Alex: I’m always a little dubious when it comes to phone apps taking over real life situations. Call me old-fashioned (or just not very tech savvy) but I’d typically prefer to do more of my personal stuff, like paying bills without the aid of apps.
Groupee is an app totally designed to make group payments effortless. We’ve all been in that awkward situation when we are at a restaurant and someone has to run across to an atm to pull cash out or tell a friend that we’ll transfer them later. So the idea of efficiently splitting a bill without any fuss is an absolute Godsend.
To clarify, I feel as though we need to disclose the fact that we would never promote something we didn’t believe in, which is why when an opportunity arose to try the app at China Doll we were keen to experience it for ourselves.
We’ve written about China Doll in-depth here China Doll but let me take you through a quick run through of the dishes ordered and our highlights.
Starting the meal on a lighter note, we ordered the Ocean Trout Sashimi w Blackened Chilli Dressing $28 Rich flavours that immediately envelop the palate with a great kick of chilli.
The Corn & Zucchini Cakes w Coriander Chilli Sambal $16 were crunchy morsels. A light and airy batter. I loved the extra crunch from the corn. The chilli sambal was just a touch too spicy for me.
The table again being in two minds argued on what to order but begrudgingly ordered the Beef Salad w Pickled Red Cabbage Mizuna & Purple Shiso $20. Ultimately the dish fell flat. The beef had no distinct flavour and was quite chewy.
The Crispy Dumpling – Chicken Prawn & Scallop w Red Vinegar $20 was one of the best fried dumplings I’ve ever eaten. Once opened the filling was juicy and plump and a light dash of the red vinegar gave a welcome sweetness to the dish.
Super crunchy the Salt & Pepper Prawns w Wok Toasted Chilli & Garlic $39 were actually great value for money as well. A very generous serving and I love that you can decide how much of the salt and pepper you want to utilize. I do feel that some might find this dish a little too dry, but add a drizzle of lime and it’ll make a difference.
There’s literally no words to describe the Crispy Pork Belly w Chilli Caramel & Nam Pla Phrik $36. So I’m just going to leave you with the fact that it is literally the best pork belly in Sydney so you just need to go and try it for yourself.
The last dish of the night as we were too full for dessert was the Grill SA Lamb Rump w Wasabi Pea Puree & Onion Rings $39. Firstly, the onion rings were amazing and had a lovely rich red colour that contrasted well with the pea puree. The lamb rumb was soft and I’m happy that they served it with a decent amount of the jus.
If you’re planning on using Groupee, the bill will come and you will receive a code from the restaurant to input into the app. There were 3 of us dining, so in that case. 1 person hosts the app while the others join. A code is then sent for those joining, you just have to add your credit card details and you’re good to go. Each person can leave a tip if they like as well which is really handy.
The only feedback we and the restaurant would have, is that a code be generated straight away to then give to the restaurant as it took a while for a confirmation email to be sent to our phones and the restaurant wasn’t sure if our bill had been payed. Other than that it was completely painless!
Until next time!
Alex
*For Food’s Sake dined as guests of Groupee, all opinions are our own.
Ooh best pork belly in Sydney!? That’s a big call but of course have added it to the list to try. 😀