Marque

4.5 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  7      Service  5      Value  2     

Having dined at Sydney's top restaurants and enjoyed numerous degustation menus, in my humble opinion disappointing, over priced, trying too hard to show-off culinary talents and sadly lacking the "wow".

The good: Degustation menu consisted of some amazing dishes that contained impressive flavour combinations, detail and thought. Atmosphere was nice, with low, soft lightening and background music. Some matching wines perfectly complemented the dishes being served. Impressive service to start.

The disappointing: Some dishes appeared to be attempts to 'show-off' and lacked substance. Focus was on dish aesthetics over palate. Strange choices for some matching wines, which were a little unpleasant, combined with a short-pour, that was akin to a cellar door tasting.

Service diminished as the evening progressed and by the end of the night getting the attention of the staff to obtain the check was a challenge.

May 12, 2012 

5 Average

Ambience  5      Service  6      Value  4     

I have been to several high end restaurants in Sydney and this would have to be one of the worst. We came there with friends to celebrate a special birthay and the food was seriously a disappointment. It if wasnt for the alcohol and our sense of humour we would have had a terrible evening. Some of the food delightlful athough small in size but some of it was a just a plain experiment especially the sweet/ savoury desserts.

I feel Mark Best is making a mockery of its customers. Purely self indulgent. I will not go back and I will tell all of my friends don't waste your time. I would expect a lot more from a 3 hat restaurant. As I said, lucky my close friends and have a good sense of humour and dont suffer fools gladly.

In addition, even after I told them twice over the phone about my friends important birthday. They did not do anything for her. Lucky I had a lovely cake from Patisse at home so we could blow out a candle and have some proper deliscious desert.

Honestly, one of the most expensive restaurants I have been to but this is the worst. Mark Best, please look after your customers! Both in food and service.

Apr 30, 2012 

6.5 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  3     

An adventure rather than a meal, but still the price seemed excessive, can't help thinking the Emperor is only wearing a man-kini.

When a degustation experience costs more than $250 a head (including matching wines), I would really expect Everything to be "Wow", and some of it certainly wasn't.

The dishes were all interesting, but many of them seemed to be much more oriented to visual aesthetics and a quirky concept (e.g. a whimsical play on "salt and vinegar chips") rather than exquisite flavour. Call me an old fuddy-duddy, but I believe a good meal should hold up under blind tasting without a waiter/sommelier explaining its subtleties, and this meal Definitely would not.

Given the price tag, I found the decor very bland and the service a bit casual and clunky. For example, I'd said when booking that the occasion was my girlfriend's birthday, and when the petit fours plate came out with "Happy Birthday" on it, the staff clearly had no idea which of us to offer it to. The restaurant was only half full, it's not like anyone was too busy to just read the note in the reservations book!

Happy to have gone as a one-off, but would never go again.

Apr 20, 2012 

3.8 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  3      Service  5      Value  3     

I cannot even begin to explain how disappointed I was with this evenings degustation menu (but I will try nonetheless).

I admit I am new to fine dining but, having eaten at the single hatted Flying Fish (and being absolutely delighted), I was expecting big things from this establishment.

The amuse-bouche tasted like Lays potato chips and any semblance of the foie gras and truffle were completely lost to the taste of oil.

The crab dish was only good because of the quality of the crab itself. The accompaniments were so unremarkable that I cannot even recall what they were.
The calamari and harissa dish was underwhelming and unremarkable. The harissa paste could easily be mistaken for tinned tomato paste.

The wagyu beef course was tasty but did not live up to expectations. The texture of the beef was probably the best part as overall it lacked any punch or importance and (to tell the truth) the overall flavour of the dish was reminiscent of a Hungry Jacks burger in a way that was more uncannily familiar than reinventive or nostalgic.

The dutch cream potato with bone marrow, sea urchin and coffee was nice but again lacked any assertiveness of flavour or interest. It mostly tasted like good quality potato bake and the sea urchin was completely unrecognisable under the cream.

A bread course was offered halfway through the menu and, despite the apparent 25-45 minute wait between courses, the next course arrived within 2 minutes of the bread. Is this a normal occurrence?

The optional cheese course should most definitely be avoided as it simply tastes of cheesy coleslaw and is not even visually interesting.

The "transitional" savoury dessert was initially exciting but, after the first taste, the one-notedness of an onion sorbet with onion cream and onion powder becomes apparent. This was not listed on the website menu and was a complete waste of money for my boyfriend whom dislikes onions and was looking forward to the listed dessert.

The following dessert was not a complete let down but was lacking sweetness and as the previous dessert was savoury, and the following strongly bitter, a little sugar in the dessert section is probably necessary. After trying the rest of the dishes components we were all expecting the sorbet quenelle to add sweetness but were shocked to find it mouth-puckeringly sour and almost entirely unpleasant.

The whole menu took over four hours from start to finish and the best thing tasted was the coffee at the end of it (with a notable lack of petit fours).

I do not recommend and most certainly would not go back. The atmosphere of the place is cold and impersonal and the food is anything but the best in Sydney, let alone Australia.

Apr 15, 2012 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  9     

Went here for our 5 year anniversary, surprised by my other half. The food was delicious and creative, only was let down by one dish really because it was a little plain but the others particularly the mains were drool worthy. I would go back for the wagyu and marron anytime!

Dessert was not as good as I've had in other places but was still fantastic nonetheless. The service was excellent, attentive and very polite, they mucked up by sending us a plate marked happy birthday with some salted caramel chocolates at the end and we laughed it off and they apologised, they left the plate for us to eat the chocolate then came back 5 minutes later with another plate of chocolates marked 'happy anniversary', we loved that they went the extra level. Great place great food. Thanks Marque.

Mar 31, 2012 

8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  8     

I dined here for a NSW Wine Region dinner (overall my second time at this establishment) and can honestly, without exaggeration say that this is the best meal I have had in 2012. Wow. Delicious, divine food. Portion sizes were quite reasonable too. Great flavours, textures - executed with thought, talent, skill. House made sour dough bread was also delicious.

I deducted 1 point for service due to the lack of humour of who I believe was the senior staff. A little bit of conviviality makes the dining experience more enjoyable. I like a waiter who is professional and has a personality.

Mark Best and Pasi Petanen - Thank you for enlivening and indulging my taste buds.

Nick Stock - Thank you for being a wonderful host.

Mar 21, 2012 

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  6      Service  10      Value  7     

Great food with matching service. Interior has a old/one hat feel.

Mar 06, 2012 

3 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  3      Service  5      Value  1     

Was dining here with a best friend and girlfriend. As a veteran if eating at high end restaurants, I felt thoroughly disappointed with the place. To me an expensive restaurant is when you don't get what you have paid for. This was such a case. Small servings, unfriendly service and unimaginative food and really really slow service (not a great place to go when u are starving). Bread was not served till the 5th dish (we had degustation) and no palate cleanser was offered... Overall will not return and serves me right for listening to hype.

Feb 29, 2012 

7.8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  7     

The food was wonderful and well up there with other hatted and michelin starred restaurants we've been to. Loved the marron tail with different textures of tomato as well as the wagyu beef. Desserts were very inventive with beetroot "berries" which along with the chocolate and banana dessert was delicious. Service could have been a little more friendly.

But by far the biggest gripe was the refusal to serve tap water when we asked (which we found out later is not legal in a licensed restaurant) and was charged $5 per person for filtered water. I'm not so bothered by the charge. But I'm very bothered that they won't serve tap water if that is what I asked for.

Feb 16, 2012 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  9     

Dined at Marque Restaurant last night, had the full degustation with matching wines and, in wind of being the best restaurant in Australia by gourmet traveler, it has opened up my eyes to food and wine in a number of ways.

Each course was as intricate and exciting as the last and the food and experience just kept coming, not one dish on the menu seemed to simply be a "fill-in". Rather, every dish had it's rightful place.

To highlight a few dishes from a pool of such brilliance seems difficult but it's not too hard for me to say that the Grade 9+ Wagyu seered with dill cucumber, garlic and mustard showed how much flavour you can bring out from such a small quantity of an amazing meat, it makes a steak feel like a waste of cow. Also of note were the Dutch creamed potatoes with grated sea urchin and beef bone marrow.

Further, what was particularly interesting was Marron with "textures of tomato", it was very interesting to see how much you could do with tomato and how it may compliment and respect seafood without taking over.

The sommelier gave interesting, practical descriptions of the wines which were all amazing, the main reason for the 10 service rating. The only thing I can suggest is that the bar was set very high with savoury courses and I didn't quite get as much out of the desserts. Thank you for a great night.

Feb 02, 2012