Carrington, The

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  5      Value  7     

First time, we tried going here on a Thursday night but couldn't get a spot, so we tried again on a Tuesday after being told by Porteno that the wait would be 2 hours. We had an ok appetiser in the bar at Porteno but didn't feel like waiting and Porteno's pretentious hosts/waiters, so we went to the Carrington where nice people make good food for nice people.

What a good decision!

The food was very tasty (beef cheeks outstanding, melt in your mouth, mushrooms yummy, jamon bread like a good ham/cheese sandwich). Good value at just over $20 for a main and service was friendly and helpful (not very attentive towards the end of the night, but otherwise good).

Wine list is nice, too, with pretty good value (Tarrawarra Pinot Noir for $42).

Recently, we went back for lunch on a weekday. The restaurant was pretty full, so we sat down in the bar area, where they serve the same food. The problem: For lunch on Fridays they don't employ enough staff. As a result, we waited more than 1 hour for Any food to arrive at our table, even as several other tables were served. We complained, but it didn't change a thing. They also messed up the orders of several tables next to ours, serving the wrong food, which simply seems like an issue based on not employing enough people.

May 21, 2012 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  9     

Went here for a birthday dinner, and I was very impressed. After traveling through Spain and in particular spending time in San Sebastian I was surprised not more restaurants here do pinxtos. The carrington do their own spin in this and I have to say I was impressed.

Love the calamari and the meatball sliders, the squid ink risotto with octopus was fab, and the white anchovies with pear very fresh and great balance of flavors, can't go past a good croquette in Spain!. The staff are very friendly and accommodating, and not pretentious like some wait staff in hip surry hills venues. Can't wait to come back!

May 04, 2012 

6 Average

Food  4      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  3     

I came here with two friends because I had been meaning to try this place for ages. Excited to be finally dining there mainly for the silly reason that they actually had pintxos on the menu and I was hoping that I would relive some of the awesome dining experiences I had in san Sebastian in Spain's Basque region. I did not relive it.

Walking in and the service was friendly and attentive. We were lucky to be seating immediately as it was very busy. Ordered our food and drinks. Drinks arrive and so do the patatas bravas. So far so good. The chilli aioli on the patatas bravas is particularly good.

Then our mains arrive, or at least one of my friend's does. He ordered chicken skewers and they came out as just that, chicken on skewers. I had a taste, and as my mate said, they were tasteless and lukewarm.

Then we waited and waited. I looked at the watch and I had waited 30 minutes (I take note of the time when I order) and I ask the waitress to check but she politely informs me it that the beef cheeks I ordered take a little longer. I understand.

They arrive. Well presented, the single, medium sized beef cheek sat on a bed of mash with a coriander salad. I push into it with the fork and it falls apart. nice! I eat it and..... There's no flavour. It is bland and lukewarm. And either $23 or $25. I scoff it down, feeling ripped off, and we ask for the bill. The bill is missing our beverages so I walk up and tell the waitress at the till. She tells me to wait and brings the new bill with no thanks or apology.

I leave and go eat another meal at the cricketers arms.

I would love to be able to say I will be back to eat, because it has such a nice vibe and its 200m from where I live, but I won't be choosing to eat there again. Will go back for just a drink.

Mar 28, 2012 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  8     

We went to The Carrington last Saturday night and it was awesome. From the moment we arrived, although it was almost a full house, the service was attentive and really friendly without being intrusive. We began the meal with a few glasses of italian wine and delicious warm olives.

The wine list is great, we could have easily settled for drinking the night away. We moved onto various share plates including dips and sourdough, grilled prawns, meatballs, yummy braised chickpeas with spinach and sherry and delicious seared tuna. We enjoyed a bottle of red we had in Spain 6 months prior. To finish, my husband enjoyed the creme Catalan with a side of strawberries and a glass of sticky. A fun night. We'll be back soon.

Mar 22, 2012 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  8     

Food - ordered a great combination that came one after the other and felt like a nice 5 course meal (shark slider - was a special, spicy basque wings, stuffed squid - Beautiful dish, beef cheeks, the carrington mess as dessert, too good), amazing presentation, full of flavour, would like the spicy basque wings to be fried as well but their deep fryer was broken that night.

Ambience - such a cute setting, only thing is can get a bit loud in the little dining area but it creates a nice buzz.

Service - the waitress we had was the most attentive I've probably ever seen without being annoying or intrusive. Little things like making sure we had new napkins, offering new cutlery and plates after our messy chicken wings dish and telling us to put the menus on the window sill to have more room made the dining experience so much more enjoyable.

Value - we had wanted a cheap meal that night but just ended up ordering lots because everything there was so good, definitely worth the spend there, would go back any time!

Feb 18, 2012 

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  7     

If only more pubs were like this. Came here on a busy saturday night and made sure to get a booking in the restaurant area which is separate from their bar area though you can still order alcohol from the bar area freely.

From the outside the place doesnt look like much, but as you step in to the eating area, the black walls the red tables all look great and makes you feel like your worlds away from a pub. Service was always there when needed, so nothing to complain about. The food is best described as mordern tapas, I'd definitely recommend trying the calamari sliders alone for its presentation factor, a tasty morsel of small rings adorned on a triangle of crunchy black squid inked rice. Chicken parfait, tasty morsels of pate on toasted bread was tasty, whilst the stuffed peppers werent particularly memorable.

This food is best to be shared so I'd advise going with a group to try whats on offer. Not all of it is great, but most of it especially downed with some sangria made for a great night along with good food. Desserts were slightly a hit and miss, the cheesecake was unlike any cheesecake I'd had before and tasted predominatly of cheese, without the creamyness whislt the carrington mess, though was nice and refreshing uplifted by the fruity gelato. Spent about $50pp which is fair value for drinks and a decent meal.

Dec 15, 2011 

6.5 Recommended

Food  4      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  6     

I had heard so much about this place so was really excited to try it. I'd had drinks there before and that was fine, but when I finally went back for dinner, I was very disappointed by the food. We ordered several dishes (potatas bravas, skirt steak with mojo verde, and croquettes) and a jug of sangria. The potatos were mushy and bland, the croquettes were nothing special -- tasted like they could have been from a frozen package and baked at home, and the skirt steak, at $22, was very disappointing. It was tough, bland and the mojo verde did nothing to spruce it up. Even the Sangria was weak! Won't be back for the food next time, but a good place with fun ambience for drinks.

Nov 08, 2011 

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  9     

Arrived just before 7 and was seated promptly. The girl with the short hair who served us was absolutely fantastic. Very attentive and friendly. The Calamari sliders were an excellent start, a touch salty but great none-the-less. Meatballs were massive and the tomato ragoo they were in was fantastic. The Chorizo in cider was great and was cooked perfectly. The Beef cheek was superb and melt in your mouth. The oxtail empanadas were great but a touch too 'curried' for my liking but that's just being pedantic. For 3 people with 2 jugs of the 'seedy apple' (so easy to drink it's almost offensive) + 3 beers + food it was $150. Thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and can't wait to try the rest of the menu.

Oct 20, 2011 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  8     

Great food, great atmosphere, staff very friendly. Good place for date as you can have a few drinks in the bar either before or after your food. Not massively cheap but given the quality of food you don't mind paying. (We paid $100 for dinner for two, that included 3 glasses of wine and we did have a lot of food.) Only slight negative is that it is a little bit away from everything else.

Oct 16, 2011 

5.3 Average

Food  6      Ambience  6      Service  3      Value  6     

I had high expectations coming to The Carrington after hearing so much about the 'new hot venue' in Surry Hills. I dearly wanted to love it but, unfortunately, my experience last night was underwhelming.

The food was ok (actually - the beef cheek was delicious!) but not of the standard flavourwise of other restaurants nearby. I probably would have been more amenable to ignoring the food faults if the service hadn't be so hot and cold. One waitress was absolutely lovely, patient and attentive but most of the others were rude, dismissive and rushed.

I loved the decor but as a restaurant I found it too loud, we were a table of 6 and had to literally yell at each other to be heard for 2 hours. I would say it's more suited to bar time chit chat than table dining.

Sep 09, 2011