I must say I was a little disappointed. I went there with two friend and we all left hungry. The dishes were tasty but overpriced and just not enough. The service, however, was fantastic. We sat outside in the front courtyard so not a lot of ambience, however, inside looked lovely when I walked through to the bathroom. I would recommend if you want a couple of glasses of wine and a snack, not if you are hungry and want a satisfying meal.
The restaurant is a very beautiful place. Service was excellent and wine selection was quite extensive. The only issue was that the food was so small, it did taste good but to leave a restaurant still hungry after paying so much money is never a good thing. Would recommend it as a nice one off thing to try.
Pretty good feel about the place. Nine of us recently dined here on their 'tasting menu' or degustation to celebrate Shultzy's b'thday. Cannot complain about their service which was both friendly and knowledgeable. For $75 per head (wine extra) we were firstly presented with 5 different appetiser dishes which included tasty scallops and prawns and a very tasty crepinette with foie gras and perigueux sauce.
Additionally we had 2 mains, one being a grain fed onglet steak which was sliced and presented medium rare, another highlight. Unfortunately, the other main (paella with chicken and seafood) just did not appeal to our taste-buds and we all agreed was the real let down in their selection.
We finished with 2 tasty dessert dishes (one light and one heavy being cinnamon type doughnuts with a rich chocolate sauce on the side). The delivery of the nine courses was spaced just right with no long waiting in between. When each course was delivered, it stopped Wall-ee flapping his lips for a while which pleased Uncle Festa no end. A good selection of wines offered. Overall, a nice experience with decent value.
My wife and I went to Aperitif a few weeks ago, mid-week, with close friends. I had heard about it a few years ago when it opened, and was aware that there had been some changes in ownership/management/chef since then, but I didn't know what to expect as it hasn't had much publicity lately.
I was really pleasantly surprised. Great decor, very intimate and cosy. An unusual menu when you first look at it. It's a bit of a mix-mainly French, a bit Spanish and a tiny bit middle-Eastern, with what are called "small" and "large" dishes. My first impression was "Nothing on this menu really grabs me" but we chose four or five small dishes to share, as well as a hanger steak large dish for 2, which the maitre d' suggested we order as a serving for 3.
Every dish was delicious. Perfectly cooked scallops and the hanger steak dish was a highlight. Served medium rare in a large pan and carved into slices with a tomato-based sauce. It was a fresh alternative to the usual way this cut is presented.
The wine list is well-chosen and the wait staff helpful and friendly. This restaurant deserves more recognition. It delivers much more style and substance than many better known restaurants in Sydney, l'etoile springs to mind. Maybe the chef at Aperitif could paint his face and ride a unicycle!
By the way, thanks Rita for suggesting we go there.
I came here for my birthday recently, with a group of friends and it was fantastic.
The decor and location are great, the waiter was really lovely and attentive all night and the food was fantastic. Two people in our group were vegetarian and there were plenty of options and suggestions of dishes from our waiter. While, all up, it wasn't a cheap night, it was well worth it! I will definitely be going back.
I booked a table for two at Aperitif for my boyfriend's birthday, mainly because of the positive reviews all over the place. We were greeted by a bubbly waitress and shown to a table outside the restaurant.
I have to say, I love the location and the look of the restaurant, the building it's in is gorgeous and quaint and there are two magnificent trees outside, so basically the ambience was great. We ordered drinks (coffee and berry tea) then we picked our entrees. My boyfriend had to crumbed mussels and I had the snails and sweetbread. The mussels were definitely the better choice, they were very well flavoured. I was quite disappointed with the snails, they weren't bad but they were just really bland. There was also a lot of oil left at the bottom of the little cast iron bowl.
For the mains, we picked the duck on the sharing plate. We had it for $38 (instead of $48) because they weren't able to have duck legs prepared. Either way, when it arrived, I was again quite disappointed. The duck was very nicely flavoured and textured, and the potato slices were absolutely delicious, however, the servings were way smaller than I expected for a main for two. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a big eater, and at most restaurants, I usually can get entirely full on eating one main by itself.
But after the entree and the main, I was actually still not very full. Given the asking price of the main, it simply wasn't tasty enough to warrant the price. My boyfriend got the chocolate fondant for dessert and I got the creme brulee. I think the creme brulee was better, the different flavours was exquisite and it came with these two slices of excellent wafers. My boyfriend left barely full (and I think most of that was due to the sugar from our desserts) and at the cost of $114 (we didn't get any alcohol either).
All in all, while the food was definitely of good quality, it just wasn't great enough to warrant the price. I could probably get similar quality of food (especially the duck, which wasn't prepared in any exceedingly special way) at a more affordable restaurant with a bigger portion. I don't think I'll be back any time soon.
The food and atmosphere is excellent. We came here for an intimate dinner with some close friends and spent close to four hours sharing small plates, and then the suckling pig and twice-cooked duck as mains. Dessert fans, the chocolate fondant dessert with coconut sorbet is to die for, far outdoing the chi-chi with chocolate sauce as our other option. Be warned, you get stung on the beverages here. Unless you want to look really cheap, the cheap, average bottle price is around $60, or $13-15 a glass. Did we enjoy our meal? Yes. Would we go back again. Probably not.
Aperitif is a very good restaurant, wonderful flavours and solid service. If you have a spare $300 to blow on a meal for 2, you could do a lot worse than Aperitif !
The setting feels like the Marais, and the food is at least as good, if not better. It'll take me a couple more visits to eat my way through everything that interests me on a menu that elegantly makes it's way around the Mediterranean, from Spain & France, to Lebanon & Morocco. The duck was sensational, as were the scallops and the fondant, too. Ideal Sydney winter food.
This is now one of my fave restaurant! I came here for my 26th bday and the service was awesome! the manager was so attentive and polite. There were 9 of us, however, most dish comes in 4 so he gave us an extra one for each dish we ordered and he even gave us a free paella!
After the meal we were all sooo full that we didn't want to order anymore dessert, then out of the blue, 9 lil cups of creme brulee came out with candles on top! it was complimentary from the restaurant. I was very pleased and satisfied!
This is definitely one of my fave restaurant now! I am now recommending it to friends and we will definitely come back here.