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User Reviews on Cafe Insomnia
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 33 comments
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| Overall |
 
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Below Average |
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Food 2 |
Ambience 6 |
Service 6 |
Value 4 |
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Decided to have a quick dinner out, we'd driven past this place and the very big advertising on the window made it sounds interesting. Italian food + Jazz, excellent!
Well, there was no Jazz, thats ok it was the wrong night. The place was pretty empty but the waiter was very nice and brought us our sticky menus. We ordered from the fairly limited menu and the garlic bread came out, to share, with no bread plates so we put down paper napkins on the table, not great. Also, since there was a total absence of garlic, we added salt for flavour. Coffee arrived and it was really great, genuinely good coffee.
Food came out and the Chicken schnitzel with avocado salad was Chicken schnitzel with no avocado in the salad whatsoever. That was ok no real fuss. The meals were large but bland. The staff spent most of the time talking to each other in the kitchen, we had to go to them to order, stand up and look for them to get our plates cleared and catch their eye to let them know other patrons wanted to order. That's was ok too, annoying but it's clear this is essentially a cafe that stays open late, it's not somewhere you'd go for dinner, they just happen to be open round dinner time.
What annoyed me was the two pieces of cake we ordered. One Black Forrest and one caramel cheese cake. The Black Forrest had lovely chocolate curls on top which is why my sons ordered it. These were totally removed (?!), a strawberry applied, icing sugar and inexplicably banana and 'red' artificial syrup put all over the plate.
Really awful cheap tasting stuff. For the caramel cheese cake my partner asked that they don't put the syrup on, but it seemed they already had, the cake came out with cream, ice cream and half of a very conservative slice missing. Strawberry applied on top too. It was just bizarre. Overall, it's a cafe, it's not Italian but the coffee is good.
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Oliando -
See my reviews 7 , 28 May 2010
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| Overall |
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 8 |
Ambience 9 |
Service 9 |
Value 9 |
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Great food and great staff. Its great to be able to sit in comfy chairs while having a glass of wine or coffee.
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kerianne -
See my reviews 1, 30 March 2010
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| Overall |
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 8 |
Ambience 9 |
Service 8 |
Value 8 |
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Ok, first time back since they changed owners, and now called "insomnia Bar and Grill". Had the steak dianne which was massive and cooked medium rare as ordered. The pasta dish was quite nice. It seems they now call themselves an " italian restaurant", but its still more like cafe food.
The cakes in the cake display fridge have all gone! Coffee was ok. Not sure what they really want to be? a cafe? a restaurant? bar? I hope they stick with cafe and do that well with light meals.
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mambods -
See my reviews 62, 31 January 2010
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| Overall |
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Average |
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Food 4 |
Ambience 8 |
Service 8 |
Value 6 |
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Used to love coming here for a quick coffee and cake but now the place has changed management and brands itself as a bar and grill. We came for one of the grand opening nights of the bar and grill, and the service was fabulous. There's also now a great selection of cocktails.
However, I wouldn't recommend the food at all. The veal parmigiana was bland, the squid was overcooked and the nachos was tasteless. Go for a drink or a coffee but not for a decent meal out.
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ellak -
See my reviews 4, 01 September 2009
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| Overall |
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 9 |
Ambience 9 |
Service 9 |
Value 9 |
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We went there last weekend which was Cafe Insomnia's grand opening night, the place was really busy when we opened the door, a waitress came and asked if we were in the booking list and when we said 'no' she said the place was booked out for the night but still she said we could stay there until half past eight and managed to find out a table for us.
I have to say that the service was highly attentive despite them being so busy and also we not having booked a table, the foods were fantastic and so was the ambience and their idea of live music was gr8, drinks took a little while as they were extremely busy (we understand that) to come but sometimes it worth waiting, the cocktails we had were the best, have been to the best restaurants still with not that level of service and drinks.
Overall good food. Great service and fantastic environment. Will definitely be going back. 'THUMBS UP' insomnia guys.
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maggie_dk -
See my reviews 1, 18 August 2009
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
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| Overall |
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Below Average |
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Food 5 |
Ambience 5 |
Service 4 |
Value 4 |
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So, after reading the comments about my review I decided to give Insomnia another go. I've been back twice since then and sadly I have to say that my review was spot on.
But credit where credit is due. The menu has expanded a bit and they have re-painted the walls. Actually the place looks quite nice inside. Unfortunately, the service is appalling.
We've been served by two regulars at Insomnia, one is a lass with a coin slot, whose uniform appears to be ill-fitting jeans (hence the coin slot) and a t-shirt. Not what I want to see when I'm eating, thanks.
The other waiter appears not to understand English or else does not listen to his customers. The time he served us he brought the wrong things or didn't bring things at all. I felt like we were reenacting a scene from Fawlty Towers!
And they still scatter icing sugar over the top of everything, at afternoon tea time. I still don't understand that.
My older daughter met up with a friend at Insomnia recently and came home complaining of the coffee and the service. She's not normally one to notice things like that and I hadn't said anything to her about our visits, so it must have been really bad.
So I kind of feel they had their chance and I don't feel obliged to give them another one. Not when there are much better cafes in the area, where the food and the service is way better.
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Insomnia has recently changed hands again and I have to say I don't think the change has been for the better. We went in there this afternoon for afternoon tea. We were handed a menu which was bare, to say the least. I didn't feel like a lot of sweet stuff and asked if they could do me a toasted sandwich or something. The previous owner would have done it no problems. The waitress looked blank and then told me the kitchen was closed. Huh? The menu included toast, banana bread (which is toasted) and crepes. So why couldn't they cope with a toasted sandwich?
I ended up ordering banana bread as the least sweet option there. When it arrived it was toasted but they had covered it with icing sugar and the plate as well! I guess someone thought it looked pretty. I have never ever had banana bread served to me with icing sugar all over it. I complained and asked them to make a fresh one without all the icing sugar.
The drinks were ok, I suppose. With the change of management, I would have expected to see a freshening up of the decor (please someone paint over those horrible yellow walls -- they haven't changed in years) and some variety on the menu, which hasn't happened. They don't seem to do Saturday breakfast anymore either.
We used to be regulars there -- usually three or four times a month, but we won't be going back now. It was much better under the previous owner, who was always great to talk to and couldn't do enough for his customers. I really got the feeling today that everything was just too much effort for them when it came to serving us.
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voyager_aus -
See my reviews 1, 24 June 2009
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| Overall |
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 10 |
Ambience 9 |
Service 8 |
Value 9 |
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Wow what a meal we had. Two weeks back on Sunday we had 'Grilled Chicken with Dijon' absolutely fabulous combination with the dijon mustard sauce. By the way new color they painted is great, very warm. New furniture and leather lounge is good match to the wall color! Well done guys. The service is great except too many staff turn-over. They said, Insomnia going to do alcohol and cocktails, but when? and we need Sat/Sun breakfast, so open early. I admire this place, guys go there.
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lauren_taylor -
See my reviews 1, 25 March 2009
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| Overall |
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Highly Recommended |
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Food 10 |
Ambience 8 |
Service 10 |
Value 9 |
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I have to agree with dove_nest45... this place is great! I come here at least 3 afternoons a week for an after work coffee and the owner is always friendly and willing to accommodate any orders! Again, the dinner is excellent as well, a nice relaxed atmosphere with above-par service. The walls do leave alot to be desired, but the owner recently said that they will be repainting in Gloria Jeans-esque hues, which will give a warmer feel to the place.
They are hard placed for ambience, being so close to Pennant Hills Road, however, the couches are a nice touch, and the background music helps to detract from the sound of traffic! The owner told me they would have a liquor license very soon, and would have a wide array of cocktails, red, white and sparkling wines, at very reasonable prices ($12-13 a cocktail he estimates).
As far as value goes, the meals may seem a little pricey at first glance, (I must admit I balked when I saw $7.50 for a slice of cake) but more than make up for it in their size and quality. They are also doing takeaway now, which adds a lot more versatility to the place, I no longer think of it as just a coffee shop, but rather as a restaurant with awesome coffee as a bonus (and killer crepes!).
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kB_333 -
See my reviews 1, 23 January 2009
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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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Re commented by "voyager_aus" on 19 Dec, I am absolutely shocked. I can't believe this reviewer; in fact these new couple are giving new look to this café. This place is turning out to be our perfect day/night out venue these days. At least we don’t get that loud voice. And his nose picking and croches/underarm scratch…THANK GOD HE IS LEFT. I couldn't even believe how people go on for other owner.
We stopped going there after the experience we had around February last year. We had ordered Scotch fillet and Spaghetti Bolognaise, but all we got is chipped plate covered with Iceberg lettuce and some shitty red dressing and pasta and again it was covered with some old smelly parmesan cheese. Service was absolutely horrible and knife/fork was thrown in the table, and that chipped water bottle. So we never went back there since we saw new under new management sign.
Now, I just love this place. Prefect atmosphere to kill some lazy. Perfectly presented food and what coffee. I say, everyone should go there and try their food, absolutely professional service. The owner is saying they are getting alcohol license soon and doing fancy cocktails…so can't wait for that.
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dove_nest45 -
See my reviews 1, 05 January 2009
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| Overall |
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Average |
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Food 5 |
Ambience 5 |
Service 7 |
Value 7 |
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Our first experience here a couple of months ago was great! Our waiter was very enthusiastic and the snickers thickshake we ordered was to die for! Our dinner of pasta was nice, well priced but nothing spectacular.
A must-try is definitely the snickers thickshake. I have never tried drinking peanut butter and icecream through a straw before. It was great!! Big glass for $4.50 between the two of us and still we didn't finish it!
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atrac02 -
See my reviews 11, 24 April 2008
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