est.

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  9     

Est hits all the buttons that one hopes for in a quality dining experience. A magnificent room, attentive service from staff who are friendly, knowledgeable and thoroughly professional.

We opted for the degustation which didn't disappoint. Highlight was the venison dish, cooked superbly with a great balance of flavours, colours and textures. One dish I wasn't a huge fan of was cuttlefish, which was a little bland and lacked the 'wow' factor.

All up, a great experience that fulfilled our aspirations and expectations for a 'big occasion' night out.

Apr 07, 2013 

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

Absolutely fantastic. My partner and I went here to celebrate our birthdays, and we were treated like royalty all night, down to the move across to the window seat and being showered with extra desserts.

We had the degustation, and it was brilliant. The sommelier was wonderful also, not just plonking the wine in our glasses but giving us a full explanation of the wine, grape, location, etc.

Our favourite was the foie gras, and venison- outstanding.

Brilliant service, we stayed long after closing and the staff continued to joke and work around us without us feeling 'rushed off'.

All in all, a memorable eve, and we will definitely be back.

Thank you to Peter and the staff.

Mar 28, 2013 

5.8 Average

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  3     

Food: Hit and miss between courses but the wagyu skirt steak with potatoes and onion rings is a superstar dish that may just make up for the incredibly disappointing Moreton Bay bug and souffle. (The bug was undercooked for my liking and the froth it is served in is just so odd. The souffle was super sweet and sugar overload. We couldn't finish them)

Ambience: We were lucky enough to get the window seat, removed from other diners. Where we were it was quite lovely but I would not have been happy anywhere else as the tables are quite cramped together. You could surely hear your neighbour's conversation.

Service: Very professional. There were certain staff that smiled through their teeth at us, but they were still polite and professional which we appreciated. Most were cheerful and attentive. Perfect.

Value: Given that Est is a 3 hatter you expect the sky high prices, but due to the hit and miss nature of the dishes I only rated 3 stars. We were never offered tap water and got hit with a surprise $11 charge for still water which irked us.

Mar 10, 2013 

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  9     

Dined here for lunch on the Merivale $33 meal deal. The Mulloway we chose was prepared perfectly. Together with excellent wine, it's a great deal. Additionally, we finished off with excellent coffee and delicious petit fours for an extra small charge. Ambience & service was as you'd expect at a 3 hats restaurant.

Feb 18, 2013 

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  7     

Love the foie gras. Went there for the full tasting menu. Great wines and good selection of scotch. Top notch service although there's not enough room between the table. Making it packed and we can overhear all our neighbors conversation. Will definitely go back for another tasting menu.

Jan 13, 2013 

8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  6     

Better late than never. Went for the let's do lunch special as part of SIFF - what a value meal!

Absolutely stunning fish. Flawless service, staff keep an eye on the whole room and know their menu. Service not pompous (at least on the service). You pay for quality and they deliver.

Only hiccup was a later than advertised opening time (about 10 minutes late), which meant the lift would not stop on their floor. Upon taking the stairs, noted down only as usual fire stairs - oops!

Dec 24, 2012 

5 Average

Food  7      Ambience  3      Service  4      Value  6     

Visited twice for the March into Merivale menus. Simple food, but very well cooked. Salmon was mouth-watering. On first occasion, waitstaff ignored us as soon as they heard we were here for the March into Merivale menu. Much better on second visit. Forgot to give us back out coats/umbrellas both times.

Our tables and chairs were huge, feels like you're sitting miles away from each-other, not conducive to conversation at less than yelling volume. The two-seater tables looked much better. The overall ambience was very toffy, which is great if you're into that sort of thing, just not my preference.

Dec 13, 2012 

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  7     

Great atmosphere, wonderful food.

Nov 23, 2012 

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  8     

Went there recently for lunch and was pretty happy with it. Shared 3 of their entrees, the moreton bug, the scallops and the white tea consommé.

The bug was Ok, it did not reach my expectations so couldn't help but to feel a little disappointed.

The scallops worked very well for me, portion wise it was quite generous. The boyfriend wasn't too fond of the lentils though. The waiter asked if we would like to try the matching wine and it turned out to be perfect. Bonus points.

The white tea consommé was better than I expected as I had read somewhere that it tasted quite bland. I found it very flavourful and the venison tataki was so tender and beautiful.

For the main, we had the mulloway deal for Crave Sydney International Food Festival. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with this dish. The mulloway was crispy and the fish itself was nice, however, everything else about it didn't do it for me. The celery, mint and chickpeas made the dish seem very dry and the sauce didn't help.

For dessert, we had the blood orange souffle and I was blown away. I was In Love. It was so fluffy on the inside and beautifully crisp on the outside. The blood orange sorbet itself was amazing, so refreshing! and when eaten with the whipped cream, it was just heaven. It definitely was a perfect finish to our lunch.

So overall, the food was fine, above average, but did not surprise me. The place itself was beautiful, simple decor with sophistication. The service, was amazing. We were very well looked after by our waiter and he was just a delight to chat with. Will recommend and return.

Oct 25, 2012 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  8     

Had an absolutely amazing bday dinner there last night. I'm. As most people, skeptical about popular restaurants and was expecting it to be extremely over rated. Thankfully it's not!

We tried the 4 course chefs dinner, and have to say was blown away. Foods amazing, service is professional and friendly and we felt really taken care of without being overwhelmed. The food is subtly flavorful and the drinks great.
Planning to return!

Sep 15, 2012