Chef carried away with chilli - Chinese food should’nt be over spicy but sweet chilli chicken (rated medium hot) was too spicy and no flavour at all - just lumps of deep fried batter Sweet and sour chicken was better but still had chilli and...was spicy not sour Rice was disappointing - pre Cooked, soggyMore

Lovely food in a lovely atmosphere. It was so nice to spend an evening with friends in a place that we used to dine in many years ago. The waiting staff were attentive without being overbearing and the food was as nice as ever. Ask...for a gluten free menu if you need one. Would recommend if you want to enjoy good Chinese food.More

The standards have dropped over the last year, staff were pleasant but the food disappointing. I feel for businesses at this difficult time but I won't go again in a hurry.

Cathayz rendezvous is the best chinese in Bristol i have been across then all and the standards here remain the best , the w Quality and quantity of food is great ! Service is always attentive and the value is great for what you get...! There was 5 of us and we really got some tasty bits in! The prawn toast from here is always the best really thick juicy layer of prawn ! Delish ! The satay chicken was a real winner too with a thick satay sauce ! The pork chop in honey pepper was as always fantastic! The seafood medley hot dish again a real winner! 5 happy diners looking forward to another visit!More

Worst meal I’ve ate in ages,food was cold whats even worse is that the curry sause was clumpy and stuck to the top of the lid,egg fried rice definitely wasn’t cooked,sweet and sour was cold and like paste,DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS SHOP!

The taste of Chinese cuisine has always had something to attract us. What is experienced at Cathay Rendezvous restaurant in Bristol is good: the quality of the food, the cool seating, and the attentive service.

Hospitality businesses have had it tough over the past few years, but even making allowances for that, there’s no excuse for probably the worst meal I’ve had for a very long time. I should have paid attention to other recent reviews. It takes a particular...skill (and not a good one) to be able to serve up a meal so completely lacking in flavour and taste. First up, the restaurant lacks any atmosphere. Granted it was early evening but we were put in an empty room so cold we had to keep our coats on. A couple of small heaters had no impact at all. On the positive side, service was attentive. The mixed starter plate was the usual mixed starter in a Chinese restaurant. Not home made, all bought in, we’ve had it numerous times. The chicken satay was a particular low point but fairly typical of all the meat dishes, a rare combination of tough but watery. As for the sauces, absolutely a million miles away from even moderate flavour to coat the meats. And sesame toast and spring roll – how can you cook the flavour out of that? Crispy aromatic duck with pancakes – the pancakes were the only things as expected. A bit of a high point, almost. There was no crispy and no aromatic, the duck was bordering on tepid and again no flavour. We had a polite word with our server who said he would speak to the kitchen to see what could be done. Given they were unlikely to be preparing fresh for us, I doubted we’d get anything. Three dishes came out flavourless and barely warm. A chicken dish came out with the server proclaiming the hope that this dish would be different. Indeed it was. It was hot, for a start. Then we found out why, it seemed like in order to get some flavour into the dish, it had been given a quick go in a wok and doused in soy sauce. So, it did have flavour, just not the flavour of the dish. Given it was so cold in there we couldn’t really even laugh the experience off as ‘one of those things’. I can’t recommend this restaurant to my worst enemy.More

Awful experience. Tasteless chicken (sent back, beef replacement equally bad), slimy veg, won ton soup watery, overall really disappointing. This place should be avoided.

Sorry to say this but a really poor takeaway on Saturday 18/02. Starters duck pancakes - small amount for a half portion, meat wet and greasy. Pancakes wet (I know it’s difficult as tw but these were inedible), watery hoisin, small portion of veg. Spare...ribs absolute processed garbage. Mains all very ordinary. Reminded me of the crap local place from the 70’s when they got away with it being a novelty. I can’t believe that the food was the same/worse than the place on St John’s Lane but 50% more expensive. Was expecting a really good meal for £120 but felt completely ripped off.More

Very disappointing, the place was cold, the food order was mixed up twice, the food went cold quickly which was a shame because it was very nice. Won’t be going back again.

Cathay Rendezvous could be a great restaurant - really good location on King St, housed in an interesting former Georgian library. However, the restaurant itself is down at heel, needs refurbishment badly and feels tired, tatty and worn out (the stairs to the upstairs toilets...looked like they hadn't been hoovered in months). However, the real problem is the food. We had the set menu for two. Prawn crackers were ok, but were served with an insipid chili sauce that showed every sign of being watered down... why?? The starters were ok, but the ribs were poor and prawn sesame toasts were greasy and cold. The aromatic duck was paltry (pardon the pun) with some clumsily sliced cucumber and dried out shredded spring onions. The hoisin sauce was also watery and thin - again, is the 'saving' worth it?? The main courses kept to the same philosophy, sadly. Dishes were tasteless and bland. The service was reasonable, but overall, Cathay Rendezvous was a big let down, giving the impression of owners, chefs and staff who have lost their way completely and don't really care. Also very suspicious of the brief, similar sounding 5 star reviews from people who have only reviewed this restaurant. Definitely avoid.More

A long established and very large Chinese restaurant, we’ve been here a few times over the years and have always found it to be a pretty decent standard. We noted a few Chinese customers on our recent visit which always strikes me as a good...sign, although the large room that we were then shown in to seemed a bit lacking in any atmosphere with only two other customers. There was also a distinct chill in the air, and we noted a number of small fan heaters around, so once had to tread carefully to avoid tripping over their cables. Whether there was a problem with the heating, or they felt this would be cheaper than turning it on, I’m not sure, but it certainly didn’t add to the atmosphere. I noticed they had Asahi on tap which was a pretty good choice, even if it is Japanese rather than Chinese, and, I believe, brewed in the UK. Something a little more authentic wouldn’t have gone amiss, but it could have been worse. The menu offered an extensive selection covering all bases, and we opted for the mixed starters consisting of “homemade” spring rolls, BBQ spare ribs, chicken satay skewers and sesame prawn fingers. It was all distinctly average and it all tasted as though it had been lying around for some time rather than being freshly cooked, with the spring rolls being particularly stale. The spare ribs were quite fatty and chewy, and the bbq sauce tasted very artificial. I’ve had far better food from my local takeaway. Main courses of sweet & sour chicken and a crispy chilli beef fared much better, both were decent enough, albeit nothing spectacular, but they were certainly a great improvement over the starters. Service was on the whole good enough, although the drinks seemed to take a long time coming and we were advised to order one rice bowl per person, when in fact they were massive and one would have been plenty for two to share. At around £40 per head including service and a couple of rounds of drinks, it’s not bad value.More