Fresh User Reviews for Has Bar in Canberra

5.5 Average

Food  6      Ambience  7      Service  2      Value  7     

Forgot our order, ran out of clean spoons and my glass had food in it, generally needs a good clean, it was great in the past but is now missing the mark in the area of service, food is still Ok if it arrives, would not go back.

May 27, 2012

4 Below Average

Food  7      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  3     

Went to Mezzalira with four friends last night (25 May 2012) to celebrate three birthdays. Service was very poor with (mainly) surly wait staff sometimes deigning to 'do a favour' for patrons after numerous, successful attempts to (deliberately?) avoid eye contact.

Food was of a good standard, but serve size for mains was mean, even for nouveau cuisine. Ambience was good until the front door opened and the gentle five degree wind blew into almost the whole restaurant. Overall value for money was low, saved from very poor by the quality of the food.

May 26, 2012

2.8 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  4      Service  3      Value  1     

So far as I can tell, and my partner says the same thing, the meat at this place is chemically aged. It certainly tastes that way. I can only guess at the maturation method, but chemical aging seems the most obvious. The place isn't really different from Hog's Breath except the crowd is quieter.

The service was on the line of 'don't bother me, do it yourself.' I know that these guys spent a lot of money on the decor. It would be better spent on the food and getting a decent staff.

May 19, 2012

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Excellent Indian, best we've tried in Canberra. They have all the usual favourites on the menu but there is real care taken with the balance of flavours. There are also a few standout dishes, the roast lamb with rum and the house special dahl (yes, the dahl is not just an extra but a must have!). Friendly and accommodating whether it's a quick Friday-night early dinner or a birthday celebration.

May 14, 2012

6.3 Average

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  6      Value  6     

A nice night out but it didn't quite hit the gourmet mark they are aiming for. We had 3 steaks ordered at the table, all medium rare. Three completely different, one well done because it was thinner, one medium and only one actually medium rare. Service fine but fairly casual in contrast to the prices.

May 14, 2012

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

Ate there last night and have to say, great value for $. Food and service were spot on! Have been to some great places before but really impressed with this one! Highly recommended.

May 13, 2012

4.8 Average

Drinks  6      Ambience  6      Service  2      Value  5     

We went for dinner, not going to a show so happy for a long dinner and dessert. The food was good but the service was atrocious. They must have wanted to get home as we were rushed. Pushed to order the wine when only halfway through our opening drink, next thing it was on the table, opened!

The food came out one course straight after the other. When we said we would wait to order dessert, they were back in 2 minutes, we said give it ten, so they were back 3 minutes later and the desserts followed a couple after.

We left and went for coffee elsewhere. My suggestion, dine elsewhere, Canberra has plenty of choice with good service, don't waste an evening at the Hermitage.

May 11, 2012

4.3 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  6      Service  4      Value  4     

We had a group booking so only had available a limited menu. We found one entree didn't come out at all and when questioned afterwards told "we ran out of those" and on the mains some of the vegies were missing. Service was bad, slow and inaccurate and when we pointed out the problems were told "sorry about that" and No effort was made to make up for their mistakes and No cost reduction was given. We will never go there again!

May 10, 2012

2.3 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  3      Service  1      Value  2     

The food isn't great but it's really the bad service that put me off the most. My husband is gluten-intolerant and we picked this restaurant because it has gluten-free pasta available. We requested gluten-free pasta when ordering the dish but when it came it was clear that it was not. When I asked the waitress if it was gluten free she replied 'I dunno' so I asked her if she could check. When she came back she said it wasn't (making no apology) and when I told her we had ordered it gluten-free she shrugged and said 'Does it have to be?'.

I explained that my husband is gluten-intolerant and she then rolled her eyes and said 'You have to ask for gluten-free pasta'. Despite explaining that we had requested gluten-free she offered no apology. Such appalling service we would never ever go back.

May 09, 2012

6 Average

Food  6      Ambience  6      Service  6      Value  6     

After reading all the reviews we were expecting something really good but we were disappointed. We ordered the banquet. The food and service were well timed, however, the food was average except for the entree mushrooms which were divine. The bread served with the dips was bland commercial lebanese bread and we found the amount of food for a banquet not enough.

May 06, 2012

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  9     

I have to agree with the other review, the dosais are a specialty, one of the reasons we keep going back. The other is my that vegetarian partner loves having too many tasty options to choose from, that are not just pasta offerings.

The wine list is good and banquets are great value if you have a group. Service and turn-around from ordering to having something in front of you are both very good. Just watch out for the heat in some of the chutneys, they can be 'creepers', but they taste great.

Apr 30, 2012

4 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  5      Service  3      Value  3     

A Sunday breakfast with family, made unpleasant by uninterested staff who seem as if you're being done a favour. We actually asked for butter and there was eye rolling!
Portions are small on small plates - value lacking. I was also unimpressed with the spinach side that was not only expensive, but completely saturated in oil. The fit out is good, and we were warm and comfortable, but good service really is an unknown concept here.

Apr 23, 2012

8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  7     

Great Indian food, the lentils were really tasty but it was the peshwari naan bread that we both really loved. The vindaloo was hot but delicious.

Apr 22, 2012

2 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  2      Service  3      Value  1     

We went to the Ginger Room as a treat for a 50th birthday. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed. Really overpriced and not brilliant dishes. I guess this isn't the place to come if you're vegetarian but they did have a few dishes on the menu that looked a bit different.

The lentils were just piled on a lump of goats cheese with asparagus on top, the basil dumplings were so smokey, I couldn't eat the last one and that is saying something cause they were only the size of 50c coin. Both dishes were really quite sickly. My partner had the prawns and the Pork, he said both were fine but not outstanding.

We were intending on having 3 courses but after the first 2 decided not to go for the 3rd. That worked out to be $30 for each course, we won't be back.

Apr 22, 2012

7.2 Recommended

Food  7      Drinks  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  5     

My partner and I go to Siren for lunch on weekends. We love spending time on their outside area reading newspaper, whilst having some white wine. We love their lunch menu as well. This place is highly recommended!

Apr 21, 2012

7.3 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  7     

My husband and I ate dinner here on Saturday night just gone. We were staying in house and wanted a quick bite to eat before heading out to a show. We didn't book (which could have proven fatal) but fortunately they "squeezed us in".

The place or, perhaps, the wait staff seemed somewhat disorganised. There appeared to be some mayhem playing on around us. However, the order of a pasta dish each and a rocket salad came out very quickly for us.

I had the marinara which seemed quite good. My husband had another pasta dish that contained prosciutto which he thought was tough and tasteless. The rest of the dish was satisfactory however.

This would not put me off coming back for a more leisurely dinner at another time. My tip, however, is to ensure you book!

Apr 16, 2012

6.6 Recommended

Food  8      Drinks  8      Ambience  3      Service  7      Value  7     

I have eaten at Siren a couple of times and it has always been quite nice! The first time I had pork belly, and it was the best pork belly I've ever had. My main came overcooked, but I sent it back and they had a new one prepared for me in no time.

The second time I went there I had the lamb salad and it was lovely! The only thing I don't like is that it's way too loud. Especially for dinner. You can barely hear yourselves talk. However, it's a great new place with good food to go in Gungahlin and I'd highly recommend it.

Apr 16, 2012

2 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  4      Service  1      Value  1     

Admittedly I've eaten here before and haven't hated it but the last time I went here I was extremely disappointed, and I will not go again.

My caesar salad came with a cold poached egg on top. Not cold because it had gone cold, but because it had been refridgerated. I ruined a lot of my salad popping the egg yolk, expecting warm runny yolk. Though I suppose there wasn't much to ruin really, as the salad was barely edible.

My friend had ordered bacon eggs and sausages, and instead it came with bacon and mushrooms. When told about the mistake, the waiter looked completely uninterested and took the plate away without saying a word. Much later it was returned with the sausages, not another word was said, no apology, nothing.
Plenty of other places in Canberra to get good food and good service, so I won't waste my time and money on this place again.

Apr 16, 2012

7.2 Recommended

Food  5      Drinks  8      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  5     

The establishment is really nice, warm and inviting. The fittings and decor are modern and on trend.

The service was super friendly and prompt. Unfortunately, though, the food left more to be desired. For the price I expected more, both in taste and quantity. Our entrees were ribs and pork belly. The ribs were really nicely done and I would order again, however, the pork belly was served almost cold and the meat wasn't tender.

The chicken breast main was overcooked, the sauce was totally bland (albeit being named zesty breast) and my seafood salad was drenched with sauce to the point where it was swimming, and the seafood was overcooked and tough. My partner and I felt a bit disappointed all in all.

I might go back and try it again but not in a hurry. Great place to meet for drinks with friends though.

Apr 15, 2012

3.5 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  1     

We went there (2 adults, 2 kids) on Good Friday. The foods were so Expensive ($27 for a supposedly-pancetta pasta with a oil, garlic and couple of pine nuts? You gotta be joking). My husband had a veal meal, not much to brag about. Kids had the kids menu, very pricey.

On top of that, the public holiday surcharge of close to $18! Hmm...Canberra, very expensive. At least they did not charge for the chilli oil I asked for (or did they?).

Apr 12, 2012