As a family tradition, the extended family of twenty members went to Phoenix Palace Restaurant for lunch on Boxing Day with great expectation. We were given a room, which was an encouraging start; so we thought. Alas, the dim-sum and the stir fried dishes were mediocre. Worst of all the service was rude and slow. Instead of serving us, the waiters practically ordered us about. It was clear that ‘thank you’ or ‘please’ is not in their vocabulary. To add insult to injury, they added 17.5% service charge to the bill! We paid without arguing, although we could have protested. It was after all Boxing Day and we were happy with the accommodation, where members of the family many coming from afar could chat cheerfully without having to worry about disturbing other customers.

The visit to the PPR was our first and I am sure it will be our last too. There are better and more friendly Chinese restaurants nearby. A pity that we missed the photos of some disposed politicians displayed in the lobby area as we entered; they should have been a good enough warning for us.