Gastro Park

5.5 Average

Food  8      Ambience  4      Service  4      Value  6     

I took my wife to Gastro Park for her Birthday on Easter weekend. The food is great but the whole experience was let down by sloppy service and unsophisticated atmosphere.

Firstly, it took ages for anyone to greet us at the door when we entered. We were then sat at our table given menus but I was not offered a wine list, had to ask for one. I also had to ask for my glass of wine again after they forgot. And considering there was only four main options on the menu my wife was disappointed to learn that her choice, the pork, was sold out and the waiter jokingly said "it wasn't very good anyway".

I did read in the SMH GFG that the service is described as 'quirky' but it can fall a bit flat and just turn out to be annoying if it's not polished. On the ambience front I didn't expect it to be a family restaurant and there were high chairs and a couple of kids running around which is odd on a later Saturday evening sitting.

We have a young child ourselves and go to family restaurants too but when you're heading to Kings Cross on a Saturday evening you expect it to be a bit slicker. The food is superb but the talented chefs are let down by weird, sloppy service out front and for 2 hats I expect more.

Apr 24, 2012 

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  7     

Amazing food. They have taken the molecular gastronomy path, which has created some very unusual dishes.

This is a great place for foodies who are prepared to try something a little different. The service is amazing, however, booking can be difficult, so get in early. Make sure you try the Liquid Gnocchi. Amazing!

Apr 05, 2012 

8 Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  8      Service  6      Value  8     

This was our 2nd visit to Gastro park, and it was very much like our first visit, amazing food, with slow service. Was left waiting for our table for 45 minutes, although complimentary Putanesca wafer did a bit to resolve this. When we were put to our table, our waitress was very nice, and explained the food well, drinks were again slow.

But my word, the food. Perfect, hare and quail consommé with liquid pumpkin gnocchi was amazing. Roast suckling pig with crackling was fantastic along with highly surprising roasted fruit. Dessert was one of the highlights, Nitro buttermilk pavlova, truffle clay, white chocolate and passionfruit dragon egg, were simply sublime. Really top notch.

Apr 05, 2012 

5.3 Average

Food  5      Ambience  5      Service  6      Value  5     

We went for the extensively promoted Medieval dinner. Yes the pork was pretty good. Great crackling. The rest of the menu was kinda ho hum. The tables sans tablecloths was a real let down.

As the organiser of the night I was really embarrassed at the cost of $100 a head for food only. I wouldn't rush back.

Apr 03, 2012 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  9     

One word to describe Gastro Park: Amazing! (I'm pretty sure my friends and I said 'amazing' over 10 times throughout dinner). I cannot regard Gastro Park highly enough. I have visited multiple times and they have consistently provided excellent service, quality food and a comfortable and inviting atmosphere. Each dish is presented so beautifully with a fantastic element of surprise. You must try their gnocchi!

I definitely recommend Gastro Park if you want an exceptional dining experience that will leave a big smile on your face.

Mar 25, 2012 

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  9     

The head chef is definitely quirky + I can assure you that Gastro Park is where you will find the the most imaginative menu across this side of Sydney. The staff are lovely, the place is simple + smart and lets the food do the rest.

The Gastro Park Restaurant + Bar was awarded two chef hats by both the Gourmet Traveler and The Sydney Good Food Guide. After my experience I can definably understand why.

Read more on my blog

Feb 12, 2012 

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

I wish I could shout from the rooftops how fantastic this little restaurant in Kings Cross is. Grant King is a master in the kitchen and I would say is producing some of the most flavourful, playful and beautiful food in Sydney at the moment. This is food that you quite simply could not make yourself at home.
Everything from the savoury courses to the desserts is faultless.

We have been to all of the hatted restaurants in Sydney. We have been to a number of the San Pellegrino top 50 in the world from the USA to Japan and Europe and what is happening in the kitchens of Gastro Park is there. I am not someone who will eat anything just because a chef has a famous name or awards. I love good food that tastes sublime, otherwise, it isn't worth the calories. Gastro park is worth the calories and then some. I can't wait to go back for a third outing very soon.

If you go, have the 'Pumpkin Gnocchi'. You will understand when you taste it and you will thank me for telling you to get something you may not usually try, I should say that I love meat, but the gnocchi is something I dream about.

Jan 21, 2012 

6 Average

Food  8      Ambience  3      Service  6      Value  7     

If there is one thing that does not fit the bill in King’s Cross, it’s fine dining. Sure, they will tell you that it’s Pott’s point, but when the thundering bass echoes in from Favela and whatever Lady Luxx’s is now called, you know that you are only a hop, skip and a stumble from the Golden Mile.

Picture a playful sanctuary that makes you forget the constant rumble of the red light district, a place where harmony and balance play with texture and imagination to serenade your taste buds and transform you to a place of laughter, relaxation and gaiety. A world where willy wonka meets the mad hatter at a table of gastronomic delight. That is not Gastro Park.

The minimalist interior for my mind is drab, boring and unpleasing. Thankfully the person sitting opposite me was good looking, as I had nowhere else to look, except for a few moss covered stone, a tree on a table, A few lamps, some cheese on glass pedestal, and that waiter taking my wine somewhere, and returning with someone else’s. The chairs are uncomfortable, and the staff seem pedestrian, as the restaurant is by no means large, but they disappear as soon as they arrive.

Thankfully the food was above average in this setting. I enjoyed the ‘snacking' entree option, but I must say that the prices do not reflect the portions. The Putanesca wafer, is literally that, a wafer, and is 90% air. The flavour was as you would expect, highest quality, but it arrived in an odd river stone, cut with a groove.

The tuna Carpaccio with marrow deserves special mention, as the rustic serving of the Tuna marrow for me, was the highlight of the evening, and a triumph of the freshest of fresh seafood.

The scallops were good, if on the small side, but the mains were standouts, and overdelivered. The snapper will be a cult hit amongst Sydney diners, innovative and expressive. The bread crusted groper was divine, perfectly cooked. The desserts are the same as everywhere else at the moment, nitrogen frozen something, with a gel of something, and foam of something else, all made to look like something inedible.

Cheese was brilliant, if not a tad warm. The wine list is ‘minimal’ (this word keeps coming up), with some stars, but champagne seemed the best way to wash down the courses.

I thought this was supposed to playful gastronomy, but instead we experienced quality food, with sufficient minimalist service, in an ultra minimalist setting, that did not quite balance the fuss of the presentation and delivery of the dishes. If you stick to what Grant King does best, you will be rewarded. But if you venture down the road of experimentation, you may come away without that fun feeling of adventure.

Jan 11, 2012 

6.5 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  4      Value  6     

Imaginative and unique presentation of food, great textures and flavours, lived up to expectations. But, unfortunately, let down by poor service (server had poor knowledge of menu, lack of attention, slow service). Other wait staff seemed on the ball, maybe we just had bad luck with our server. Would have expected higher quality and consistency of service for the prices they charge.

Dec 08, 2011 

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

I had one of the best dining experiences ever at Gastro Park on a Saturday night with 2 friends.

We ordered the degustation, 7 courses for $145. The food was the most exceptional cuisine I had enjoyed for some years. Each course was exciting and delicious as well as being a visual treat. I honestly loved every dish, but if I had to pick stand outs it the gnocchi with mushroom consomme and the dessert egg filled with honeycomb and chocolate. We also tasted the epoisse and St Agur cheeses.

Sometimes chefs can go too far with presentation and overly complicated combinations of flavours and textures, but not at this restaurant. The beauty of the food matches the enjoyment in eating the amazing dishes. This is food with real wow factor.

I love the feel of Gastro Park. It's a surprisingly small room with a funky but welcoming fitout. The uncovered tables and paper menus belie the exceptional standard of the food.

The staff were professional, friendly and a bit quirky. We did not find them intrusive. The service was of the highest level and added to our enjoyment of the evening. The sommelier listened to us and helped us choose some fantastic wines from their interesting wine list. On a Saturday night in December there was no delay in service. The pricing of the meals reflected the quality of the ingredients, the execution and the service.

I will be telling everyone I know who loves dining out to go to Gastro Park and I look forward to returning. This is an amazing restaurant.

Dec 04, 2011