Kai Sydney

3 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  3      Service  2      Value  2     

Very disappointed after trying Kai for the first time. We booked via Dimmi and the restaurant had no record of our booking. We had to ask where our food was after over 40 minutes waiting for the entrees (Sashimi and beef tataki). The specials had run out at 8pm. We then had a long wait for our mains to arrive.

The food is okay and the on-tap beer is good but I have had many Neutral Bay Japanese restaurant dining experiences. The price of the food seemed more expensive than other Neutral Bay Japanese restaurants.

I would probably not return as I do not enjoy being ignored by the waitstaff and having to wait a very long time for the food to arrive when the restaurant was not particularly busy.

Apr 23, 2012 

6 Average

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  4      Value  6     

We went with a party of ten and what a great disappointment with the service and mediocre food. I had high expectations after reading some of the reviews and being a new restaurant, we thought we will give it a try. Our dinner didn’t finish until 3 hours later.

The food is reasonable although it is not spectacular. This view was made based on a good selection of dishes we ordered which included sashimi, sushi rolls, nigri sushi, chicken teriyaki, pork katsu, squid / cuttlefish stuffed with flavored rice, salmon carpaccio and others…

The restaurant has 2 levels but upstairs was not opened. The ground level (full house) was served by 2 waitresses and 2 gentleman who appeared to be the manager/owner of the restaurant.

Our entrée (or the first plate of food did not land on the table until 1.5 hours after our order was placed. It was then a wait, at times a long wait between each of the dishes. It was extremely hard to get hold of someone’s attention as the staff did not look around the restaurant and check on the customers. We observed that it was the same story for other patrons in the restaurant.

The drinks were terrible. The OJ we ordered felt like diluted cordial rather than a simple concentrated OJ from the bottle.

This restaurant will definitely be more successful if it offered faster food service along with more attention to customers.

We waited again for more than 15-20 mins for the bill as the owner/manager decided to speak to a leaving customer at the door with the door wide opened and cold wind blowing directly towards our table. Not a very considerate gesture. It wasn't until we followed up for a second time with the waiting staff that she reluctantly reminded the owner/manager that we were still waiting for the bill. He turned around and simply grabbed the check book and gave it to the waiting staff. It was apparent that the bill was already calculated but it was left on the counter as the owner/manager was too preoccupied.

Apr 02, 2012 

6.3 Average

Food  4      Ambience  5      Service  8      Value  8     

Great service and well priced for the area, but the food. What a let down. I read the previous reviews and hope it was just a bad night. We don't know if we want to return.

Feb 20, 2012 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  10     

I visited Kai a few weeks ago and really enjoyed it. The food was beautifully presented and tasted fantastic, I really enjoyed the scallops and the prawn balls. It was my husbands first time in a Japanese restaurant and was a perfect introduction. We ate mostly from the specials board and were very impressed with the range of food available.

The Wine list was interesting with plenty of good choices. Service was faultless. The only negative is that the actual dining room decor is a little flat. I can see it becoming a regular for us.

Jul 15, 2011 

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

I have just returned from a brilliant Friday lunch with five of my male friends. Surprisingly the restaurant was nearly empty, a cold and windy day? It is a bit hidden away upstairs but it was nice and warm and I can see it very popular in summer with its outside dining.

The service was impeccable, the owner was on hand all the time, along with all his staff that had perfect timing and balance.

Most importantly, the food was sensational, the alacarte selection was left to one of my mates that had been there twice before, and the reason we were there in the first place.

We asked the Owner/Maitre D' for recommendations of even more dishes and also types of Saki, he knew exactly what we would like, that is why I give it 10/10.

Jun 10, 2011 

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

We booked a table for three on Wednesday. A fourth person decided to come at the last minute. The first thing that impressed me was the table we had was two large tables together so there was plenty of room for the fourth person. I was very impressed with food that followed. There were the usual Japanese dishes but also some different ones.

The special of garfish sashimi was spectacular in presentation. The clear glass serving dish resembling a fish and the garfish in a circle so finely sliced with a tiny sliver of silver skin on each piece making it translucent and shiny. It was served without wasabi but with some other condiments. It was very good.
We had ordered gyoza but were advised a few minutes later that there were none left. This was a bit surprising since we arrived at 7:15, very early to run out of something so popular.

It didn't matter though as we ordered the steamed prawn balls instead and again were impressed with these soft moist and tasty bites. The asparagus wrapped in wagyu was rich and flavoursome. The only minor negative was in two of the mains. The wagyu beef and roasted duck both were served with an ice-cream scoop of mashed potato which was dry and tasted like it was reheated from yesterday. I'm not sure why it was there. The beef and duck themselves were perfectly cooked, tender and juicy. Overall it was a lovely meal and we will be going back.

May 14, 2011 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Traditional Japanese food, convenient place and reasonable price.

Mar 14, 2011