05/11/09

Overrated

by scottschied

I have heard about Cin Cin for years and whenever I have been in the area the restaurant has been packed. I called from my car on a busy night and they told me that they could accommodate my party of two without a reservation and to come in. I arrived 5 minutes later. I was then told to wait at the bar for 30 minutes.

The room was dingy and dirty. I was impressed. Why the reviews that highlight the decor? The table settings were nice but my table wobbled and I noticed the table next to ours was kept level with a large piece of cardboard which was not the most attractive sight. I've been to food courts in Singapore and Palladar's in Havana so I am happy to put food above setting any day of the week. A Tony Luke's Pork sandwich while sitting under I 95 can't be beat.

The service was inattentive yet rushed. I've was eager to try different things and asked our server to suggest some items. Her response "everything". That helped narrow it down.

The food was not very good. I could get much better with less bs from a half dozen places in my NYC neighborhood. The crab salad was overdressed and the pieces of crab were very small. The spring roll was like any other spring roll I've had at typical take out restaurants. I had a seafood and chicken roll wrapped in seaweed and it was bland visually, texturally and in taste. The wonton soup was very good. I saw the Peking duck and it did look great but my date was not into it so I ordered another duck dish that was no different from any other take out place that serves over cooked and over salted food. My date had a salmon dish that looked great on the plate but it was over cooked and the sauce as cloying and the accompanying vegetables were very oily.

I don't understand the fuss. I had meals and drinks in 4 other Philadelphia area eateries in the previous 36 hours and Cin Cin was the only let down. Dirty establishment, disinterested service and mediocre food. I'd rather pay more and eat at Susanna Foo or pay less and eat in Chinatown or at any local asian restaurant.

• Pros: Interesting and Mixed Menu
• Cons: Decor, Food, Service

02/21/09

Extremely disappointing

by Tansey81

I read the reviews on here so I decided to give it a try. I went with my girlfriend on a Saturday night. The service was bad; we felt rushed throughout the dinner. However, I can tolerate poor service as long as the food is good. Well, the food was terrible. The wonton soup was watery and bland. We had the grilled thai chicken as an appetizer -- it was $6 for about five tiny strips of chicken drenched in some strange-tasting sauce. Then as the entree' we tried the orange beef ... let me tell you, this was the worst tasting thing I've ever had. It had a weird, burnt smell to it and it tasted like an old sponge. There is no other word to describe it other than "awful." I guess people get so caught up in the ambience of places that they overlook bad food, I don't know. This place is overrated and definitely not worth it.

• Pros: Decent ambience
• Cons: Awful food

06/25/07

great food and cheap dinner

by tdn115

My boyfriend and I came across Cin Cin yesterday while driving through Chestnut Hill. We stopped in and got some dinner. I was surprisingly good, no frills. I highly recommend the barbeque spare ribsto start and the crab cake. He had the sweet and sour pork which he also enjoyed. We aren't normally a big fan of chinese cuisine, but it was a definate great find. The service wasn't the greatest, being that it was a lazy sunday evening and there were not a lot of patrons, but we were not in a rush so it was tolerable. It was a nice way to wind down the day.

• Pros: good food, well priced and great location.
• Cons: parking, slow service