Pilu At Freshwater

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  10      Service  8      Value  7     

Great location. Perfect backdrop. I like the food but it is a little on the expensive side for what you get. Service is always solid. Good winelist.

May 30, 2012 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  8     

Pilu has to be one of our favourite restaurants in Sydney. Freshwater Beach is the ideal backdrop for a restaurant of this calibre. The service is second to none. The staff are both knowledgeable and friendly. We were sold on our very visit, when the chef took the time to come out and introduce himself. Since that time, several years ago, we have dined there with many overseas guests and business associates, all of which were amazed by the location, the sensational Sardinian food, the impeccable presentation and spectacular service.

It's also a great lunch time location, particularly on a gorgeous Summer's day. I would advise anyone going to Pilu for the first time to go with an open mind and select from their Sardinian specialties, rather than a 'safe' or somewhat familiar meal, you definitely won't be disappointed. If you're expecting a typical Italian restaurant or looking for the run of the mill Italian cuisine, which is available right through out Sydney, this isn't the place.

Pilu really is for those who have an appreciation for fine dining, who are able to discern between the aromatic flavours used in this divine Sardinian cuisine and traditional Italian cuisine.

Apr 21, 2012 

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  6     

Pilu is situated in a perfect position at Freshwater overlooking the gorgeous water. I went with high expectations, and Pilu did succeeded. I took 2 friends to dinner together with my 7 year old son. From the moment we walked in, to the moment we left, the wait staff were very attentive and friendly. My son was the only child there that night and they made him feel very welcome.

Food was great, presented beautifully although a bit pricey. A must to try at least once. Enjoy.

Apr 15, 2012 

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  8     

We had lunch today as a farewell to a friend who was returning to QLD. Whilst the food was lovely and the wine waiter great, we were disappointed when we found a hair in the salad. As an avid cook and entertainer, I get that such things can happen, however, I do not expect to pay for the meal when it does. Yes, they sent Giovani out to apologise for the 'hair' and the tough wagyu and whilst this was a nice touch, it still did not satisfy our expectation. Would I go back, yes but Giovani, we should not have had to pay.

Mar 31, 2012 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  8     

Ahhhh-mazing. We went for lunch a few weekends ago. Sensational. The seafood broth is near perfection. Service was excellent. Love. Love. Love.

Mar 24, 2012 

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  9     

A special birthday lunch for two, we enjoyed our first degustation menu with the matching wines in a Sunday lunch seating.

Service - The service was impeccable with staff informative about the food and wine, displaying their passion and knowledge for the Sardinian food. Food & wine – While some are concerned with the size of the tastings in this menu, I thought the portion sizes were appropriate. After 6 courses (+ olives + chef’s complimentary hor dourve + chef’s special treats served with coffee), we walked away from lunch pleasantly full, but not bloated. The matching wine was good also. It wouldn’t have been a proper degustation in my opinion without the matching wine.

Ambience - The ambience was fantastic. The location is stunning and the beach house was stylish and homely but not pretentious. Our time just flew by and our experience was thoroughly enjoyed. We had a leisurely afternoon with our menu spanning four hours but it did not feel at any stage that we were waiting for our food nor were they trying to force us to finish our meal.

Value - It was about ~$200 per head. Combining the food, service and ambience, in my opinion this experience was good value for this special occasion. We will be talking about our experience there for a long time to come and I'm sure some of our friends will be trying this experience in the future.

One word of advice, make sure you book well in advance to secure your table so you are not disappointed.

Mar 06, 2012 

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  8      Value  7     

I went here with my husband for dinner. Overall, we had a great night. There was a large table of people next to us so it was quite noisy but we were told by one of the wait staff that it is usually more quiet than that night. The food was consistently good though for the prices they charge, I didn't feel as if it was quite up to the standard. Still, we had an excellent night with quick service.

Feb 03, 2012 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  9     

Went for lunch on this restaurant and our dining experience is better than the one we had a couple of years ago. It's like watching a very good movie sequel. Can't wait to return to this restaurant to complete the trilogy.

Highly recommended the Suckling pig dish for two. The crispy crackling pork skin when crushed by your teeth creates that amazing loud sound that even your nearest dining neighbor would be convinced that next time they visit Pilu restaurant it would be their main dish. Very generous serving and worth the price.

One more thing, you don't have to rush just relax and enjoy the view for at least 2 hours. It's a worthwhile visit.

Jan 28, 2012 

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  8     

It's just one of those places I've been to more than thrice. Good food (excellent actually), nice feeling and great staff. Helps that I root a local afterwards occasionally.

Jan 13, 2012 

4.8 Average

Food  6      Ambience  8      Service  2      Value  3     

I'd been Pilu before on a quiet day and really enjoyed my meal. I decided to go there this year for Christmas lunch and was quite disappointed. While I realise it was a holiday and every table was full, the service was absolutely shocking. I originally put 2 hrs and 20 minutes in the meter but then had to fill it again with another 2 hours.

In total, the meal was just over four hours. We waited about 30 minutes for our first course and then probably 20 minutes between the other courses. We were so tired and bored waiting that we wound up finishing off the appetizers and starters only to be full by the time the main course arrived. Nearly all dishes were very good with the exception of the lobster ravioli.

While I do like my pasta prepared 'al dente', the ravioli should have melted in my mouth. The pasta was hard, the lobster was tough and the sauce was overpowering. The appetizer of seafood was very pleasant and the suckling pig crackling was cooked to perfection. We ordered four glass of Italian sparkling wine which cost $23 per glass, San Pelligrino sparkling water was $9.50 per bottle.

Despite the fact I had written one email and one fax and also explained to our waiter that one of us was allergic to fruit, they kept getting it wrong on every single dish that had a fruit component. The total cost was close to $300 per person. I would have expected far more both in terms of service and memorable dishes for a restaurant that just earned two hats. Obviously, the judges had a far better experience than we had.

Dec 26, 2011