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Related Editorial Content
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User Reviews on A La Facon de Shimizu
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 18 comments
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| Overall |
 
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Recommended |
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Food 7 |
Ambience 7 |
Service 7 |
Value 7 |
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We dined here on 25.06.08 and thought it was pretty good value and a pleasant experience. The poor chef was on his own though (probably the other kitchen staff had the flu), so there was a slight delay between our entrees and mains. The corkage - free BYO is rare these days and a definite plus.
We ordered entrees of the Muscargots (see review below from Veruca) and the snapper carpaccio. Both were good, solid contenders. Our mains were the duck confit (two leg version) and the slow-cooked beef cheek in red wine/tomato stock. Both came with the obligatory cold soba noodle salads on the side, which had an interesting nutty flavour. The duck was delightful and fell off the bone on command. The beef cheek was very tender, and the sauce was rich and wintery.
For dessert we shared a coffee jelly served with ice cream, whipped cream and sliced strawberry.
The waitress came to offer us free coffee or tea afterwards in apology for the apparently slow service (we didn't mind the slight gap mentioned above) - which was a very nice touch. We accepted one coffee, but tumbled out of there like overstuffed church mice, keen to return.
The other customers were a mix of North Shore Chinese, a few Japanese couples, and some Anglo North Shorers. None of the other tables were too loud and the carpeted floor and acoustic wood panel walls served to muffle noise quite well.
All up, $94 for two. Quite good value for this type of Japanese-French cuisine we thought. Please don't expect Claudes-level fare here - it's a humble suburban operation that aims to please and satisfy rather than win hats.
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Dinnersmurf -
See my reviews 13 , 27 June 2008
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| Overall |
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Recommended |
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Food 7 |
Ambience 7 |
Service 9 |
Value 7 |
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Nice entree, in fact, interesting as well. Main is average. Next time I go I will order more entrees and maybe skip main. Very attentive service. Simple deco and at the same time comfortable.
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palate.dancer -
See my reviews 1, 15 June 2008
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| Overall |
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Recommended |
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Food 7 |
Ambience 7 |
Service 8 |
Value 5 |
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I hopped along to this restaurant on Friday night with my boyfriend, excited but with trepidation as we both love Japanese food and had never heard of this restaurant until recently. Having, been to Chez Rene, we recognised immediately some leftover decorations on the wall. I guess the owners thought seeing as it was a European fusion, it would work ok - but I didn't like it. It seemed confusing and lacked a well defined character.
For entress we had the Muscargots and the Tuna Tartare. Both were tasty but at $17 each, they didn't wow us. For mains, I had the miso sauce lamb and my partner tried a special of beef fillet with herbed butter and red wine sauce. All mains come with a side salad and soba noodles. I have to say the lamb was divine, cooked to a perfect medium-rare.
My partner's beef unfortunately tasted confusing to me. On the menu board it described it as having (a thousand herbs!) and frankly this did not work in its favour. However, my partner didn't mind it and thought the meat was well cooked. However, whilst the meat was nice and the salad/noodle side was nice, I did not think they went together at all. In my humble opinion, I think it would have been nicer with maybe a Japanese style potato side. The salad went ok though.
So all in all the bill came to $85+ for the 2 entrees and 2 mains. Whilst not bad value, I could definitely think of better places to spend that amount of money.
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Veruca Salt -
See my reviews 1, 10 June 2008
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| Overall |
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Recommended |
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Food 6 |
Ambience 7 |
Service 8 |
Value 8 |
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Gave a good ambience rating because on a Thurs night we arrived at 6.30pm and the next customers didn't arrive until around 8pm so it was wonderfully quiet and the service excellent. However the tables are narrow and could be a lot more boisterous with a full house.
The menu was very interesting. Not sure the food quite lived up to its promise. My chicken in gorgonzola was tasty but the steak tartare was only fair. Still everyone cleared their plates and with a final bill of $162 incl tip for five people, after Ent Card, was great value for a nice night out.
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Gerko -
See my reviews 100, 31 May 2008
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| Overall |
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 9 |
Ambience 7 |
Service 8 |
Value 9 |
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We went here for a birthday celebration in April. There were 6 people in our party and everyone commented on how nice the food was, no complaints from our fellow diners! Japanese food with a twist of French - a fabulous fusion of East and West.
Can highly recommend the Tuna tartare & 3 of our friends raved about the slow cooked beef. Jugs of charcoal filtered water on the tables were a nice touch as were the rolled hand towels outside the toilet. The staff were gracious, friendly and helpful but there was a wait between the entree & main. The buckwheat noodle salad which accompanies the main course was delectable.
I'm afraid we thought the desserts were a little boring after the superb entree and main course. We would highly recommend you try this restaurant, you will not be disappointed !
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doodles -
See my reviews 1, 21 May 2008
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
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| Overall |
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Recommended |
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Food 8 |
Ambience 7 |
Service 8 |
Value 9 |
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We went on Anzac Day Night for a Birthday Dinner and the 6 of us thoroughly enjoyed this gem of a restaurant. The food was wonderful with surprising flavours. I had the chicken rissoles with terayaki sauce and these were just delicious and tender. For the main I had the ragout of beef slowed cooked for 3 days, just superb and I have to say that the salad size dish was just the right accompaniment for the very rich beef dish.
My friends equally agreed that their dishes were wonderful as well. The dessert was a little disappointing and average but I am sure that they can work on this. The service was excellent and friendly. The decor of the restaurant is very outdated but as far as we were concerned was not important as the food.
For a 3 courses we paid $55.00 per head and there was no corkage, so value for money is excellent. We all will be going back.
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Jacrest -
See my reviews 2, 04 May 2008
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
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| Overall |
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Recommended |
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Food 8 |
Ambience 7 |
Service 9 |
Value 9 |
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We went here on a Thursday night, based on the reviews from Eatability. We were not disappointed. The menu is a very interesting mix of Japanese and European. For entree, my husband had the tuna tartare which was excellent, with layers of Asian flavours. I had the fried salmon nori roll which was also delicious but not quite as interesting. Both were beautifully presented.
For main course, my husband had the grilled beef, cooked perfectly to his order of medium rare (if a little more on the medium side than rare), which arrived in a gentle soy-based sauce. On the side was Japanese noodles, some delicate greens and a small mound of cabbage, flavoured with sesame oil.
I had the salmon which had been marinated in sake, grilled and then served with a very delicate sauce that tasted faintly of nuts and soy. It was accompanied by Japanese noodles and a small salad. My salmon was a little overcooked, which is exactly how I like it, though others may like to ask for it be to undercooked.
The dessert situation was a let-down. The only interesting item on the menu was the green tea brulee. The taste was delicate, but we felt it did not work as a brulee. It was grainy rather than creamy. It was accompanied by a very old-fashioned and mismatching decoration of segmented strawberry sitting atop commercial whipped cream, with commercially prepared cherries and a commercially produced long wafer biscuit with chocolate swirls. After the entree and mains that had been so carefully and lovingly prepared, with obvious consideration for taste, presentation and health, it felt like dessert was not given nearly as much thought.
We laughingly noted that the dessert reflected the decor, which was a strange mix of federation stained glass, deco curved wooden walls, copper jugs, 70s carpet and replica medieval light fittings, with a flourish of Japanese fabric and vegetation at the front door. It seemed to represent all the restaurants which had preceeded its current incarnation.
While the decor and dessert were clunky, the service was smooth as silk. One waitress, Japanese with just enough English, was all that was needed for the three lots of customers. She replaced our water regularly and was very attentive.
Unusually, this is BYO with no corkage. For a three-course meal each, we paid $103 in total. We think this is very good value. The quiet, gentle nature of this restaurant made it a perfect place for us to celebrate our anniversary. That said, when we return — and we will — we will try it on a weekend when there might be more of a 'vibe'. All in all, though, this place is a treat.
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Klay -
See my reviews 3, 02 May 2008
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
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| Overall |
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 10 |
Ambience 10 |
Service 10 |
Value 10 |
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We've been dying to try this delightful restaurant for some time, and it was definitely worth the wait. Everything we ordered was absolutely delicious, the servings were generous, and the presentation impeccable.
The staff were extremely efficient and friendly, and even the chef waved us goodbye when we left. The tuna tartare was to die for, the rack of lamb with miso sauce was cooked to perfection, and the snapper special was wonderful. The desserts were also lovely. We can't wait to try everything on the menu. And it's BYO with no corkage! Can't praise it enough.
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The Eat Group -
See my reviews 20, 23 April 2008
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
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| Overall |
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 10 |
Ambience 10 |
Service 10 |
Value 10 |
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East meets West quite stylishly done. Tables are not closely jam packed to sit more people. Duck legs main was excellent and the buckwheat noodle came with the dish was really nice. The seafood in a soup main was also delicious. Recommended this Japanese/French restaurant.
April 2008 update: After many repeated visits we still love the place and is one of our regular restaurants. The chef/owner Shimizu always maintains the standard of his cooking.
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HonestOpinion -
See my reviews 50, 10 April 2008
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| Overall |
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Recommended |
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Food 7 |
Ambience 7 |
Service 7 |
Value 8 |
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We joined other quiet couples for dinner on Valentine's Day. Food was good overall as was service. Not "fine dining"but good value.
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RS2004 -
See my reviews 30, 27 February 2008
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