‘Shocking meals’: Chinese restaurant’s plan to stay open after liquidation

A Chinese restaurant in Sunnybank Hills, with just 2.9 stars on Google, has entered voluntary liquidation, and operators have revealed the plan to keep the doors open.

Our Canteen, Sunnybank Hills.

A company that operates a traditional Chinese restaurant south of Brisbane has gone into liquidation, with sources close to the restaurant claiming they will continue to operate.

Ms Liu & Mr Jiang Pty Ltd, who operate Our Canteen in the rich Asian suburb of Sunnybank Hills, entered voluntary liquidation on June 10, though a staff member told the Courier Mail the restaurant planned to continue operating, despite the subsequent liquidation.

The staff member, who did not identify herself by name but indicated she was the partner of the restaurant’s owner, answered Our Canteen’s registered mobile number indicated that the owner was currently overseas and was not reliably contactable.

The woman said they did not want the public knowing their “back-of-restaurant business” and planned to continue running the restaurant under a different company.

According to ASIC documents, the registered operator is a Mr Yi Jiang and the previous operator a Ms Xin Ping Liu, both of who live at the same address and are both current shareholders of the company.

Patrick Loi, Managing Partner of Sydney-based accountants Greengate Advisory was appointed as the liquidator, and has not responded to a request for comment.

The restaurant still appears to be available for orders on food delivery platforms like Uber Eats and Doordash, but when customers call the restaurant, they are advised it is closed for several weeks as they are on holiday.

Google reviews for the restaurant show a slew of unhappy customers, with an average score of 2.9 stars, with diners claiming disappointment with both food and service quality.

“Was served with undercooked pork and chives dumplings, could see the raw meat inside still,” one review said.

“The pancake was burnt, and what was even more deceiving was that the lamb and scorpion meat was still cold and had not been fully heated from the frozen state … The most shocking meal ever,” another reviewer claimed.

The Courier-Mail does not suggest Our Canteen was engaging in unsafe food practices.

Most of the venue’s negative reviews relate to extended waiting times for food, with customers claiming up to an hour and a half for simple dishes.

Brisbane City Council declined to comment.

Restaurant owner Yi Jiang, translated by his partner, said they had chosen to liquidate the company due to a significant increase in expenses, saying his electricity and gas bills had doubled, with the cost of rent and quality ingredients was too high.

He also said that it was difficult working in a precinct close to similar restaurants, and claimed the “Government (was) just not doing anything to support small business”.

When asked about their plans to continue operating the restaurant under a different company, Yi Jiang said “everything is unsure” but insisted that every was “going through legally by our accountant and solicitor”.

He did not answer whether the restaurant had formally closed, or when, reiterating everything was above board.