Fresh User Reviews in Potts Point

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

My husband and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary at the Macleay Bistro on Saturday night and how fantastic it was! Greeted by the friendly staff we were shown to our intimate table and began with a glass of Italian prosecco.

The celeriac soup and pâté were both gorgeous starters. My husband enjoyed his chicken ballottine and my slow braised lamb was out of this world! Not being able to manage a dessert, petit fours including chocolate truffles and soft nougat were the perfect accompaniment to a lovely cup of coffee. What a fantastic evening!

May 29, 2012

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

I went to Macleay Street Bistro for dinner last Saturday and must say that the food was great and the staff were very attentive. I had a fabulous entree of crisp crab dumplings and for mains I chose the pork cotolette, both were well prepared, tasty and just lovely.

The service from the staff was attentive. I think this restaurant has a new energy now with new staff and new menu and will just gotten better and better. Welcome back Macleay!

May 29, 2012

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  8     

Macleay Street Bistro has bounced back after a couple of years in the culinary wilderness. It's a great place to go, again. Had lunch there recently and it was just great.

The dinner menu is scaled back and made lighter for lunch, perfect Ocean Trout with exactly the right amount of freshness in the fennel purée and amazing asparagus on which it arrived. That came with a truly great iceberg lettuce salad with the most carefully selected baby herbs (all iceberg lettuce should be treated like this and maybe its reputation would be stellar instead of same same..) This and a glass of the excellent Cotes du Rhone and you couldn't ask for a better lunch in Potts Point.

Dinner is great too, I've been a couple of times. It's great to see this place renewed and revived, it's such a culinary institution and they have obviously have put the effort back in to getting it not just right, but really right. Great food, the same (but also recently renewed) room that makes you just feel like settling in. It's a great night (or noon) out.

May 29, 2012

7.3 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  7     

Went there for a quick Sunday lunch in the. The place was quite full around 1:30 pm.

Ambience: The atrium was the only area servicing lunch, like a courtyard it was not a bad area to spend a couple of hours.

Food: Had three kinds of their home-made terrines, two were really nice, but the foie gras/mushroon/veal roll was sort of tasteless and too fatty, would not recommend. I ordered it because it looked good on the board, look can be deceptive!

Beverage: Had several wines by the glass, not a bad selection.

Service: Our waitress was very friendly and the service was good.

Value: $70 for a light lunch and two wines, it was okay. Might go back to try the full menu.

May 28, 2012

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  5      Value  7     

Great little cafe situated at the bottom of a block of units. Friendly staff and owner. I went there for breakfast on a Sunday morning (they open at 8:00am) and got a nice seat inside.

The menu is a bit limited with a couple of Turkish inspired dishes. The breakfast is well cooked and a good portion and the coffee is good too.

Unfortunately, the service (while extremely friendly) is bit slap dash with my second coffee just forgotten while the staff gossiped. Still, I will definitely be back but please spend a little more time thinking about the customers and a little less about yourselves, oh and you have to ask for water.

May 27, 2012

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  9      Value  9     

Went here for dinner with my partner after reading these reviews. Good quality food and friendly service, but really uncomfortable chair on the bench. The size didn’t fit the bench and table. Or rather sit on the bench. I couldn’t stay longer than 30 minutes. No one mentioned about it on the reviews, agree with me?

May 24, 2012

5.3 Average

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  2      Value  4     

Recently I went to Macleay Street Bistro and whilst the food was great and I loved the feel and atmosphere, their customer service after an unfortunate accident of hot coffee being spilled all over me was appalling. Not only did the waitress swear and say how she didn't like carrying coffee, but then I was not offered a towel to dry off my suit jacket and dress which were absolutely covered in coffee. I was wearing all black so it was hard to see, but I even told the waitress that it was all over me.

My friend had to suggest that, perhaps, they could cover my dry cleaning bill for the dress and jacket, however, no offer was forthcoming. Two wait staff then cleaned the coffee on the floor using towels, whilst still I was not offered anything. My friend then ordered a drink, which when the bill arrived she was given as complimentary. I on the other hand was not offered any discount, still no offer to cover my dry cleaning bills and worst of all, I still been charged for the coffee!

My friends drink discount was $14, this did not even cover my dry cleaning bill and I was the one who had the coffee spilled on me. I was pretty shocked and could not get out of there fast enough. Such a shame, as the food and atmosphere was fantastic. Accidents happen, its how you manage after that that makes the difference. I certainly won't be recommending Macleay Street Bistro.

May 24, 2012

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  10     

Great coffee and service. Try the Greek beef pattie, tzatziki, Greek salad and pita bread. Make sure you try the Greek freddo coffee as well. Sit back and think of Santorini!

May 23, 2012

3 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  5      Service  2      Value  2     

Bought a voucher which covers 2x any entrée, main, dessert, and beer or wine in Amaya, and the fun began:

Since they are so "busy" and impossible to book for dinner, we had to go in for lunch. We were the only customers there for Saturday lunch and I am not surprised why after this experience.

For drinks, we were given the wine menu. After we've chosen the wine, we were told by the waiter, I quote: "it's either house red or house white wine".

We could not choose the "speciality entrées" in the entrée menu because, I quote the waiter: "any entrée does not cover speciality entrée."

About 1/3 of all items on the main menu was crossed out or not available.

Waygu beef tasted like (and most probably is) rump steak. The only seafood in their "Seafood pad thai" were chewy chunks of squid and soggy bits of fish meat. Based on other reviewer's experience with this restaurant, I am glad that there were no prawns in the dish.

All desserts on the menu were no longer available because, I quote the waiter: "we don't have them anymore because no one orders them". So the 2x "any dessert" were substituted with 2x "complementary dessert" which were a scoop of neapolitan ice cream served in a cocktail glass topped with 3 frozen berries...

This is a perfect example for voucher rip-off and a restaurant soon to be history. There are many good Thai restaurants out there and this joint should have no place in Sydney. Seriously through this could not get any worst, but somehow I was not surprised because I've read the reviews on eatability before going in, should have read it before buying the vouchers.

May 22, 2012

2.5 Not Recommended

Food  5      Ambience  2      Service  1      Value  2     

Comments "Do you know how much bread rolls cost!" this was the comment I received from the "Senior" waitress. Being a french restaurant I assumed bread would be a available to clients, after initially being told by a junior waiter that there were no bread rolls left after having a number of "walk ins". I was then put down by an arrogant waitress informing myself and my partner how much bread rolls cost. Some places need to realise that they are there to serve the clients and not themselves.

May 22, 2012

5.3 Average

Food  6      Ambience  5      Service  6      Value  4     

We chose this for Mother's Day dinner 2012. Usually they are closed on Sunday nights but I took a chance to ask as my mother wanted to try it. I preface this review with 2 remarks: First we eat out Alot, from casual cafes, to BYOs of all sorts, to fine dining and second as a Sunday night with teenagers needing to get home to study, we should have chosen a different restaurant.

That said, it does not excuse our experience. We 6 arrived at 7.30pm to find approx 6-8 tables filled. It stayed that way, so Not Busy. We ordered at 7.50pm - mussels and smoked ocean trout. Not a lot of cooking happening here. Our entree arrived One Hour Later. Yes, at 8.5pm. As you can imagine, we were pretty antsy by now.

Our body language (and asking when the meals would arrive) did not elicit any apologies from the extremely polite staff. They just behaved as if nothing was amiss. One of our party ordered the perch for a main. When the mains Finally arrived (after another long wait), she was disappointed. She commented a few times that it 'tasted funny' and 'was very fleshy' (she's a good cook). She left 1/2 her dish.

Upon clearing away, the waiter asked if something was wrong with the meal, and my friend politely said it just wasn't what she expected. Quell surprise! They had run out of (or not had any) perch, not mentioned this quite significant point, and substituted swordfish! Talk about chalk and cheese! To their credit, they took that dish off the bill.

I ordered the pork and to be honest, by the time it came I was so cheesed off, so fed up with waiting for my meal in a restaurant that was 3/4 empty, that it could have been a Maccas burger for all I remember. I just wanted out of there. Terribly polite through it all, no one apologised for the long long wait for food.

We finally Ran out the door at 10.30pm - after only 2 courses each. They did want to give us a "quick free dessert" but all we wanted to do was Leave. I see the fine dining gets rave reviews. All I know, is I will never return.

May 20, 2012

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  8     

Fantastic service, very attentive waiter (with great mussels and a smile too!) who gave friendly advice. The spicy beef sang choy bow was great. We ordered all vegetarian mains, some were a bit lack lustre and needed some spices. The pumpkin was crinkle cut which made it look a bit tacky. The non-vegetarian dishes going to the other tables looked great though, definitely will be back!

May 20, 2012

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  9     

Loved everything about it,. except for the name.

May 19, 2012

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

What's not to love here? The Kaiser's benevolent gaze from the wall, the wooden chalet furniture, the kitsch charm of the bar. I'm won over by the decor even before I eat.

The menu is agony - how do you choose between schnitzels as big as your plate, with a hidden bomb of rosti beneath the crisp coated meat, and rich goulash with a side of slippery spatzle? Cabbage rolls or deep fried mushrooms? I never can, so I try to eat with a group of friends and taste their meals. Menu envy is very real at Maggie's. There are some new 'light' options, and good on them for caring, but really, who comes here to lose weight!

The portions show typical Teutonic generosity, and the service is very warm and friendly. It can be slightly chaotic in a fun way on busy nights, but they make you feel welcome like family.

May 18, 2012

7.8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  4      Service  8      Value  10     

Great little place for a weeknight takeaway thai dinner. The area is surrounded by competing thai takeaways, with its obscure shopfront, Pin Tohng is probably easily dismissed, but the food is surprisingly fresh and tasty. All the fresh stirfries are really good and as someone who prefers a healthier option for takeaway, I am pleased that they are very generous with the vegies in the stirfries.

May 16, 2012

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Just had breakfast for Mother's Day at this new Potts Point bistro. They were totally full yet the service was attentive and friendly. I had the Moroccan eggs and my wife had the scrambled eggs with salmon, which both hit the spot. The "kids" ate the walnut fig loaf with ricotta and the banana pancakes. It was a fight to let me try them as they woofed them down!

I then found out that their chef has done many fine dining restaurants, all hatted. This shines through in the food, including the pastries we had with our coffees afterwards, made by this very friendly Italian barista. Only Italians can make coffee so perfectly. We are coming back for dinner this week.

May 13, 2012

4.8 Average

Food  6      Ambience  5      Service  4      Value  4     

I took my friend here for lunch and it cost us $144 (!!) for two for lunch and we had two glasses of wine each, shared 3 entrees and had a side salad! The service was terrible, the first waiter read out the menu from the chalkboard inside without stopping and was frustrated when we asked him to repeat parts of it.

We then waited about 25 minutes to order and were only rescued when the ladies at the table next door (obvious regulars) mentioned us to the maitre de when they went inside to the bathroom. He then took over and was much nicer but overall I found this incredibly expensive and definitely Not value for money. I would not be returning again.

May 10, 2012

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  10      Value  10     

This was our first time eating vietnames food and the waitress guided us well. We found the food superb and very reasonably priced. The quantities were substantial. We had 2 mains and an enormous serve of icecream and flavouring and could hardly move afterwards. The cost was $75 for 2 and this included 3 glasses of wine. I thought the wine was a bit pricey but then I'm not used to Sydney prices.

We will be staying at Potts Point again in 2 weeks and have invited some Sydney friend to join us for dinner at Bay Bau. They are in for a treat. We were a bit unlucky to be near a ladies tuesday book club meeting and it was quite noisy but not offensively so. The service was first class, friendly attentive and quick. Highly recommended.

May 10, 2012

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  8     

One of my friends recommended this place to me, so I went there with my husband and my mother in-law a few weeks ago. We all had the degustation, with one matching wine to share between my husband and I.

The food were delicious and the presentation were exquisite! The only disappointment was the dessert (a very important course for me!). We had a sticky date creme brûlée which was too sweet. Hence, the score of 8. Otherwise, it would've been 10. The wait stuff were all so polite and attentive. Every encounters came with a smile. I have recommended this restaurant to my friends, colleagues and family.

May 10, 2012

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

A warm feeling away from home.

I have been away from France for 8 months now and though I am having the best time ever in Australia, I get the occasional homesick feeling. So what a great comfort it was last night having a nice dinner at Maggies and being looked after as if I was part of the family.

I have to say, Potts Point is not my favourite place in Sydney. Too self-centred, precious, fussy. But right in the middle of no-heart land, I found the warmest place ever, where food is not expensive, really good (try the veal schnitzel with the muchroom sauce aargh) and the staff is really friendly and caring.

Definitely the nicest place in the Eastern Suburbs.

May 10, 2012