Art Lounge, The

9.6 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Drinks  10      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  9     

We had dinner here last weekend using our Ouffer voucher, and the experience was great. We made a booking that afternoon, and when we arrived we were helped to our table almost straight away.

After showing our voucher to our waiter we were informed of the set tapas entree platter and our choice of main from the entire menu. We ordered cocktails and our choice of main. The cocktails were a little pricey but expected in this part of the city. The taste, however, made it worthwhile!

The entree platter came quickly and had a sensational mix of fresh starters. It was taken away as soon as we were finished, and we were given about 15 minutes to sip our cocktails and order some wine. We both had the beef fillet as our main which was delicious. Once the main was cleared we were given a while to relax and take in the atmosphere. There was a 20's themed birthday party that night. The vibe was great, but started stated getting a bit loose as the drinks kept flowing.

The noise level picked up quite a lot and the room started to get a bit crowded. We didn't mind, but some guests might have felt their personal dining space was compromised.

We ordered the pannacotta for dessert which was superb, hung out for a bit longer, then settled the bill for the cocktails and wine. Great value and great experience, will definitely recommend and return!

Jan 16, 2012 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Drinks  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  8     

We dined here last week, on a Thursday night with an Ouffer voucher and I have to say it has been the best experience we have had in a restaurant using a voucher. Usually they treat you like second class citizens when you book with a voucher, but not here.

We arrived promptly at 6.30pm and were seated straight away. We were given the option of where we wanted to sit and we chose a table near the front away from the main dining area, as we were not going to stay around til 8:30pm when they had a live burlesque show. We would've loved to have watched this if we had known it was on.

The tapas for entree arrived promptly with our drink orders. The waiters were very polite and professional. The waiter at the front of house ensured the service was impeccable throughout our meal. Our entree plate was taken away when we had finished and our mains arrived 10-15 minutes later. The beef fillet was one of the best my partner has ever eaten and my salmon fillet was wonderful.

Presentation was 5-star. After our meal, we moved to the bar area to order more drinks and watch the French/Spanish vocalist who started to perform. Amazing!The only complaint I have would be the temperature. It was a little warm where we were. Also, the crème brulee we had for dessert needed more cream. These are very minor criticisms though and aren’t enough to keep me away. Will definitely come back here and stick around for the burlesque show!

Jan 03, 2012 

2.2 Not Recommended

Food  3      Drinks  2      Ambience  4      Service  1      Value  1     

A truly horrible experience!

We were looking forward to having a nice meal to celebrate my husband's birthday. Unfortunately, we were bitterly disappointed. The wait-staff have no idea on how to look after their patrons. It took 20 minutes before our order was taken. A further 15 minutes to have our drinks delivered. Having read previous reviews after purchasing my voucher, I made sure we ordered all courses as soon as we had the opportunity. The tasting plate came out a further 20 minutes later.

The food was quite nice which made us look forward to our mains. They didn't arrive for a further 30 minutes. The side order of beans didn't arrive until After we had finished our mains. We asked for the beans to be taken away. We sat all evening with empty glasses on our table. You would think that they would offer another beverage as soon as the glass is empty as I dare say this is how they make their money? We had to ask one waiter how long our desserts were going to be as it was 10pm by this stage.

I also asked for another glass of wine. I don't think the waiter understood english as he didn't fulfill our requests and I certainly didn't see another glass of wine. The waiter flittered about the restaurant trying to look busy. We asked another waiter for our desserts and he checked on them immediately. They came out 2 minutes later. I've never had cold creme brulee. It was nice, however, it left me wondering why there was such a delay?

When I went to pay they had left the beans on our bill which I asked them to remove. The waiter was very apologetic saying "sometimes these things happen. We have so much to look after" I had to bite my tongue. There wouldn't be any more than 28 covers to look after. Being a wednesday night, it wasn't that busy! He also had flittered around the restaurant clearing other tables whilst we sat at our table with our mains plates still yet to be taken away and our wine glasses empty. It appeared to me that they focused on everything else But their customers.

There was a couple who came in afer us on a voucher that was served quicker than us. Which capped the night off beautifully. All in all an exceptionally horrible experience. I'm pleased we didn't have to pay full price for this experience.

Dec 15, 2011 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  8     

I went to the Art Lounge with my girlfriend after work, and what a surprise!

We walked straight in and escorted to the bar as we waited for our table. It was a thursday, and there was an excellent Burlesque and Cabaret night which kept everyone entertained, especially myself.

The ambience was amazing, the lighting was low and the room was lit of candlelight. As we waited at the bar, the owner came up to us and had a chat, which was very comforting, then took us to a table.

Service was almost instant as we ordered the two mains. The beef literally melted in my mouth, It made me come back for more. I could not expect better service nor meal for such value. Thank you Karim.

Dec 02, 2011 

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  8     

My wife and I ate here a few days ago and were absolutely delighted (and it wasn't all for ditching the kids for a rare evening alone).

For entree, the salt and pepper squid was among the best I've eaten. And I have no idea what they did to my wife's steak but it became that wonderful cliche: "melt in your mouth".

One thing we really appreciated was not needing to order side dishes. Our meals came with the appropriate vegetables and more than enough to satisfy a good eater.

I've seen reviews here criticizing the service. We found the service (mostly by the owner) to be conscientious and friendly without being overbearing.

The night we visited, a pair of opera singers entertained the crowd and were received with genuine applause. We are not regular restaurant visitors (anymore, thanks to children) but this night was all we hoped it would be.

Nov 29, 2011 

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  6      Value  7     

Went to The Art Lounge midweek with my daughter. We loved this place. The ambience was great with beautiful furnishings. The food was lovely but it was a shame the meals were a little slow to come out.

Oct 16, 2011 

7.8 Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  4     

The food at art lounge was exceptional! We used an ouffer voucher which entitled us to:
-a tapas tasting platter of lamb meatballs, salt and pepper squid with aioli and zesty lemon, king fish escabeche with toasted brioche and caramelised fennel, a tasting spoon of tomato and mozzarella salsa and prosciutto. Honestly everything was really delicious, in particular the escabeche and the squid were just sublime.

- choice of mains. We went for the steak- This I would have to say was the softest, most tender steak I've ever eaten. However, it was undersized (probs around 200g) and if I was paying full price ($28) I may not have enjoyed it as much considering its value. The dauphinoise/gratin potatoes that accompanied it were also extremely tasty but again slightly small.

- a shared dessert - we had the creme brulee. I'm a huge creme brulee fan and I really did enjoy this one. A great completion to a superb meal.

The service was friendly. The decor and ambience was very slick and impressive. But the food (except perhaps for its value- at full price) was a real standout. Very well presented and absolutely scrumptious.

Oct 06, 2011 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  8      Value  8     

We used our social living voucher and could not have been more impressed. There was a beautiful singer, the food was delicious and our waiter was friendly and efficient. It is great to find a restaurant in Sydney that is elegant but not pretentious. We'll be back for sure.

Sep 28, 2011 

4.8 Average

Food  4      Ambience  7      Service  4      Value  4     

My first mistake was thinking that being in front of possibly the best cocktail bar in the world, Eau de Vie, meant that The Art Lounge had something to do with them and that their food and service would be on par. My second mistake was buying two living social vouchers for this place!

The food was terrible, the sharing plate lacked imagination and taste. The wild mushroom risotto was the worst I have ever had. I would like to know in what part of the world button mushrooms are considered wild? The salmon was dry and over cooked with little flavour.

I would also like to remind restaurants that offer deals on Living Social that you do this in order to increase your clientele. It is not ok to treat people with a voucher as second class citizens. Our party was never rude or impolite nor did we show our dissatisfaction with the food, yet the wait staff were rude, rushing us at every moment even taking plates away while we were still eating from them.

Sep 08, 2011 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  7     

I want to say thanks to Asian waiter who serves good service for our table on 18th Jun 11. I recommend it.

Jul 10, 2011