Fresh User Reviews for Hip and Trendy 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

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

3 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  5      Service  2      Value  1     

This was a business lunch. Sad food, no service. I don't know why they don't switch over to a fast food franchise. Not Recommended.

May 19, 2012

5.5 Average

Food  5      Ambience  6      Service  6      Value  5     

This was the second "seafood" place that I visited in the last two weeks. It was at the behest of my good friend, and I went along quietly despite my preference for about any kind of food other than seafood.

We started with garlic bread. It was covered with a drool of buttery garlic mess. We did not finish it, despite being hungry. My friend had a fishy entre and I skipped. I voted for steak as my main course. Wherever they buy their meat, they should try a new supplier. The steak was tough, veiny, and clearly cow meat. It was, however, cooked to order and nicely placed on the plate.

The overall effect of the restaurant was that it was a commercial venture without any soul. The prices were too high for the class of food and service. I would not want to repeat my visit in the near future.

Apr 16, 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

8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  9     

My partner and I tried the Gungahlin Thai Kitchen on a Monday night at about 8pm. We usually frequent another Thai restaurant not far away, however, as it is closed on a Monday we decided to give this place a try instead.

Although a little more casual than we are used to (by Thai restaurant standards), this place really was enjoyable. The friendly waitress was on the ball at all times, quick to provide us with ice cold wine glasses for our BYO white wine, had a bottle of water on our table and was ready to take our order as soon as we looked comfortable.

The food was fresh and out in a flash, beautifully cooked and really moorish! The restaurant closes at 9pm, however, the Chef and her staff were more than happy to cook us another dish at 8:50pm and let us sit in longer to enjoy it.

Gungahlin Thai Kitchen is quite a 'laid back' sort of feel, with crisp and simple decor and easy listening, modern music playing at an enjoyable volume. The food is fantastic in its flavor, and quick to hit the table. We can highly recommend the Chicken Chilly Basil, a simple Thai dish but the best we have had in a long time. Highly recommended!

Mar 26, 2012

5.3 Average

Food  7      Ambience  5      Service  7      Value  2     

This rating may come up as a little lower than I would probably have given the experience overall - so I shall explain.

I didn't much appreciate the ambience but I could see where they're trying to go with the whole steakhouse thing. The service was nothing spectacular but the person who put through our payment was very friendly (possibly the manager it seemed?) and took on board our comments regarding the sauce we'd taken with our steaks and chatted with us a little about the night which was great.

The food I thought was quite good, our steaks were sized well and cooked to perfection. Our side sauce (something garlicky I think) was not very nice but the manager seemed to take on board our comments and had said they're actually putting in place a new one and that he'd recently tasted that sauce and did not like it either. The side salad with beetroot in it was amazing and it was good to have a few different sides that you don't see at every old steak house.

In saying that, however, I think the steak were far overpriced (as is the case with many steakhouses) and couldn't rate it well on value. If you're willing to pay the cash though, this is a steakhouse we'd go back to.

Feb 15, 2012

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  10     

Returned here after the fire last year and was very plesantly surprised! Having read some of the reviews below we were a little hesitant, but given they were from a while back we figured we would give it a go. So glad we did, loved our dinner, waiters were great and the food is amazing, even more so for canberra! can't wait to come back!

Feb 14, 2012

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  6     

We went here on a Tuesday early evening with our 5yr old twins. There were not many diners, but plenty of dirty tables, it looked pretty unpleasant. We found a clean table and ordered 2 pizzas and a selection of tapas. The tapas were pretty yummy, and good portion sizes (we tried the Chorizo, Calamari, Onion Fritters and Scallops) but I would give the pizzas a miss, they had very thick bases and were very doughy and not much flavour. (but if you like your pizzas that way, then go for your life!).

There was a guy playing the guitar upstairs and he was great, it created a good atmosphere. We were also here on a Sunday arvo a few weeks ago, and there was a funky band playing upstairs, the place had a very cool feel to it.

I will go back for a few wines and tapas on a Sunday arvo sit outside for a great view of Lake Ginnenderra, and watch the (Canberra) world go by.

Feb 06, 2012

4.5 Below Average

Food  6      Ambience  8      Service  2      Value  2     

The service was poor, the value wasn't good and for bragging to have the best steak it was dangerously under cooked. The medium rare looked like ble steak, if that.

Jan 06, 2012

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

Came here for my 21st birthday, despite never having been here before it turned out to be perfect. We were sitted in a private dinner room as we were a large party. We got numerous pizzas to share, can't remember what ones but they were all amazing. Good cocktails also although sometimes it was a bit of a wait. Good service and would definitely return.

Jan 06, 2012

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  8      Value  9     

Overall it was quite a good experience. A few minor glitches along the way. The service was good, took a few minutes to catch the waitresses attention but after that she was particularly attentive and apologetic.

The food was impressive and a good sized portion for the pricing. The weekend was very busy so I would recommend booking but have since been back on a weekday and it is very quiet and peaceful. Perfect for a mid week coffee on the deck in the sunshine.

Jan 05, 2012

1.5 Not Recommended

Drinks  3      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  1     

Noisy venue with ordinary decor, rude staff with a poor service attitude, uninspiring food with optimistic prices, ok drinks at anything but ok prices just about sums up the Kennedy Bar for us.

Dec 31, 2011

2.3 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  3      Service  2      Value  1     

We had a good meal but upon leaving I realized we had been over charged. I submitted an enquiry expressing that I felt I had been over charged only to receive an impolite response stating that I had been charged for what I had been served. There was no apology offered and I was made to feel that the mistake was entirely my fault when it was clearly not. A good lunch turned into an over priced disappointment.

Dec 21, 2011

5 Average

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  2      Value  3     

We had a great steak but once our table was cleared the service ended, we waited for 30 minutes to place our dessert/coffee orders, but gave up. Person taking the bill didn't seem to care when we voice our opinion. Will think twice about returning.

Dec 19, 2011