Hong Kong Best Food Box Hill: white people not welcome

I went to box hill china town on a vist to melbourne with my mate and the ammount of hostile looks we got was just depressing,even to buy a steamed pork bun was like asking the guy i wanted all his money and worldy posessions.Send in A CURRENT AFFAIR undercover to expose and embarrass these racists

Agreed with you there Duncan and I'm Chinese. Some Asian restaurants are out and out racist and not just to Anglo-Australians. I've been to Vietnamese noodle houses with the same treatment, where 90% of clientèle are Vietnamese.

Having been to Hong Kong 'no-where-near' Best Food, I'd rate their service as typical Hong Kong cafe style attitude. Rude, inconsistent and blatant snobbery.

I gave them shit in Cantonese because our food came later than a table next to us, who got there 10mins after us. After that, they served us a bit more competently. In such places, you've gotta give them some attitude first before ordering anything. I learnt this whilst in Hong Kong, and it becomes part of the banter.

I'm sorry that's been your experience. As a Korean-Australian with a (white) South African boyfriend, we regularly eat out at different places and neither of us have experienced racism like that. In fact, we sometimes get special treatment at Asian restaurants because my boyfriend is "a white boy" and they want to make a good impression.

Having said that, it is still racial profiling (even if it is in our favour). Bad service will always be bad service, but in your case, you were blatantly victimised and that's unacceptable.

At the end of the day, it's the restaurant that loses anyway.

Unfortunately this isn't rare in Boxy - just try getting served at the Bubble Cup place in the Centro!

I lived there for 5 years - moved bayside early '08 - and this sort of thing used to happen on the the time. I worked around it though - Indochine is easily the best food in the area and it wasn't uncommon that I'd have both lunch and dinner there. I really don't think they're too fussy who they take the money from. Ditto Tien Dat (which is in the same family I believe). Tan Tan are always friendly too, but you have to be a bit more selective with the menu.

Box Hill is mostly a great place to live, but it can be incredibly racist.

i like your article.. thank you so much for sharing your experiencse in visiting Hong Kong and share some of your pics there..

I don't think you're alone on this Duncan. I regularly go to the Jewish bakery, Glicks in Balaclava and often I won't get served in order (despite having waited there first) because I'm clearly not Jewish. It's a shame and really tarnishes the reputation of these great food places.

Sorry - I have to say - the issue at Glicks is not racism.

I'm very clearly Jewish and I've had SO MANY problems there - they're just plain rude. I won't buy ANYTHING there anymore because I'm so tired of being made to feel small by staff who need to feel big!!!

On a separate note,

Hong Kong is now a tourists spots because of its beautiful places. people like most to visit is the Disneyland in HOng Kong.

i have to say that hongkong is as much western as it can be for an asian city. i have been there once and the restaurant experience has been great.

That's not a good experience in Hong Kong Best Food Box Hill..they should not discriminate other people if they will be in your situation and do the same that they did what could they will feel...they're lucky that tourist would go to there and love there food..they should give there best service to their customer no matter what there races..

Its really sad if they had done this type of behavior with you intentionally , Even most of the chinese won't support this act and i think Hotel should apologize for such kind og act or give a proper explanation

ive been here ,im white and i went by myself ...never waited too long ,ok service ...maybe your order got misplaced? 1st sign of a "f%#ked up" order and all of a sudden its racially motivated? ..sounds like your being paranoid and your investigating the racial discrimination laws bahahaha ..1 word of advice ..dont go to asia! ..and if you do ..never venture out of your 5 star hotel and eat at a restaurant.

I would urge you to speak to a manager next time. Even if you did not bring up the race issue, at least to complain about the wait and undercooked meat (salmonella, anyone?).

Sadly - I've experienced this myself.

The Best Food Gallery is not the fastest food, or best service for white guys around.

Little things like trying to get the attention of staff to place orders can be difficult. The food can be fantastic there - but when the service is good, it's adequate ;)

My belief is that it's a little bit racism, but mostly incompetence rather than malice.

As a sinophile (at least when it comes to food), and a Box Hill regular (we must be in the same neighbourhood), I find I'm usually OK so long as I do one of these 3 things:

1) Take the path less traveled - Order something adventurous, uncommon, or at least less likely to be ordered by a white guy. Show them you won't be one of "those guys" who comes into the restaurant, orders a Kwai Teow and complains that the mild chili is too hot.

As for undercooked meats.. Hell, you're eating *real* chinese food now! It tastes good - but if you're not taking your life into your own hands by eating it, some of my chinese friends might say you're missing out on the best part - the excitement! ;)

2) Take an asian - I've never had bad service (or even asked whether I'd like a fork) when I've dined on asian with an asian.

3) Know the magic words or secret signs - The first question they ask is "how many [people do you have wanting a table]?". Shoot back with "Liang ge" (lee-aang geh - "two of") and give them the "peace sign" to get a table for two.

This gives you faster service, and none of the white-guy-going-to-complain-about-the-food stereotype.

For good food in Box Hill, hit David and Camy's (a few doors down from where you were).

Pan fried pork dumplings with chili oil, soy sauce and vinegar are great. Shanghai Xiao Long Bao have a burst of soupy taste in a steamed dumpling - but wait for them to cool slightly before biting in. The fried pork ribs are a favorite among families there. Mapo Tofu (silken tofu) is also good. Avoid the Dan Dan Noodles - the spiciest ones I've ever tasted.

The other thing you'll like about David and Camy's is the speed of service. They must have telepathy. I swear I've received meals within 60 seconds of ordering.

If you ever end up back at the Best Food Gallery, pick something out of the cold display case. Jellied ox tongue (OK, maybe not for everyone). Drunken Chicken is a safe choice. Ask them if they have "Sheng Jian Bao" (it's not always available). It's a pork bun that is steamed on the top, and crisp-fried on the bottom.
Avoid anything with "combination vegetables" [read: frozen corn, peas, snow peas and carrots from the packet]. They use this in their Mapo Tofu as well I believe.

Avoid D&C Noodle (across the road, beside Club X) - unreliable service, and poor english skills can cause bad experiences. Fantastic dumplings though... if you can get them.

China Bar is "consistently adequate" - and open very late (for us internet types). Nothing on their menu is bad, nothing on their menu is fantastic. Service is fast. My only word of warning is - don't go there if not everyone is eating. Idiotic "minimum orders" mean you need to order at least $10 of food per person - even at 2am when you're the only people in the joint.

But if you want the ONE GEM of Box Hill...

Inside Centro Box Hill (the one with the station in it) tucked in behind the food court, between Pete and Rosie's Deli and the Health Shop - there is a small dumpling and handmade noodle kitchen.

Handmade organic noodles with stewed beef that literally falls apart in your mouth, in a delicious soupy broth - the best ones I've ever tasted (#2 being in Nanjing, China).

More than a meal - but not open late (as the center closes, and they have no street access).

B

This is really not happening! Whats wrong with the people, i really don't get it! People really need to get real now.

Sadly racism is not exclusive to your country or this restaurant. As white people we are absolutely lambasted for seeming the least bit racist, but when it happens to us, we are simply expected to suck it up and take it. And most of us do - even those of us who have never been racist in our lives.

not only white. but also some nation done that!
sciatica

back pain

Great! Thank for information, I'm looking for it for a long time,

Don't think much about it, it's just bad service. As a chinese-Indonesian myself we are used to meet rude waiter/waitresses once in a while in some chinese restaurants . Longer wait for food, throwing plates/chopsticks on the table, saying "JUST WAIT" loudly when we ask for service are just part of the culture of some staffs who knows that they are never short of customers. Just last week my dad made a big scene at www.goldendragonpalace.com.au for very rude services until the manager promised to sack the senior waiter (the one usually in black suit).
A word of wisdom: If you guys want to complain, just make sure to do it after you have finished your meals and about to leave the restaurant, coz they might do something with the foods/drinks if they hate you.

i have had many of these experiences and want to look into anti discrimination laws too.Blatent racism againts white people in chinese restaurants is just out of hand and something needs to be done.All the little things that i have experienced could not be typed in this box...getting given a fork to eat noodles is my worst hate...then i ask for chopsticks,they laugh and then it seems i am being pretencious)one guy walked off repeating CHOPSTICKS CHOPSTICKS giggling once)AND getting not exatly what you ordered.....went to a vietnamese place once,ordered soup and got no vegetable condiment plate as all the other vietnamese had on their tables.....i had to ask once again.....i think they do these little things on purpose just so you have a bad time and never return WHO ARE THE RACISTS?????