eating here again the next time I'm in Canberra.

So, I'd agree the service tends to suck here but I've almost come to not mind about that. This is…read morethe place to come with a group after a long day, to be boisterous, eat ludicrous amounts of hot pot and sink beer in a noisy room.

Summary: Great food, great admin staff, subpar table staff, good for groups…read more FOOD & DRINKS Like other reviewers have noted, there is an amazing variety of dishes, and they are pretty much all winners. The chefs are obviously very skilled and the dishes look lovely and taste heavenly. Particular favorites of mine: mapo tofu, stir-fried pork shreds with peking sauce, stir-fried green beans with pork mince, and *anything* with buns. The portions are HUGE, so be prepared to share- the more people you can bring with you, the more you can sample! We had a group of 12, ordered 10 plates and had leftover. The drinks menu included an impressive number of very affordable wines, but many of them were unavailable. SERVICE & SPACE The host/manager person was super helpful and nice, which was great for our very large group. We had a reservation for 10 (but squeezed in another 2), so they put us in one of the private rooms- it was snug, but comfortable. I found the table staff generally irritable, inattentive, and impolite. When one of our dishes came out without a serving spoon, I practically had to fight the waiter to get him to bring us one. Anytime we needed something, we had to get up and track down a server to get it, and then convince them that we *actually* needed it (examples: water, napkins, spoons, the bill). The space itself is well decorated, lively, and comfortable. I found the toilets to be above average in cleanliness. PRICE For 10 dishes, two canisters of rice, and two bottles of wine, our total was about $350. I was amazed!! Edited to add: They don't generally split checks, so bring cash! This is a great place to bring a group (as long as none of them are whiney jerks), and we'll definitely be back. The food and price are worth putting up with the service.