Pelagic

3.5 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  3      Service  3      Value  3     

Very average food, very average service, we had a large group of us try out Pelagic on the back of a good review. Unfortunately, we had a surly waiter who, amongst his many service sins, stood there like a school teacher, waiting for us to all look up at him and give him 100% attention when he read out the specials. And it only went downhill from there.

Empty drink bottles and glasses languished on the table until we left, the salad was replaced with vegetables as the salad "wasn't in good condition" (whatever that means).

Our food was nice but not overly special and the serving sizes for the exact same meal varied wildly between several of us, it was so obvious, it was funny. But we all paid the same high-end price.

In short, we paid a lot of money for a pretty ho-hum meal. Waiters, you are in hospitality, so be hospitable. (That means friendly.) And restaurants don't charge fine dining prices if you're not prepared to serve fine food or offer fine service.

Sep 08, 2011 

2 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  3      Service  1      Value  3     

I'm guessing we must have picked an off night to come here judging by the other reviews but our experience was bordering on awful. My fish was so overcooked it tasted of charcoal/butane, very unimaginative combination of flavours to go with it, our waiter seemed to want to be anywhere but the restaurant, was very abrupt, unhelpful and surly. We later found out he was the senior staff on duty (!) I ended up eating salad and chips (which were also overcooked). To pay $36 for a main I would expect a Lot more. I won't be going back.

Sep 08, 2011 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  10     

Absolutely fab! Cracking cocktails & the freshest fish cooked to perfection, highly recommend trying the scallops with crispy pigs ears.

Jul 27, 2011 

6 Average

Food  6      Ambience  6      Service  8      Value  4     

Food was nice but ambience lacking. I was a little bit confused as to whether I was at a cafe or restaurant i.e. cafe ambience, stark, loud music but fine dining restaurant menu and prices. We were sat in the back corner which had a distinct smelly feet smell. Ambience aside, the food was nice and our waitress was very helpful and attentive. Decent wine selection but average beer selection.

Jul 02, 2011 

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  8     

Our group dined at Pelagic on a Friday night, and we were seriously impressed by the food and the service.

Entree of sashimi was beautifully fresh, with the fish having a vibrant colour. pepper crusted seared tuna was beautifully raw in the middle, and the sweet reduction served with the fish complemented the spice of pepper perfectly.

Our table ordered barramundi and snapper, both of which were cooked to perfection, with a crisp, salty skin and juicy flesh.

Service throughout the night was dilligent, with water constantly refilled and meals coming out of the kitchen pretty quickly.

The food is easily equivalent to many hatted restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne. Unfortunately the ambiance is more city cafe than fine dining- a lot of hard surfaces mean that the restaurant gets quite noisy, and feels a bit impersonal, but maybe that's part of the charm.

Pelagic is worth visiting for the food alone, and raises the bar for fresh seafood in Canberra.

Feb 22, 2011 

8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  7     

Excellent food and good service. Fairly basic menu and a little on the dear side but chef cooked our meals to perfection. Only negative was the air conditioning, which was playing up making it very warm inside. Would have no hesitation in going back.

Dec 11, 2010 

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  10     

A happening place. We called in after work last Thursday for a cocktail, the barman put together a beauty for us and stayed for some of chef's amazing food. The seared scallops were divine! Watch this one!

Nov 24, 2010