Bacchus Restaurant

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  7     

Lovely spacious but warm atmosphere, good for conversation. We visited last night and had the 4 course degustation. Main took a while to arrive. Food was bursting with different flavors and beautifully presented. Dessert was nothing special though, coconut and chocolate brownie with sauce. Service excellent.

May 13, 2012 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  8     

This place is just loveliness. I cannot fault it - from the service, to the ambience, to the drinks, to the food, to even the bathrooms! More romantic than any restaurant I've been to in Sydney and the food is creative without being pretentious. An absolute must-visit for foodies visiting the Newcastle region.

Read more on my blog

Feb 01, 2012 

6 Average

Food  6      Ambience  8      Service  5      Value  5     

Visited with 3 friends and we all found the food tasty and well presented but very small portions and overpriced for what we got. Wines are also very expensive. The room has a nice ambience but while there seems to be plenty of staff around, it was difficult to get their attention at times. We did enjoy our meals but we spent a lot of money and the men were both still hungry and wanting to stop on the way home to get something else to eat.

Oct 27, 2011 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  8     

Myself +1 dined @ Bacchus Newcastle Fri 15 July 2011 and we both were quite amazed. From the very entry, the décor and ambience of the place is wonderful – nicely dark, tasteful antique elements with both spacious and suitably cosy areas.

Previously used as some kind of suburban theatre, the retained high roof and upper level u-shaped “stalls” as well as the nice light fittings all make for interesting over-head décor, and whilst some aspects to the bathrooms indicated ageing, they were some of the best I have been in.

The service was very good: courteous, respectful, not too up-front, as well as identifying well the levels of attention or explanation you may desire. As it was we were very grateful to our waitress for explaining in much detail each element in each of our dishes, which I found very interesting.

The small shredded kingfish-based tasters were delightful, as were the after-meal small sweets served after we retired to one of the cosy leather lounges by a fireplace – I believe all patrons were offered both of these.

Our dish choices were:
Entrees:
Madagery Creek Venison, Organic Wasabi, Pumpkin, Ash, Bean Sprouts, and
Poussin, Quail’s Egg, Shimeji, Jasmine Rice.
Mains:
Barramundi (Mulloway not available), Squid, Pork, Artichoke, Saffron, and
Tajima Full Blood Wagyu Beef, Brisket, Mushroom, Sauce Bordelaise.
(With, shared) 1 Side of Buttered Seasonal Greens.
Desserts:
Chocolate Marquise, Peanut, Salted Caramel Mousse, Peanut Butter Icecream, and
Strawberry, Rhubarb, Rose, Vanilla Cheesecake, Yoghurt Sorbet.
I don’t know what some of that is, but each and every one was superb.
For our drinks we chose:
A nice Wiess Beer, a nice glass of Chardonnay, and I was recommended a nice cab sav red with my main which went beautifully.

Honestly, the entire culinary adventure here was unlike anything I have ever experienced, and went beyond even my high prior expectations. Most bites melted beautifully in your mouth, and the ordered progression on the palate was something else – so good.

The prices are honestly outrageous for mine but even so we have resolved to return there with some good friends one day to experience it again, even though such expenses really are beyond our means for anything other than rare special occasions.

I really loved the entire experience and thoroughly enjoyed the many-faceted well-planned and executed kitchen creations which show what can really be done with good food. Outstanding.

Sep 06, 2011 

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

How this place has one chef's hat, I'll never understand. It should easily have two!

I ate here again last night and as usual, it lived up to my expectation and more. Perfect ambiance, incredible service and staff (really, hats off!) and amazing food.

A delicious Amuse-bouche to whet the appetite.
Perfectly cooked scallop entree, a cheese entree that was as much a textural sensation as it was a taste sensation. The duck and seafood mains were both beautifully cooked and perfectly balanced.

A fantastic chocolate, caramel and nut combination dessert to finish.

Add to that a great wine list and great selection of cocktails and you have a restaurant that knows what it's doing.

Can't say enough good things! I'll be back.

Aug 07, 2011 

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  9     

If I had to describe Bacchus in two words, it would be, “simply superb”. I enjoyed a wonderful evening here on Wednesday with hubby and a friend. The evening began sitting by the fire enjoying pre-dinner drinks before we were shown to our table. The egg yolk ravioli I had as my main was sublime, as was the cardamom crème I had for dessert. Everyone else enjoyed their meals too - hubby said his wagyu steak was perfect and he could have happily eaten it again. Service was impeccable. This is one gem of a restaurant. Newcastle should be proud.

Jul 29, 2011 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  9     

Very good service and fantastic wine list, extremely large.

Apr 01, 2011 

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  9     

Ate here on a last minute booking early on a Friday evening. We were the only diners initially which can feel a little awkward but we were blown away by the elegance of the dining room and soon felt at home. We were given amuse bouches and they were only the precursor to a fantastic dining experience. We eat out a lot in Sydney and have lived in Europe for years and the meal was as good as any we have had in Sydney fine dining restaurants.

Unfortunately, we only had time for a starter and main. We could have easily spent the evening here. There were lots of little touches that made the meal special apart from the courses we ordered, amuse bouches, sorbet course, home made rolls, petit fours with the bill.

The wine list is extensive and we would like to have had time to sample more of that too! We are looking forward to an opportunity to return. Its on the expensive side but it's worth it and the service is excellent.

Mar 29, 2011 

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  6     

Not much to say about this place other than to reiterate the previous reviews. The tapas menu is fantastic, the staff are attentive and profressional. Wine menu is great if you are into that sort of thing. Prices are steep, so it loses a few stars for value, but a classy, elegant night out with great food. The total experience.

Mar 25, 2011 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  8     

Bacchus Restaurant stands out as one of the finest places to eat in the Newcastle/Hunter Valley region. The food is superb. My boyfriend and I had the degustation menu in mid-2010 and each mouthful was delicious. The service was impeccable and the ambience reminds me of olde-worlde wealthy Russia in its heyday.

My boyfriend and I also went to Bacchus for high tea in the spring of 2010, and it was a special experience. They serve tea in exquisite crockery, the savoury food melted in your mouth (especially the one with black truffles), and the sweets hit the note quite nicely. The only disappointment was the scones, they were served cold, they were on the hard and small side, and there was only one per person.

Overall, I would highly recommend Bacchus restaurant to high-tea lovers and to those wanting their mealtime experience to be that extra bit special.

Jan 25, 2011