|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Awards
|
2007 |
|
SMH Good Food Guide 2007 - Three Chef's Hats |
|
| |
User Reviews on Bilson's Restaurant
|
| |
|
Displaying 1 - 10 of 100 comments
|
| |
|
Page:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Next
|
|
| |
|
|
| Overall |
  
|
Average |
 |
Food 5 |
Ambience 9 |
Service 3 |
Value 5 |
|
|
I feel that I must include my experience of Bilson's: sorry to upset the applecart. We waited an HOUR to be given menus! Why? We were basically ignored for this time. I wonder if it had something to do with the fact that we were unable to change our preferred reservation time when asked due to a previous arrangement. A table of eight young women came in at about 9pm - after other diners had left to make room - who were served immediately with cocktails and appetizers. We didn't get menus FOR AN HOUR! Thank god the restaurant didn't do sparklers!
After the wait we were really expecting a lot, as you could imagine. The dishes were satisfactory at best, considering the price. I agree with Paperdoll that there was no zen-like, a la Tetsuya's, experience with the food. The black squid ink soufflé was nothing more than that, a lot of black ink soufflé with nothing to contrast with. A very disappointing dish. The lamb reminded me of the miniscule amounts of beef that the Japanese love to serve except that they use the absolute best and it is usually divine. The lamb was not divine. I was still hungry. And so on. The only dish to note positively was the duck, fantastic.
Also, again considering the wait, we were amazed that the waiters didn't apologize when we gently hinted at the time delay and that the service got worse with a generally unhelpful vibe occurring. The paying of the bill will go down in my family's memory as a very unfortunate experience.
Not only would I strongly dissuade anyone from going to Bilson's but I will continue to add my review of this overpriced, over-rated, stuck-up and unfriendly place to this and other food websites. Get your act together Bilson's. The take away fish shop at Watson's Bay is better than you.
|
| |
|
Was this review helpful?
|
|
| |
sezsays -
See my reviews 4 , 05 October 2008
|
Manage this Listing to respond
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Overall |
|
Recommended |
|
Food 8 |
Ambience 6 |
Service 9 |
Value 7 |
|
|
My partner and I went to Bilson's last weekend. We had the Fin Bouche degustation with the wine matching.
The food was great but not memorable. Most of the dishes were well cooked and well thought out but lacking that zen-enlightening moment like when I had the ocean trout at Tetsuya's. However, the sommelier did a splendid job in picking the right wine for each dish.
The restaurant's ambience was rather poor. There was too much noise and chatter reverberating around the place. Additional soft decors should improve the ambience. Service was top notch. Friendly and not overbearing. I certainly noticed the wait staff presence but did not feel the claustrophobic with attention.
Unfortunately, I don't think this place was value for money. There are other restaurants which either comparable or better that charge a lot less. So while I will definitely come back again, it won't be for a long long while!
|
| |
|
Was this review helpful?
|
|
| |
|
a1b2c3d4e5f6 -
See my reviews 2, 01 October 2008
|
Manage this Listing to respond
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Overall |
|
Highly Recommended |
|
Food 9 |
Ambience 9 |
Service 10 |
Value 8 |
|
|
Went here for dinner on friday night on a first date. First impressions of the decor was that it was nicely spaced out and had a relaxed vibe to it. However, they had these weird 4 paper cut out chandeliers in rainbow colors which just looked so out of place and really clashed with the demure beiges and crisp whites. The chairs, although comfy, reminded me of an old-school chanel tweed suit.
Food was superb. We had 3 courses, started off with this cute little bubble which sat on a tiny cracker - it just popped in my mouth and left the most fun taste and feeling. I had the grilled scallops for an entree which sat on a bed of spinach and mushrooms, really tasty - maybe a little on the salty side (I'm not big on salt however) and came with a foie gras mousse which left a weird texture in my mouth. Followed by the lamb which came with stuffed onions - really juicy & tender and not overcooked as I tend to enjoy my meat well done.
Prior to dessert, we had a really yummy chocolate drink with coriander. It sounds wrong but it was so yummy! you can hardly taste or smell the coriander. Dessert for me was an assortment of dark chocolate which is suposedly the signature dish -it was divine....! beautifully presented and left that melt in your mouth feeling.
Ended the meal with a nice cup of earl grey tea. Manager & maitre d' were super helpful, made us feel very welcome and had a sound knowledge of the menu offerings. For a special occasion, a definite go.
|
| |
|
Was this review helpful?
|
|
| |
|
poppy_korn -
See my reviews 39, 22 September 2008
|
Manage this Listing to respond
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Overall |
|
Recommended |
|
Food 8 |
Ambience 7 |
Service 10 |
Value 8 |
|
|
|
Service very serious and food worthy of 3 hats, but a little too pricey for my liking.
|
| |
|
Was this review helpful?
|
|
| |
|
foodjunki76 -
See my reviews 1, 18 September 2008
|
Manage this Listing to respond
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Overall |
|
Highly Recommended |
|
Food 9 |
Ambience 8 |
Service 8 |
Value 8 |
|
|
|
Everything spot on apart from the never ending bottles of water poured at the table without asking, which seems nice until you realised you have spent close to $100 on water for the table. Plus a few other service mishaps probably holding the restaurant back slightly. Food was good but to be expected when you are paying that amount.
|
| |
|
Was this review helpful?
|
|
| |
|
Jimmy Lik -
See my reviews 15, 07 September 2008
|
Manage this Listing to respond
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Overall |
|
Recommended |
|
Food 8 |
Ambience 6 |
Service 8 |
Value 5 |
|
|
From the reviews posted below, I may upset some people here but his restaurant challenged me. Great food and service, but I came here more than just to taste and consume. I came with the expectation of a three hat experience complete with; atmosphere, intriguing surprise, and a memorable signature style, but I left with food and wine in my belly and a desire to go to bed.
Wanting to take advantage of a childless Saturday night, my husband and I were keen for some divine food and wine, cocktails, romance, chatter and a laugh. Steering clear of our usual treasured haunts, we decided on Bilson's, having not been there since their move to the Radisson years ago.
Take note people: Bilson's is very, very serious about food. And this focus, for me at least, compromises the overall dining experience. Make no mistake, whilst at times overly complex, the food for the most part was very special. We opted for the $165ph degustation menu with matching wines, as we prefer to do in order to sample the individuality and talent of the kitchen.
Expertise and effort were demonstrated in each dish. Although it’s worth noting that this menu didn’t include most of the more tantalising dishes from the a la carte menu, but we justified our choice as a reason to return. The matching wines were a little more hit and miss, and four of my glasses went largely untouched.
As mentioned, the service was very good. Very attentive; so much so that I was followed to the restrooms, not once, but twice. As you have to leave the restaurant and go into the hotel foyer to reach the restrooms, this left me feeling under suspicion of doing a runner! The wait staff are certainly well trained in the details of the food and wine, and delivered the information with passion, care and friendliness.
Now to the ambience, and my biggest disappointment. I’m not sure who this restaurant is targeting. It’s not very intimate, is a fairly characterless space, and could use some individual touches to give it some style. The art adorning the walls is nice, but difficult to engage with from your table, and is basically not enough to create a distinctive atmosphere. Perhaps corporate lunches are their thing? Even the most hardcore single minded foodies of my social circle would find fault in Bilson’s inability to deliver beyond their food. In my opinion, they need to spend some money bringing their food credentials to life in the dining space.
And lastly, the prices listed on this site have since been increased. We paid $600. $300ph - $165 for the food + $135 for matching wines. Expensive for the experience.
|
| |
|
Was this review helpful?
|
|
| |
|
paperdoll -
See my reviews 45, 07 September 2008
|
Manage this Listing to respond
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Overall |
|
Highly Recommended |
|
Food 9 |
Ambience 9 |
Service 9 |
Value 9 |
|
|
|
Great place, food was wonderful. Great atmosphere.
|
| |
|
Was this review helpful?
|
|
| |
|
mareegirl -
See my reviews 2, 28 August 2008
|
Manage this Listing to respond
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Overall |
|
Highly Recommended |
|
Food 9 |
Ambience 9 |
Service 7 |
Value 9 |
|
|
Exquisite fine dining, although the service is not quite up to scratch. We 2 diners let chef choose 2 different entrees, mains and desserts, with the sommelier to match each dish with an accompanying glass of wine, and were delightfully surprised at the delicious and remarkably filling plates that emerged. The food was tasty, rich, unusual, delicate and obviously very labour intensive.
While the waiter basically repeated the description of each dish contained in the menu when bringing it to our table, the sommelier on the night (not the advertised Andrew Cullen) provided a great deal of information educating us about what we were drinking and why. I will never discount Italian wine again!
The service at table was very good (though not excellent), but the service on arrival and departure was very average. We will be happy to return for another special occasion.
|
| |
|
Was this review helpful?
|
|
| |
|
Philippe -
See my reviews 37, 26 June 2008
|
Manage this Listing to respond
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Overall |
|
Highly Recommended |
|
Food 9 |
Ambience 8 |
Service 9 |
Value 8 |
|
|
Consistent bliss, that's what separates this three Hat restaurant from the one Hat restaurants I've been to, where the bliss only comes in patches.
I had the Fin Bec ($135), a six-course degustation menu. I'd recommend it - I was stuffed, but not achingly full. Each plate comes with two or three piles of food - I'd recommend trying them in different combinations - not all the combinations were perfect.
They let me substitute the scallop dish for the Marron dish and the scallops were the highlight of the whole meal. The red mullet dish was great without the Boudin.
The cod was superb, this was the other great dish - three very different flavours, each delectable. The duck was great so long as I combined all the bits on the plate in each mouthful. The cheese was a fantastic goats cheese which was great with the fig and walnut bread, but didn't quite work with the pear. The choc assiette was only OK.
The Pouilly foume wine (Sancerre Sav Blanc, by the glass?) was excellent, the flavours gradually changed as I drank it, it was a real experience. The Dom Renier cognac was lovely and distinctive, but maybe not worth the price. A restaurant for serious food lovers.
|
| |
|
Was this review helpful?
|
|
| |
|
aders -
See my reviews 1, 25 June 2008
|
Manage this Listing to respond
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Overall |
|
Highly Recommended |
|
Food 9 |
Ambience 9 |
Service 9 |
Value 6 |
|
|
|
Fine dining in one of its purest forms in Sydney. I have dined at Bilson's on a number of occasions and each time it has been special. The degustation menu is a treat where you |
Special OffersRegisterTell a FriendAdvertiseRestaurateursLogin
Hi, Anonymous
Favourites
Website
Map
Weather
Video
Tell Friends
Print
Add to your list
