(7/10) 
Here's a real dilemma. If a restaurant's great three out of four times can you forgive them one bad night?
In the past Ba Orient has been fantastic. The design is superb with a cascading interior waterfall (now that is a claim for uniquity) plus stunning views onto Cardiff Bay, and an array of various seating areas including private rooms perfect for an outré birthday party. And the (slightly contrived) crinkly menus contain a wide selection of dim sum morsels and bigger dishes.
The problem is, they just didn't get it right on this visit. The offer of a non-smoking table was followed up with the reality of a seat next to a Hurricane Higgins wannabe, a soundtrack of club hits for teenagers, and a waiter who appeared to have no knowledge whatsoever of the menu's contents.
Which is a shame because there's some terrific nosh to be had. Make sure you try the Monks' Buns (honeyed meat in a delicious blob of fluffy dough), the Taro Croquettes (don't be put off when they look like hairy elephant's testicles) and Har Gau (so good you'll just have to try them). The drinks were impressive too, with Tsing Tao beer and an enviable wine list classily arranged by nationality. There's even something for tee-totallers: lychee tea which is unbeatable.
A word of warning. If you don't like seafood this isn't the greatest place to come. And steer clear on Friday and Saturday nights. That's when it all starts going so horribly wrong.......
| Food |  |
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| Drink | |
| Service |  |
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Monday evening visit so quite quiet. Staff were helpful and polite if not overly welcoming. The food was pleasant enough, interesting but not anything to ensure a second visit. It would have been much improved if some of the ingredients had tasted fresher and the oil used for frying was not so old. More a decent place to eat late evening following some drinks with your mates rather than an occasion requiring memorable cuisine. 6/10
I had the worst meal I have ever had in this place last Saturday night.
The staff were ok. The decor is ok, nothing special. The toilets were disgusting. The clientele were interesting; a high proportion of aspirational weekend millionaires buying the cheapest champagne on their no-doubt-maxed-out credit cards.
My plate had a chip in it. They couldn't get the difference between coke and diet coke. We had to ask for soy, hoi sin and plum condiments. These things are basic, and not mistakes that should be made in a restaurant, especially one that's claiming to be a "posh" one.
The music was way too loud, it was like being in a nightclub. It killed all table conversation. The tables are too close to the people drinking at the bar, so people kept bumping into the benches we were sitting on. We sat on uncomfortable benches, and every time the front door opened we got a blast of cold air. And cigarette smoke, and ash from all the smokers right outside the door. That's right, fag ash fried rice. Not nice.
The food was actually quite nice; however it came out at random times. There were four of us in the group and one was waiting an absolute age for her main meal. Apparently that's how they serve food in there. I also think nearly £10 for a bowl of average rice is a bit steep, even if it is served in a pineapple.
It took 45 minutes after we'd finished our meal for the plates to be cleared. There was no drinks service to speak of until I managed to grab the manager; the drinks arrived 30 minutes later. Guess what? Coke again.
The girls wanted desserts. They took 25 minutes to get us some dessert menus. We'd had enough by now and eventually got the bill. A 10% service charge had automatically been added! What the f***? This practice really winds me up. If the service is good I'll happily give a generous tip; if it isn't then they get nothing. Don't try to force me into it, you pirates. Needless to say, I didn't pay it. We ended up buying our desserts and coffee from Tesco over the road and had them at home.
In my opinion, baorient would make either an ok bar or an ok restaurant; trying to be both simply doesn't work.