Ling Ling Thai Dubbo

Always a great gluten free meal

Ling Ling Thai has been open 11 days as of this review - and while there are a couple new-restaurant teething problems, it's got a LOT of promise. Most of the issues we had were easily chalked up to the fact that they were incredibly short-staffed, and also very, very new to the game - the owner, his daughter, and a single chef in the back were manning the restaurant during a busy evening service. We were there for a birthday party, and there were 8 of us - most of the other tables in the place were also full, and everyone was flat out trying to manage drink orders, food orders, etc. The food was delicious and they could easily cater to our dietary needs (some of us were gluten free, some were lactose free, vegetarian, etc.) The service was also fabulous - easily the standout here. I arrived early and chatted to the owner behind the bar for a bit before things really got busy, and both he and his daughter were friendly, easy-going, and wanted everyone to have a good time. They're Dubbo locals, and they clearly have big dreams for Dubbo regional cuisine. My only complaints are that when my sticky rice came out, the presentation was lacking (it was inside a plastic bag) and it was overcooked - dry and hard and chewy - and when a friend's dish came out (much later than everyone else's) they had forgotten her rice and fried egg. When pointed out, though, they were apologetic and offered to bring it out or comp the meal. They dealt with it like professionals, and nobody felt shorted at the end of the night. Also - not sure if this was because of the birthday party, or because of the missing food above, but they brought the table desserts that were phenomenal. I mean, really, really damn delicious - some kind of cheesecake, a custard, and ice cream, and enough for everyone to utterly glut themselves on. It was a great note to finish on. All in all, I'm definitely going back - though I might give them a little time to settle in before I do, and see if I can't bump that 4 stars up to a 5.