Golden Boat Chinese Restaurant

After living in Melbourne my whole life, I would classify the food here as average. Some dishes are better than others - do not get the egg custard tarts. I ordered them takeaway once, got charged $12 for 2 serves and they were terrible. The colour was not the usual bright yellow, but they were a cloudy grey. But the most disappointing thing about this place is how they rip off westerners. Not only is it very expensive for chinese food, but three different times I had made the same order, they charged me 3 different prices each time! Surprise, surprise, the price went up every time! I had ordered from the same girl, the second time I didn't say any thing but the third time I asked for a receipt and politely pointed out that she always charges me a different price. The girl did not apologise to me or give me a discount for ripping me off and just kept telling me that there shouldn't be a mistake in her 'system'. Instead her colleague(an older lady) apologised to me, seeing how upset I was. As I went to pay for that order the girl was talking in chinese to the other waitresses and still did not apologise for overcharging me. Just because of this young girl's attitude, I will never go back there ever again, and will advise all my friends that live here or visit Cairns not to either. Good customer service is a major part of dinning/hospitality to many people and especially to myself. When a mistake is made, an apology is due. Besides, how can you trust a restaurants food if you cant even trust them not to rip you off?

Had a fantastic time at the Golden Boat in Cairns, food was piping hot, super tasty,fresh and expertly prepared. Service was top class, staff and management did a competent, professional and efficient job.really made our night a special event. We will definitely be returning for more top class food and surroundings.

Best yum cha I've found so far in Cairns. I'm used to the massive yum cha restaurants in Sydney, so while it doesn't quite offer the freshness or variety it does very well for a small city restaurant. I've been on many occiasions and have never left unsatisfied. My favourites are the crispy pork, pork and ginger dumplings and the deep fried pork and mushroom dumplings. The steamed dumplings are always hot, sometimes the specials and deep fried offerings have been around on the carts for a bit but they're still tasty.

Unfortunately nearly every yum cha dish was cold. Normally the yum cha experience is a delight but we were anything but delighted. Very disappointed.

Hadn't heard anything about this place so went and checked it out for yum cha Sunday lunch. The place was nearly full with Asians and westerners ..always a good sign. Prompt service and the food was good.

I just love this restaurant - my favourite Chinese in town! The yum-cha lunch is amazing and the dinner is also delicious! I also recommend trying the banquet they have for dinner, it is a fantastic feast and will leave you very full and satisfied.
The whole restaurant is a bit pricier then some but really you can't put a price on great food!

We arrived at Golden Boat for a yum cha lunch at 10 to1 to celebrate a special occasion, we had paid our bill and left by 1.35pm.
We were rushed through our meal and our plates were cleared before we were even offered any dessert selections.
I agree with Kathy's opinion (26/4/11) that the food was not freshly served.
The yum cha selection that was presented on the printed menu was definitely not offered in reality on the day.
I had difficulty getting my partner to agree to yum cha initially but as it was my birthday he reluctantly agreed to my choice, I was left feeling embarassed and disappointed.

I Love this Yum cha resturant, the service is Perfect but one thing I would like to change, the food. It's kind of not "freshly served".

Best restaurant in town! Both food and service are second to none and we love both their yum cha and evening menu. After trying to decide where to eat out, we always end up at the Golden Boat. We highly recommend them.

This truly is the best exponent of Yum Cha outside of Melbourne. Fabulous service combined with beautiful fresh food. Family's are made to feel welcome. Truly a dining experience for those looking for quality Chinese food!

best best yum cha ... leaving china town in Melbourne was a hard thing to do and most of the yum cha I have had up here has been dissapointing... until I went to Golden Boat!
They have a yum cha chef that just makes all the yum cha by hand... and it shows!
My favorites are the steamed ribs, the pork buns, the golden noodles, the crispy skin pork, the eggplant stuffed with prawns the roast duck, and of course the rainbow jelly!
Great service too!

I am now a converted regular to the Golden Boat, the yum cha is the best in Cairns without a doubt. The spare ribs, ginger pork dumplings and crispy pork cannot be missed. A tip though leave enough space for desert, the custard tarts are exceptional!

We, dine here at least twice a month,the food and the service is excelent,the yum cha, is outstanding,a great place to introduce your friends to chinese food,GEORGE and INGRID GARSIDE,

The Yum Cha at this restaurant is a delight. The atmosphere is bright and breezy, the staff plentiful and attentive and the food a treat. This establishment is a must for Yum Cha lovers!

As Yum Cha aficionados, we were excited to hear that Golden Boat were doing Yum Cha, and we've been regulars ever since. It's the best Yum Cha in Cairns, and while the range isn't enormous, the food is always good and the price is reasonable. Salt and Pepper Squid is excellent, pork buns a favourite, but everything we've had there has been great. To keep the price of your meal down, decline the specials (which come around without a trolley and only one variety at a time) and drink green tea not softdrink.

What a delicious lunch! I will be definitely be back again soon! The best thing about yum cha is that there is no waiting for your meal to be served (which is great when you are on a short work lunch break).

YUM yum cha... This place receives a "double thumbs up BOSHACK" - which means, great friendly service & lots of delicious morsels. Always great to go with a group (especially funny American workmates that haven't tried anything like it before - very entertaining!).

So many things come around, it's best to go with someone who knows what they're doing at least for the first time, or with enough people so you can get to try everything. Not so much of a fan of all the gooey stuff but everything else is pretty good, the crispy pork thing is my favorite.

Yum cha was enjoyable -- good variety. 'Crispy Pork' and 'Salt & Pepper Squid' always a favourite. Friendly staff. Will always go back for yum cha :)

An impressive Yum Cha indeed. Very friendly service from multi-lingual staff, don't go past the pork buns, they're divine. Chicken feet were a novelty, and the Chinese donuts were a very interesting texture.