Malaysian Restaurant Chinta Ria Mood for Love is Closing

After a seven-year run on the sixth level of Westfield Sydney, Malaysian restaurant Chinta Ria Mood for Love will close this Saturday, June 15. The restaurant, which takes part of its name and design inspiration from cult 2000 Hong Kong film In the Mood for Love, moved into the space in 2011. It’s headed up by chef Simon Goh, who also oversees Chinta Kechil in Double Bay.

A spokesperson for the restaurant told Broadsheet that the venue’s lease with Westfield has ended and “we are now reviewing our options”. The team tell us they will shortly announce a rebirth somewhere else, after a hiatus to re-energise.

The restaurant sprang out of a standalone venue in Cockle Bay, which was known for its giant cement and styrofoam buddha. While the buddha didn’t make the cut when the restaurant moved to Westfield (because of space restrictions), its reputation as a den for good times remained firmly in place. This came across in flavour-packed dishes such as nasi lemak, and cocktails with names such as Lollipop, Sexy Genie and Love Bite.

Chinta Ria joins a number of Sydney restaurants that have recently announced their closure, including The Fish Shop and Cake Wines (which will both also shut up shop at the end of this week), and ACME, Billy Kwong and Longrain.

Chinta Ria: Mood for Love will have its last service this Saturday, June 15.

chintamoodforlove.com