Bay Tinh Crows Nest, Sydney

Fresh and interesting Vietnamese food. Fantastic service. A warm and comfortable atmosphere.

User Reviews of Bay Tinh, Crows Nest

Displaying: 1 - 10 of 12 reviews

7 Recommended

Food 6 Ambience 7 Service 8 Value 7

Quite nice food although we were not blown away... Service was a bit slow but it was friendly and we did have an enjoyable night.

Apr 22, 2013

eatmeup
74

6.3 Average

Food 8 Ambience 7 Service 5 Value 5

Had take-away and the food was pretty good, better than average. Seemed to be a nice atmosphere in the restaurant and staff were friendly, waited a bit for the food though and was fairly expensive for what it is. Would probably go back again to eat in though as is a nice alternative to the million thai restaurants in the area.

Mar 21, 2013

hobbs666
11

6 Average

Food 6 Ambience 9 Service 4 Value 5

Food is a hit and miss here. We were encouraged to order the possibly pre-made duck salad, which was bland and lacked flavour without any dressing. However, their smoked beef cubes were much better. We also tried the little rice cakes which were also equally good. As for their recommended ballatine of chicken, personally I would not order it again as I would describe its flavour as unusual.

Service was poor. One staff member was particularly rude to our table and when it came time to pay the bill, they did not even return our change, probably taking it as a tip. If you decide to visit this restaurant, go for the back room as the atmosphere is first rate. If only they had the service and food to match.

Mar 17, 2013

LuvlyLayla
4

4.3 Below Average

Food 6 Ambience 5 Service 3 Value 3

I came here on a Friday night with my family as my sister's friends had recommended it. The food was quite nice, though both the kitchen and waiters were both obviously understaffed. Two hours later and we were still waiting for the remainder of the mains and ended up cancelling one of them as my brother in law had to leave to put the kids to bed. Might be a better dining experience when properly staffed. I also thought prices were a bit on the high side.

Dec 26, 2012

Jo L.
5

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food 10 Ambience 9 Service 6 Value 9

My new favourite place to eat. Best Vietnamese I have ever had in Sydney. This place is a real gem. The calamari is excellent, as is deep fried ice cream, both are must haves. Dish of the night was definitely the tofu curry which was divine. Great servce, atmosphere. Food so flavoursome. Very surprised that the place was not packed on a Saturday night.

Nov 21, 2012

GJ71
2

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food 9 Ambience 7 Service 9 Value 8

Really authentic - we have just got back from a 3 week holiday in vietnam and are having good food witdrawal symptoms. Specifically we needed a Bun Cha fix. While not on the menu the owner understood exactly what we were looking for and what we should order. Would have liked to see more of the herbs we were used to on the plates but really great night. Our kids fully enjoyed too. Will go back.

Nov 18, 2012

MartinoTentino
2

9 Highly Recommended

Food 10 Ambience 9 Service 9 Value 8

Very tasty interesting food, the best Vietnamese I have had since we were in Vietnam.

Nov 09, 2012

ImaFoodaholic
22

8 Recommended

Food 7 Ambience 8 Service 9 Value 8

One of my first genuine tastes of Vietnamese food was many years ago at Marrickville and that restaurant became a firm favourite until I moved away. Imagine my surprise when I saw it appear up at Crows Nest. It has definitely been polished for the North Shore market, and tweaked to be a bit different.

The thing I love most about this restaurant, I've been twice now in small groups, is the type of service provided. Each selection comes out as a course, and it is not rushed. So for example we had a combination soup and some spring rolls for an entree. These were brought out separately and we were allowed to enjoy the flavours of each dish.

I love relaxing over food, and having a good conversation. If I want a quick meal, I will go to a quick type of place. When I go out with friends, I hate when you go out for dinner at 8pm all done and dusted by 9pm and then that awful limbo period about what should we do now.

We will definitely go back.

Sep 08, 2012

spinneretti
10

2.5 Not Recommended

Food 4 Ambience 2 Service 2 Value 2

Food was very average. We read the reviews and "had to try" the ballatine of chicken and sticky rice chips (both were the chef's special). The chicken came out looking as if it had been microwaved, the skin was chewy and unappetising. The rice chips, meh, yeah it was different but nothing to write home about.

The chef is Vietnamese, but he has tried to upmarket his dishes with fusion cooking but has failed to capture the Vietnamese flavours. Yes, the presentation looks different, but flavour and authenticity was lacking, he ended up making the dishes taste chinese.

The bonfire dishes were ok, but you can definitely get better and cheaper elsewhere, the dish did not come with the complete salad set as it is supposed to.

The caramelised fish, just by looking at the colour, it was not the dark brown it is supposed to be. This meant it lack the depth of flavour that normally comes with this dish, quite disappointing.

Overall, food was very average, points are given for trying to be different. But the chef needs to concentrate on the clean flavours of Vietnamese food and freshness of ingredients. Salad and vegetables, even the garnishes need to look fresh and appetising. Not something that looks dry and withered. Like other reviewers have said, ambience and service is definitely lacking.

Aug 19, 2012