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Awards
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2010 |
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SMH Good Food Guide 2010 - Three Chef's Hats |
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2009 |
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SMH Good Food Guide 2009 - Three Chef's Hats |
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2008 |
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SMH Good Food Guide 2008 - Three Chef's Hats |
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2007 |
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SMH Good Food Guide 2007 - Three Chef's Hats |
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User Reviews on Bilson's Restaurant
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 136 comments
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| Overall |
  
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 9 |
Ambience 9 |
Service 9 |
Value 8 |
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Top class! The food here is great and a real pleasure. The staff are quite knowledgeable when it comes to their wine selection and this is a plus. The prices are very high but justifiable for special occasions.
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Mish-loves-food -
See my reviews 7 , 22 August 2010
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| Overall |
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Recommended |
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Food 9 |
Ambience 8 |
Service 6 |
Value 7 |
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Very expensive but it was to be expected. I am a local in the area and have heard great things about the restaurant. The food was great really enjoyable but the staff were a let down for me. I had trouble finding a waitress most of the time and I found the service slow which was a little disappointing. A beautiful outlook though and quite nice atmosphere.
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jazzyjasmine878 -
See my reviews 4, 15 August 2010
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| Overall |
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Average |
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Food 6 |
Ambience 6 |
Service 6 |
Value 1 |
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Went to Bilson's for dinner last night with high hopes, we had friends staying with us and one of them remembered Tony's Bon Goût of many years ago so her expectations were even higher! There was a party going on in the private room which was a bit noisy but the ambience was fine, nice lighting, tables just the right distance away from one another.
The service was good, the advice on the wines was appreciated, but we should have become suspicious when we were offered bread at least 4 times, obviously in preparation of the long time lag between courses. We'd arrived at 7 pm, the amuse bouche was served at 7.30, the entree at 7.45, no problems whatsoever. I ordered a Royale of mixed mushrooms (chanterelles, truffle) this was served 'custard' like in a martini glass with foam on top, perhaps, that's where the Royale came from, as in Kir Royales can also be served in those glasses? Perhaps?
So although it was delicious and velvety, it was not at all what I'd expected. The others ordered the tartare, pronounced excellent and Jenny had the lobster quenelle, tiny but also delicious. The mains arrived around 8.10, I had the fillet which was wonderful, my friend had the pheasant and she was disappointed because although it was salmis, her dish consisted of two tiny rounds, she didn't think it was enough to feed her cat.
The partridge was also ordered, it was roasted and John thought it was wonderful. Jenny ordered the John Dory which was overcooked. So far, still quite good. Now it was getting on for 8.45, dishes were cleared, it didn't take long to eat the main course because as Ann said, it was two mouthfuls. We ordered cheese and dessert, and when that hadn't arrived at 9.45 we were getting impatient and asked what the hold us was and the waiting staff advised us that there were a few dramas in the kitchen, we decided to skip dessert and go.
The Maitre d' promised that our desserts were being plated as we spoke, so Ann gave him another 5 minutes. They knew we were disappointed, it was only after we said we'd leave that they offered us a complimentary glass of sweet wine (how much better to have come to us First and said 'sorry folks, trouble in the kitchen, please let me offer you some complimentary wine etc etc, instead of trying to placate us after we'd decided to leave, so pretty slack on their part).
Also, we all got the distinct feeling this was not an uncommon situation, and that they frequently have issues with the kitchen. So although the Maitre d' told us the kitchen had let them down, they weren't proactive or responsive enough to have managed the situation before it was too late. We left at 10.15 (can't imagine how it could have taken 30 minutes to plate some cheese!) and they did waive the cost of 8 glasses of wine (@$20 a glass) but, for what was easily all of 6 forkfuls throughout, $130 is a bit rich for 2 courses. Compare that with Bistro Ortolan's outstanding service and impeccable food with 10 courses at $120.
We'd heard Maggie Beer had visited Bilsons a couple of days earlier, perhaps, Tony and the kitchen staff burnt themselves out on trying to impress her. I wouldn't go back, not because what I did order wasn't lovely, but because this institution doesn't deserve 3 hats and whoever awarded it to them should retract at least 2 of them for Bilson's inability to perform.
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BearBull -
See my reviews 12, 31 July 2010
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| Overall |
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 10 |
Ambience 9 |
Service 9 |
Value 9 |
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I thought I should write a review, because at Bilsons a few weeks ago I had the best meal of my life. I came here on a Thursday night and it was full, although not too noisy so I liked the ambience, although the restaurant has no view, I actually liked the warm cosy feel on a chilly night, its homely. There was so much attention to detail in the food it was incredible.
Even the side vegetables were displayed in a beautiful arrangement! I had the angus beef for main, which was divine and I loved all the little extras you get with a fine dining restaurant. Service was good, very friendly but professional staff. The best value food for money by far of all the 3 hat restaurants I've been to.
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bokthefish -
See my reviews 3, 11 June 2010
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| Overall |
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 9 |
Ambience 7 |
Service 9 |
Value 8 |
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Went on a rainy mid week night so the place wasn't overly busy. Didn't go the degustation but had entree and main and shared a dessert, all brilliant. The service was great and a bit snobby unless you interacted slightly then they let their guard down. I have wanted to go here for so long and it was well worth the experience although I do like a bit more liveliness in atmosphere.
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badseed -
See my reviews 16, 07 June 2010
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| Overall |
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Recommended |
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Food 9 |
Ambience 7 |
Service 6 |
Value 7 |
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The food was excellent, we ordered the fine bouche which is 10 course meal, sadly some of the service very poor. We have side drink of sparkling water, but one of the waiter topped it up with still water. I asked for soy latte, but they gave me chai latte, to make it worse, there is fly, flying while we enjoyed our 4 hours meal, not that the fly is always there, but always make time to visit us now and then. But the food was good though not great but good!
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Foodprints -
See my reviews 5, 02 June 2010
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| Overall |
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 10 |
Ambience 8 |
Service 7 |
Value 7 |
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We went to the bar before the meal, and the drinks were great. I had a mocktail and he had this mocktail looking drink which looked similar to mine but had alcohol. They also served free rice crackers. I had a magical experience with my boyfriend here for dinner. Everything tasted delicious and was all well portioned. The scallops were well cooked, the kingfish was also perfectly cooked and the artour du chocolate was amazing. It wasn't too rich.
My boyfriend had the steak tar tar which actually didn't taste bad when I tried some. That was my first time trying it haha. He mentioned that the partridge lacked sauce, and I agreed. I also noticed that it was also a little undercooked as well. His dessert with chestnut was very nice, and I think that leaf shaped chocolate was beautiful.
The ambience was very romantic and the staff were attentive. It did get busy, but the service was still decent. I would definitely return.
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Anirae -
See my reviews 21, 24 May 2010
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| Overall |
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 10 |
Ambience 9 |
Service 10 |
Value 8 |
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We were shouted to Bilsons by a family member. The food and service were superb. We chose the three course menu and were not disappointed. The food was exactly as we expected and described by the waiter as each course was served. The wine selection (by the glass) was as recommended by the sommelier as I have no experience with the wine selection at the level offered. His suggestion for wine (grape) for the entree was discussed and he provided a tasting of both his and my selection, he was right. The red for the main course and the sticky for the sweet (a SA wine) were both perfect.
Each course was served and described and exactly as expected. We won't be eating here regularly. We would like to but the prices are above our income level. It was an experience we enjoyed and will remember as a great experience.
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Dinkumguy -
See my reviews 23, 20 May 2010
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| Overall |
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Average |
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Food 7 |
Ambience 6 |
Service 5 |
Value 7 |
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Sadly, Bilson's didn't hit the mark for us, there were too many little issues that when added together meant the experience didn't live up to expectations. Essentially it was a timing issue, to the point that my dining partner felt that we'd scored the 'B team' for the night. We sat for a while with no attention and then our amuse bouche was delivered. At this stage we hadn't even been given a menu.
Our matched wine for the first course (we had the 5 course degustation) came 10 minutes after the food. Through the evening we had the sense that the waiters serving the wine (not a sommelier in sight) had limited knowledge other than what was read on the label. The wine continued to be very slow.
My partridge was so undercooked that it was bloody on the bone, not just pink. I'd expect in a restaurant of this calibre that the waiter might enquire whether the plate was satisfactory when clearing, but no. I politely asked him to let the kitchen know that the bird was bloody and was met with the response, well you could have told me and they would recook it!
We asked for tap water and received still bottled water. When I finally realised we were up to our 4th bottle at $8 each. We weren't charged, however. They picked this up themselves. Finally, the petite fours only came when a waiter happened to see that we'd finished our coffee, which had arrived 10 minutes earlier.
Overall, the food was pleasant, if not a little predictable. We wish we could have liked it more, but it definitely wasn't up to the standard of other 3-hat restaurants we've eaten at.
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Wahwah -
See my reviews 12, 02 May 2010
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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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As a part of our continuing Food Odyssey we returned to Bilsons for dinner last night. In our journey to sample all of the best restaurants in Sydney, we had been to Bilsons before, but they had a guest chef on our first trip and I felt that we needed to return to get the true experience.
We loved it. We had the full degustation menu and it was a journey through food heaven. I want plates to arrive and offer something visually stunning, a big tick on all courses! I want to be leaned down and smell something delightful, tick. I want to taste different ingredients and be surprised by flavour, tick. I want to mix the elements of the plate to taste something with varying levels of taste, tick. I want to experience textures, creamy, crunchy, airy, frothy, gooey, subtly chewy, tick.
I want desserts that are show stoppers - oh my goodness a huge tick. I want coffee, petit fours and unlimited lovely bread, tick. I don't drink alcohol, so I want a waiter who doesn't flinch when I ask for diet coke at the start of the meal, tick.
There is no view here, but there is wonderful service and an excellent attention to detail. We had one of the best meals we have had in Sydney.
This restaurant is now on rotation with our favourites (with Becasse, Aria, Guillaume, Quay, Berowra Waters Inn, Bathers Pavillion, Otto, Rockpool (and Bar And Grill), Spice Temple, Bistro Ortolan and Pier so far!) who we occasionally revisit, rather than going somewhere new, because we love the experience so very much.
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Maggie0912 -
See my reviews 33, 01 May 2010
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