Exchange Hotel

5.6 Average

Food  5      Drinks  6      Ambience  6      Service  6      Value  5     

A disappointing experience. Went on a Saturday night, when hotel is very busy so understand that even in the Bistro it was going to be noisy.

Meal started well with tapas as entree, especially liked the soft shell crab and the prawn dumplings. Pork belly was tender, but crackling was chewy.

Mains were the main cause for disappointment, with us having to send back sirloin steak (at around $35) being chewy, tough and overcooked. Salmon was also slightly overcooked.

Service was hit and miss. Staff friendly but frantic and disorganised, we had 2 lots of incorrect entrees attempted to be served to us. Staff handled us sending back the steak in a good manner, and provided a round of drinks as apologies.

May 20, 2012 

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  7      Service  10      Value  7     

What a surprise! The Exchange restaurant was superb. Menu is imaginative and creative. Highlights of the food we had: prawn dumplings for entree and my main. I had salmon with avocado/spinach and orange salad and pesto (I didn't eat the pesto as it's a bit rich. Perfectly cooked to my request.

Actually my main was listed as a hot rocks do it yourself (cook at the table job). I didn't want to cook it myself, or I would have stayed at home and done just that. The chef was very obliging and cooked it for me in the kitchen. Great! There were many hot rock options including tapas style. Meals and about 4 mains. The menu is extensive and creative, best I've seen.

It was a bit noisy on the balcony, from traffic and other diners, but not more so than other restaurants. It added to the ambience really. Service was fantastic-helpful, willing to ask de chef for a variation, quick and friendly.
I went with a voucher but I liked it so much I could have returned the next night. We sat on the balcony upstairs.

Apr 06, 2012 

5 Average

Food  4      Drinks  7      Ambience  5      Service  4      Value  5     

Large group function of about 20 people, so were we stuck on the table on the cold balcony.

For ease of ordering in a large group, we decided to share a selection from the tapas menu. We were surprised to find raw meat and seafood arrive on our tables, to be cooked ourselves on "hotrocks". The rest of the tapas we ordered was fairly average, fried food. The cocktail menu was good, and cocktail was good.

Dec 30, 2011 

4.4 Below Average

Food  1      Drinks  10      Ambience  3      Service  4      Value  4     

Its a real shame the exchange has turned into an absolute joke. The food used to be delicious but has recently changed the menu which has made me stop going. Service used to be impeccable now staff seem to have lost that "drive" which made this place so fresh, lively and above all other balmain pubs. I blame poor management.

Dec 12, 2011 

3.4 Below Average

Food  3      Drinks  4      Ambience  6      Service  2      Value  2     

Okay well this is a gay bar, in case no one told you, but the people are friendly and they enjoy party favors. Will return, sometime.

Oct 14, 2011 

7.8 Recommended

Food  7      Drinks  8      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  7     

A nice space. Nicely lit and great decor. The waitress was excellent and a lot of fun. We ordered various share dishes. I had a great peppered beef salad. The others had various salads and share dishes. Absolutely no complaints. Will definitely return.

Oct 10, 2011 

5.2 Average

Food  7      Drinks  5      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  4     

I don't think I look scary. So to be detained at the door front with an agressive bouncer and I had to justify that I do have reservations is a bit too much considering the other clientele who looked less than appealing. so, hurdle number 1. hurdle number 2: stopped midway on the stair case to confirm that we have a booking (ah yes we do). hurdle number 3 came in the guise of "I can't seem to locate your booking" when my name was there in front of me.

Ordered a high ball of Pimms and ginger ale and it was extremely watered down. For dinner, ordered the prawn dumplings from the tapas menu which was really delicate and tasty. Good things to come? Unfortunately not. Our meals came lukewarm to cold and rare steak was killed to smithereens. I had a feeling our plates have been sitting underneath the heat lamps for more than wee while. I got it exchanged but the waitress didn't bother to check on me. The waiter did, which lifted the experience a bit.

I don't know: certainly hit and miss. The cocktal menu is impressive, playful and dynamic. The tapas menu seems appealing and the little sampler we have of the tapas, perhaps, we would come back, but certainly on a week day, after I fill in forms in triplicate so that the bouncers lay off their restaurant guests.

Sep 18, 2011 

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Drinks  8      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  7     

Had a really enjoyable evening here in the restaurant. Highs were the garlic bread and the 'hot rock' tapas dishes. We weren't as impressed with the kitchen staff made pork belly and arancini tapas options though.

The service staff are incredibly busy, but very efficient and look after their customers well. We'll go back.

Sep 09, 2011 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Drinks  8      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  8     

We (a group of 7) dined at the Exchange Hotel last night. It was a Saturday night and the bistro restaurant was packed (along with the upstair lounge/bar)! But the restaurant service did not miss a beat! We were greeted and served by Amy, who was friendly, accommodating, super knowledgeable and overall amazing!

Their Tapas is definitely not your traditional Spanish Tapas, but none the less, it is delicious and a good option as entrees-to-share (and dipping sauce with the soft shell crab is something else)! We all went on to order mains and the food was just as good (however, and they would be better off serving simple chips + veg with the steak as opposed to the "bubble and squeak"... they failed trying to fancy up this side, it was dense and bland and just a waste).

We dabbled in the dessert menu, they were good but nothing amazing. The chocolate mousse is sickly sweet and the caramel slice was buttery and safe.
All in all, a great place, good food, good vibe and with service staff who know what they are doing!

Aug 14, 2011 

3.6 Below Average

Food  2      Drinks  5      Ambience  6      Service  4      Value  1     

Went for lunch in the upstairs "restaurant" out on the balcony and was totally disappointed with the food. It was utter rubbish, $17 for a Wagyu beef burger where the minced pattie had been deep fried, with taste worse than chum dog food and then $2 for a measley side of chips. The burger bun was stale and toasted as hard as a rock.

My friend had the soup, which had the daylights microwaved out of it. It had that thin layer of dull overheated skin on the top of it. I was told it was very bland, and it looked pretty bad.

Shocking food both in the quality and the price and was left uneaten. It was very embarrassing taking someone to The Exchange, after reading the recommendations on this site that speak so highly of the place. I would urge with extreme caution in going to such a poor quality "restaurant".

Jun 24, 2011