Bistro Dom

4.8 Average

Food  8      Ambience  5      Service  3      Value  3     

How very disappointing, we had read alot about this smart little place and know of the chef quite well so we wanted to try. Seemed like not enough waiter service this day,we had to wait for drinks and menu, bring on the water at least, seemed like the guy was running and no smiles to compensate, smallish serves for lunch meal and at $30 odd dollars very pricey for what you got, salad @ 8.90 was a few bits of hard to eat lettuce and a scatter of parmesan, come on! Would not go back there again.

Apr 18, 2011 

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  10      Value  8     

Apart from a slight sensation of dining in a corridor the evening was just marvellous. All the food was exquisite, complemented by an extensive list of wines. The standout though was the service. Our waiter was knowledgeable about both the food and the wines and made informed and subtle suggestions about our choices. It is such a pleasure to be looked after by someone who understands the role is not just about bringing the correct food to the table.

Dec 14, 2010 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  8     

Dom is a small, gorgeous eatery. It opens mainly for weekday meals (except Friday which includes dinner), the menu changes weekly and a three-course lunch with wine will set you back as much as a high-end dinner. The $$$ indicator is not wrong.

As visitors from Sydney, this was our only occasion at Dom and we managed to get the last table available for lunch. We dove straight into the menu and waited, hunger gratefully stayed by Dom's lovely inhouse baquette (additional portions are charged) and complimentary olives, we love these complimentary platelets that seem to be in most formal restaurants in Adelaide.

Between two of us, we had the scallops, sweetbreads, duck confit, crumbed whiting, and a glass of wine each. For dessert, coffee and the lemon tart with lemon souffle combo. Tastewise, the food was very good. The sweetbreads with anise glaze were out-of-this-world fantastic and are the best I've ever had.

However, they and the scallops suffered from small sizing. As scallops go, they could have been plumper and more seared. Sitting on slices of baquette with a too-mild scampi butter and a few bits of salad, the entree came off as dry and unimpressive.

The confit of duck was more than just a drumstick, it came with a half breast. However, only the former was confit, the latter was roasted, I think. That was unusual for us as, in Sydney, the whole Maryland cut is used. While the flavour of the drumstick was deep, the skin of the duck was not crispy. They had almost got the dish right, which, being a celebrated French restaurant, is not up to par.

The whiting I had was so delicate that if not for the crumbing it would have puffed away. As a fried fish dish and despite the pinbones, it was a joy to eat. Unfortunately, as a main serve of one piece only, being the size of my fork, it was severely inadequate. The few sprigs and leaves of salad and the lonely wedge of lemon didn't help the presentation.

We were persuaded to have dessert because it was a tiny taste. I can't resist lemon tarts so we ordered the tart and souffle combo. Tiny is right. The tart was an inch wide at the crust-end and the souffle, made to order, fit in an espresso cup. Fantastic tart but again with the small portions.

Despite the 'booking recommended' advice and the impatient zipping of the waitstaff, the restaurant was not full during lunch. We expected to be in and out in an hour (it is lunch on a work day after all) but we stayed far longer because of the wait for the food and the bill. The wine list was alright although what we had didn't really match our food, the waiter could have asked what we planned to order and then recommend the wine.

Also, when there are only two diners at a table, it would be nice if we weren't asked 'who was having what' at every course. Would we go back, yes, but probably not for lunch. Less than two hours later, I was hungry again. As a locale, it would be lovely to pop in during quieter hours.

Aug 14, 2009