SPECC

7 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  6      Value  6     

I know that this sounds strange but this place wins and loses in equal measure.

On the one hand, the food is beautiful and the wait staff (all two of them) are polite and friendly. But on the other hand, the service is slow and the combination of stone floors, wooden chairs and tables meant that, once it fills up it can become noisy.

The French doors are flung wide open to the street, as you can see from the picture, and this gives it a sense of space and light, ideal on a warm summer’s night where you can smell the sea air!

Five of us dined for a birthday celeb on a Fri night. We had taken the precaution of booking ahead, which I think for this place at this time of the year is fairly essential although there were a few empty tables, but not many. For once, we were rewarded with a good table in the middle of the room.

We started off with two serves of garlic bread which went down well especially since by 8.00pm we were all hungry. The servings were smallish, only about five pieces per basket but the bread was crunchy and not soaked in too much butter. For mains I went for the 300g sirloin steak, which came with potatoes, green vegetables and a dollop of pesto on top. The steak was well cooked just the way I like it and the meat was tender and full of flavour. Even though it didn’t have any sauce, I didn’t miss it. The soft and round potatoes were the perfect complement. My wife had lamb and my daughter had the flathead fillets with chips and a smidgen of lettuce. Everyone enjoyed their food.

We finished off with two shared desserts, the sticky date pud and choc mud cake. They were a treat and both were finished off in double quick time.

Don’t be fooled by the tiny menu on their website. Yes, there’s a limited choice but there are always blackboard specials and the desserts aren’t shown on the online version.

The nice thing about this place is that they don’t rush you out the door as soon as you’ve finished your meals. You’re free to linger as long as you like and that was a nice touch especially when you’re spending time on your birthday with friends.

Toilets are clean and well stocked and parking was a breeze nearby.

All up – and with our 25% Ent Book 25% discount (up to max $30) - we paid $210 for five people, but that included a beer and a bottle of wine. It’s not a cheap place but then the food is stand out premium quality. However, I wouldn’t come here without a voucher.

The one neg, as I mentioned at the beginning is the slow service – approx 45 mins wait between garlic bread and mains. That’s just a little too long for my liking. However, I guess the style and mood here are that you come for a relaxing evening and to enjoy excellent food, and on that level they succeed. My advice would be that you should be prepared for a wait and don’t forget to book ahead.

Nov 10, 2011 

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  8     

I went there for mother's day this year and it was wonderful. I was kin a group of four and we were seated immediately on arrival. The staff were very welcoming and knowledgeable. Overall the service was very good and only matches by the great food. I can't remember what I ate but I remember thinking it was lovely. Its also in a lovely location by the beach.

Oct 10, 2010 

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  8     

I've been here for breakfast a couple of times and found everything great. This morning I had scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and turkish bread. All were done well and the coffee was superb. Service was fast and friendly, you can't really go wrong here.

Jul 11, 2010 

6 Average

Food  4      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  7     

Midweek dinner. 1st time here. On a cold night, Lil Neecy and I felt the place needed some heating especially since it was empty. Service was quick and friendly as you would expect if you were the only diners. We chose some meals from the specials menu which were, unfortunately, disappointing. Relatively inexpensive with the entertainment card. We thought that it maybe a place better suited for breaky in summer.

Jul 02, 2010 

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  8     

Nice breakfast, cheerful staff and good value. Dinner looks a touch expensive but the brunch was good value. Would come again.

May 22, 2010 

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  7     

I pretty much worship at the SPECC altar when it comes to their dinner service. Food is spectacular (no pun intended!) I booked a function for 12 people and Simon and the crew couldn't do enough to make us happy. Intimate dinners are just as wonderful, I highly recommend the gnocchi. Weekends are pretty busy and can be hard to get a seat but the food is still tops. Best Blat around (huge on yummy turkish bread) and their coffee is perfect. Nice one SPECCY!

Mar 14, 2010 

2 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  3      Service  1      Value  1     

Went back to Specc after a few years. There were only three tables occupied and we waited 50 minutes for our food. No apology.

Oct 01, 2009 

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  7     

We had a lovely brekkie here, good selection of things, from BLT's, full brekkie and lots of veggie options also. Only down point was coffee which tasted a bit burnt. Service was very quick and friendly. Will be back to try out the dinner menu as well!

Sep 27, 2009 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  9     

A high quality Mod Oz cafe (we dined at breakfast/lunch). The food is delicious, wholesome, creative and there is a good variety of substantial or lighter dishes, spiced, traditional, savory or sweet ! The corncakes w smoked salmon are to die for. Eggs to order, staff flexible. Freshly squeezed juices, iced dairy drinks made with top quality icecream and chocolate and Italian carbonated beverages are a highlight.

My partner needs to eat gluten free and the waitress was extremely helpful. A must visit for foodies on a regular basis and any on special occasion. The owner is closely involved with this cafe, loves food and provides a superb experience.

Jun 22, 2009 

7 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  7     

Not sure what some of these reviews were on about. Took the girlfriend here tonight and it was absolutely perfect. Granted the service could have been a little better and we could have done without the dirty glass, however, the food was lovely, perfect portions. I had the duck with confit of plum and apples plus potato dauphinoise, sounds spectacular? Well it was. My gf had herb crusted cod eye with market veges, one of the specials which while not spectacular was certainly above average. Overall a nice quiet friday night. In terms of value, not sure I'd go back without my entertainment card.

Feb 20, 2009