Sing Sing

There are a lot of small and unassuming Asian restaurants around, but this one has a decent sized dining area and hosts large groups with some regularity. The menu is purportedly Chinese and Vietnamese, but when I tried it I went for the latter with a lemongrass tofu. Setting aside the profligate cruciferous vegetables (not a fan), it was a satisfactory dish, if no better than that. I was also a bit unnerved to find that this is a place that charges significantly less for takeout than for eating in, that the latter included a set of seafood chips I had no interest in, and that rice wasn’t included.
I’ll probably play the field for a while before I go back here again.

If you’ve lived around Annerley or Moorooka or have ever had cause to visit the PA Hospital, chances are you’ve been to or driven past Sing Sing Restaurant. Perhaps like me, you’ve made a joke about Sing Sing prison or pondered the vaguely racist tone of the name. But, did you know that Sing Sing moved quite some time ago? It is now on Hardgrave Rd in West End.
I expected it to be reasonably quiet on a Sunday after 1pm but there was steady trade of locals doing as we were and dropping in for a quick lunch. Despite there being only one waiter, there were no delays in ordering or problems with service. We ordered dishes to share including the perennially popular Salt and Pepper Calamari and a Satay Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Salad. Both were freshly prepared and delivered and though the noodle salad didn’t include a lot of greenery, they were both spot on from a flavour perspective. After querying the large serve of the calamari (‘Is this a small or a large?’ ‘A small.’), we inhaled it. S&P Calamari is just so moreish isn’t it?
After the disappointment of missing out on Mad Max, I couldn’t bare the disappointment of missing out on a Vietnamese Pancake or, Banh Xeo. This is often only served at Vietnamese restaurants at lunch. Sing Sing were more than happy to oblige with probably the crispest pancake I’ve ever been served accompanied by an entire platter of salad. Dressed with nuoc cham, mint and cucumber, if you haven’t enjoyed a Banh Xeo stuffed with bean sprouts, school prawns and pork, you are definitely missing out.
Too much food for lunch of course but we took away the leftovers for Anthony’s lunch the next day. For around $ 30, lunch at Sing Sing was a lot more relaxed and satisfying that queuing at South Bank cinemas. There’s now a ‘New Sing Sing’ where old Sing Sing used to be at Annerley. Don’t get confused. Make sure you visit the (sort of) original and the best.

I am a huge Phở Fan. Phở is my jam. But in an effort to branch out and try something new at this Viet venue, my husband suggested the Steamboat dinner for 2.
The steamboat presentation was quite impressive and it was loads of food. Really delicious. We brought at least half of the meal home.
But I must say it was not as good as the Phở. Next time I am going back to basics:)

A friend and I headed for dinner here tonight for a quick dinner and I wasn’t disappointed. I’d been hanging our for a pork and dumpling soup fix and I was super impressed at the size of the bowl (HUGE) as well as the taste. We were seated and our order taken quickly (not hurried or rushed) by the friendly staff. Within 10 minutes our order was on the table and we were digging in. The soup was hot, fresh, tasty and like a bowl of heaven. The noodles were firm without being sloppy or hard and the slices of roast pork were melt in your mouth and plentiful. The dumplings were bite size and not falling apart or too hard. In all it was just what was needed for a Autumn dinner in Brisbane. The best part… it cost only $ 10.90…Much better than a lot of other places. The interior is classic suburban Chinese restaurant but that adds to the charm. There was a good mix of Chinese and Vietnamese dishes with meat and vegetarian options to suit the fussiest diner. It may not be flash to look at but where it counts, the food and the service were the best. I can’t wait to make this a regular and see what the other dishes are like.

Where to begin! My friend told me about this restaurant and has been here quite a few times and said we should go here for dinner. He was right, the moment when you first walk into the restaurant, you are greeted by the friendly staff who straight away take you to your table and take your orders.
One thing I was surprised about was how cheap the alcohol costs. For spirits it’s $ 6 and beer $ 4 (normally it would cost a lot more at other restaurants you go to anywhere in Brisbane). I ended up ordering Sweet N Sour Chicken with steamed rice on the side which was probably the best sweet n sour chicken i’ve had in a long time, while my friend got for entrée vegetarian spring rolls and for main chicken phở. He was also satisfied with the meals as well. Only thing I found was that the meals do come in large portion sizes which while I enjoyed my meal, I could only eat half of it as I was full and my friend said the exact same thing about his as well. I didn’t end up getting dessert as I couldn’t eat any more food but my friend got deep fried ice cream which he enjoyed a lot.
Overall, this place would have to be one of the best Chinese restaurants in West End and I was extremely happy with the service that was delivered by the staff. I would definitely come back here again not only for the cheap drinks but also the food as well and would recommend this place to people I know to try this restaurant out that’s for sure.

After having a terrible experience with the late Kim Thanh at this location, I was a little hesitant in going back.
The first thing that caught my eye was how cheap the alcohol was (sad, I know). Beers start at $ 4 and go up to $ 6 for imported beer, spirits are $ 6. I ordered a cashew chicken stirfry and my friend ordered a beef phở which I ended up eating half of anyway, both came in big portions and tasted awesome.
Service was extremely friendly and efficient. Overall a thoroughly pleasant experience and I will definitely be back for more cheap beer and tasty food.

Oh my god. A place that has beers priced from 4 – 6 $ should be a winner just on that. But the good is also great value and delicious, plus the staff are so lovely. Love this place.

This is the first time I have been since the relocation and it is as good as ever. I was sad to see the original Sing Sing close, so was very happy to see them up and running again.
The food is excellent. My wife and I are vegetarian and must recommend the tofu cold rice paper rolls and the salt and pepper tofu. Scrumptious and good value.
We would regularly go to them before for weekend lunch, and this will continue.
Another plus is the free parking at rear. Always good in busy West End.

Wow! Looks like I am the first person to review Sing Sing (West End) on Unilocal. Where do I begin? Décor — lovely! Ambience — relaxing. Service — excellent! Food — «to die for». I come here at least twice a month and always order the «Rice Paper Wraps — Pork Balls» or the traditional ‘BANH XEO’ otherwise known on the menu as Vietnamese Crêpe with Prawn & Pork” with the famous Vietnamese sauce that everyone raves on about. I cannot fault anything about this restaurant, and boy do I know restaurants. The restaurant is fully licensed, unlike many of the other Asian restaurants along this street. It is family owned so you can definitely tell there is more customer service given as compared to the high volume restaurants along the street. The menu is simple and easy to understand, and very well priced for that matter. For some reason I always come here to eat by myself, and that is not a knock on the restaurant. I prefer to enjoy my scrumptious-​dillyumptious food in peace and quiet. Call me selfish if you want, but I am a food lover, and I don’t want to be disturbed as I enjoy the fresh herbs and sauces in front of me. I hope more people come to this restaurant in West End since their relocation. They are a hidden gem, and as I sit here and watch the other people enjoy their meals within their group, I can see that they are all relaxed, without a worry in the world. Trust me, when I say this is one of the best, I really mean it. I have been to almost every Vietnamese restaurant in Brisbane, and if I give an award based in taste, and nothing else, Sing Sing would probably win.