Fresh User Reviews for Child Friendly Play Area in Sydney

9 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Drinks  9      Ambience  6      Service  10      Value  10     

We have been here many times for celebrations. We have always found the food great. It is mid range in price but I feel they are well worth it. The serving size is reasonable and the food is perfectly cooked.

We held my Dad's 60th there last week. It was fantastic! The function manager was nothing but helpful. The food platters were Great! Everyone commented on how nice all the food was (Mate skewers, pizza's, seafood platter).

Their brewed beer is lovely, with the apple cider being a refreshing drink.
Highly recommended!

May 27, 2012

1.5 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  2      Service  2      Value  1     

This is the worst buffet I ever had. Oyster not fresh, balmain bugs are Blue, prawns head are black, cooked food can tell is been reheated and heated, I only ate breads and chocolate cake! My friend recommended me and I took eight people there and felt so bad and I have to buy macdonald after for them as we are not full at all. I would never recommend anyone to go there. Star city is good price and Sheraton on the park for the quality food but not four point, I am furious.

May 25, 2012

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  7     

Tried this for the first time with my young family and some friends. Would have been great even without the very kid-friendly attitude of all the staff but that just made things so much easier (with a 1 year old making a mess!)

Had some good sashimi, gyozas and tofu. Not the cheapest in the world but will be going back for sure as the food seemed good quality and nice relaxing evening out for the family.

May 21, 2012

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

Second visit to this restaurant and another great experience. So nice to sit back and enjoy whatever local produce is served to you! Service was excellent, the place is spotless and food excellent and varied. Only complaint is when you have the 'italian table' menu (you should) there is too much food although the gorgeous sorbets are a nice way to finish!

May 20, 2012

6.8 Recommended

Food  8      Drinks  5      Ambience  6      Service  8      Value  7     

Best things here are the service, friendly vibe and tasty food choices, lunch meals are more creative that found at many cafes. Ingredients are very fresh. Quick service, no mix ups. I always have the salmon salad - yum! It's so nice I can't be tempted with anything else. The only negative thing I can say about it is about other customers' kids. Last time I was there, there was a nappy wearing kid sitting on top of a table! Yuk! but not the fault of this great cafe. Oh and it can be hard to snag a seat.

May 19, 2012

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Drinks  7      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  7     

We have been here before and I have not reviewed, but thought I should give them some recognition for a great mother's day dinner. The restaurant was packed but the staff, the service and the meals were all great.

May 17, 2012

9.4 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Drinks  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

May 2012: Had a group dinner here last night. Food was absolutely great, came out quickly and service was good. Was a bit tentative that the quality last time was a one-off, but they have definitely concreted themselves as a great local restaurant we can show off to our visitors from the Eastern Suburbs and North Shore. Thanks guys!


July 2011: Had a fantastic dinner at Ginger on a Monday night. Ordered the tandoori platter which came with a good selection of different tandoori entree pieces. Also tried the samosas which were great, yummy filling and crispy pastry.

Had butter chicken, lamb korma, dal makhani and aloo gobi to share between four. The serves were big enough to leave everyone full, although because the dishes the curries are served in are quite long, it looks like there is not much meat (in terms of a meat: sauce ratio).

Also tried the pistachio kulfi and golab jamun which were both great. Service and ambience were both great, not overbearing, replenishing water bottles as needed and food came out in a timely manner. Music wasn't too loud and room was nicely decorated.

Would not hesitate bringing friends to this great restaurant, which turned out to be a fantastic random pick.

Response from Management:
Thanks a lot for giving us an opportunity to serve you. We assure you the best quality food and service on each of your subsequent visit. We, at Ginger always strive hard to make our food quality better with each passing day. Thanks once again for your appreciation which keeps us going!!!

May 13, 2012

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Drinks  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

Dined here last week as was recommended by one of our family friend. Well, all I can say is it was the best dining experience so far in Sydney. It starts right from their gate as you have a smiling face to welcome you who leads you to a table of your choice and then comes the menu with a person who not only help you choose an item but describes it to you since the recipe was designed hundreds of years back.

The food here is not only full of flavours but has a distinct aroma which makes sure you finish it all and crave for more. They also make sure they come to you in-between the meal to check if everything is going fine, which apparently most restaurants don't do and I'll not call it a over-service but a true service. They know what they are doing. Thanks a lot guys for making our evening so special.

We didn't tell you but it was our 7th anniversary and you made it so special without knowing it. We will certainly be back and would recommend it to everybody we'll come across.

May 13, 2012

3.5 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  4      Service  3      Value  3     

Went for breakfast on a Sat morning. Food was average with nothing more than homemade breakfast and service was poor. Tables and chairs are not clean, generally not that pleasant. Coffee not that great either. Not value for money. Will not go back.

May 13, 2012

5 Average

Food  6      Drinks  6      Ambience  5      Service  3      Value  5     

Sad to read these reviews as this cafe should work! My 3 experiences of eating here have all had order mixups, delays or no shows and once I was served an off fruit juice. When I questioned it I was made to feel like there was something wrong with me, not the drink! I do like the coffee here and hope that the service improves and then I will be back (at present I avoid the cafe as there are many other better choices in the area).

May 11, 2012

5 Average

Food  8      Drinks  5      Ambience  6      Service  1      Value  5     

I had goat korma, rice and a cheese naan chased by a Haywards 5000 beer. The food was delicious but my first beer was only slightly chilled. I ordered a 2nd beer and asked that it be sufficiently chilled.

I would highly recommend the food I have sampled but the overzealous service I received left a bad taste in my mouth. I opted to be seated outside and towards the end of my meal the frequency of the waitresses rounds increased dramatically. It actually made me feel very uncomfortable (like she thought I was going to do a runner without paying). I complained and was given an apology and the explanation that she just wanted to ensure that I had enough water and things like that.

One person drinking beer with a full bottle of water, who had already been asked if I required more food (which was declined) did not warrant 6 waitress rounds over a 4 minute period. I personally will not be returning because of these actions and it's a real shame because the food was good.

Some advice for Ginger management: Coach the staff in customer retention, invest in CCTV or put up a sign clearly stating that "due to numerous incidents, patrons who wish to be seated outside must first pay a refundable bond".

May 09, 2012

6.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  6     

Great Japanese food, cooked by non Japanese team. Normally I don't like eating on a Japanese restaurant where the chef and or cooks are not all Japanese, but decided to give it a go based on the review from friends.

The food was surprisingly good! The Chirashi Sushi (my favourite) was nice, the wagyu steak was decent. The only drawback is some of the item can be expensive (compare to the size) like one piece of small-medium size grilled calamari (Ika yaki) for $9.80 which is a bit too expensive (but it tastes good though).

Will we go back there? Hmmm we already did, twice!

Overall, its not a place where you want to take your date or impress someone (hence, the subtitle "Family friendly dining" on their website). The decoration is nice, but somehow they forgot to put the ceiling because you can see the aircon pipe etc that somehow kills the nice ambience.

May 07, 2012

2.5 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  1     

We chose this little cafe as it displayed many awards and appeared quite nice. We sat inside and was seen to quickly. Our order was placed within 3 mins of sitting down. It all went down hill from there. Our food never came. Five other tables who were seated and ordered after us, received their food and had finished... our food was still no where to be seen. We had to approach the counter and upon asking where it was, we were told it would be 3 minute.

After waiting another 10 minutes with no food my friend had to leave to go back to work, without eating. Before leaving she told them not to worry about her order. 10 minutes after she left they brought out both our orders. While we were very patient and not rude to them at all the only thing they could do was laugh and hand me the full bill with both meals. Not happy. Will never go there again. Totally disappointing. I do not recommend this cafe.

Apr 23, 2012

1 Not Recommended

Food  1      Drinks  1      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  1     

God, what an awful place. Enough said, don't go, nasty prices for drinks, nasty food.

April 2012 - Four years after writing the above review, nothing has changed at this place. Went for lunch with an aquaintance who lives in the area. My shout for drinks, I went to the mainbar where a terminally slow lady behind the bar fussed and faffed about not having a certain wine for a customer, and then proceeded to dawdle down to the bottle shop to get some supplies.

Surely this should have been done prior to lunch trade, maybe as part of the re-stocking chores from the previous night? I waited, got cranky, and then went to the other bar which was open, but the two bartenders here were flat out serving a private function on the other bar so me and the others standing at this bar just got ignored. So, I got back to the dawdlers bar, she just gets back, takes an eternity to open and poor a glass of this precious wine, then spent a good 3 or 4 minutes looking for the code on the register to charge it.

Even the wine orderer at this stage was furious, asking if it's such a drama get him something else. Our buzzer for the meals go off, and I can't even get two schoooners of beer in that time! I finally get served, and she hands me my change on a plate so I can leave her a tip! In a pub? Are you serious, is this really the practice at this so widely publisized 'classy' establishment? Maybe this is why it's reportedly so violent, all the frustrated customers throwing tip plates at each other or at the staff?

Gobsmacked, I go back to start my $16 'Wagyu' beef and bacon burger. Now I'm telling you, if that was 'Wagyu' in that burger then the world is gonna end tomorrow. The patty was dry and indigestible, with the consistency of a house-brick, only less taste to it. Horrendous, the best part of the meal was the piddling serve of steak chips on the side.

Oh, and I nearly forgot about how I got seriously chipped by the officious uniformed attendant for taking my serviettes from the wrong serving station. Apparently, these were the ones that she used for her tasks, which were handing food plates to the customers. I was spoken to like I was a naughty child that had been caught removing a painting from the wall. This place is an over-priced, poorly located sham, the locals can keep it.

Apr 21, 2012

7.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  7     

There wasn't that much food varieties as I expected, but overall, I was satisfied with my dine here. The buffet area was being constantly replenished, and waiters were quick to take away your old plates before you returned back to your table.

The seafood area was 'ok' (though I would have given a better rating if they had cleaned the oysters properly). A couple of my favourites during my dine here was the crabs and creme brulee that I had as my finishing dessert.

Great buffet place to go for dinner.

Apr 21, 2012

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Drinks  8      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  9     

This place is amazing. It has, without a doubt, set a high benchmark for service and food in my mind.

The waiter was attentive, and asked us what sort of flavours we liked, and gave us his recommendation. We were so glad we went with his choice as it was delicious, and not loaded with cream or coconut milk like some Indian places.

The mixed entree is delicious and I fully recommend you try it as everything on the entree menu is so hard to choose from! Love the condiments, decorations and food. Only problem is it's a bit out of the way for me, but I'll definitely be back again in the not too distant future.

Apr 16, 2012

1.3 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  1      Service  2      Value  1     

Went there for brunch for son's birthday, very disappointed in the food, eggs benedict were cold, baked beans hard and we were refused our birthday cake after brunch. Bought take away coffee and went to Bronte park which was so much quieter (did I mention the 3 year old who screamed and screamed, and the buses constantly pulling up outside). I noticed another table were told of specials but not us. Too many other cafes to bother returning.

Apr 15, 2012

5.8 Average

Food  7      Drinks  7      Ambience  7      Service  1      Value  7     

We live right near clover and it's always packed. After trying it twice now we have no idea why. The food is fine- decent but nothing special. Coffee is average at best. but the service is just dismal. It's excruciatingly slow, 15-20 minutes to get a menu put in front of you (both times for us), and expect to wait 45 mins for your breakfast.

On top of this, Clover have forgotten a part of order both times we have been there, despite repeatedly asking for it. The first time we got served vegemite toast (without butter, which was served 15 minutes and 3 requests later when to toast was cold). The second time our juice didn't arrive after 3 requests and we left without. We eat out 3 times a week and I can't ever recall such bad service in Sydney. Clover... we won't be back, and we will discourage the neighbours from coming. Shocking service.

Response from Management:
Hi there annandale2038,

So sorry we got it wrong twice for you!!! We have had trouble with staff and the service has suffered as you experienced.

We finally have a commitmed full time floor staff. So sorry for your bad experience. If you send me your email address I will organize a $50 voucher for you to come and enjoy on us at least one good experience at Clover. (or just your name and I will leave the voucher here for you to collect). info.clover@me.com

Obviously there is a reason we are packed. People are not stupid- but I am also 100% sure that you're negative review is justified. Finding good, committed staff has been difficult but finally we have a good team on the floor. We do our best to give all of our customers a nice experience to get them through their day but recently due to turnover of staff our service has been hit and miss- and we missed twice with you. I'm sorry. It is our main focus now.

So- I hope you have a nice day, and thanks again for your comments. Hope to see you soon.

All the best,
Aaron.

Apr 15, 2012

8.2 Recommended

Food  10      Drinks  8      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  8     

Love this little cafe! The food is always high quality with good ingredients and thus very good value for the price. The long menu satisfies any taste or mood. The serving sizes are ample but not over the top like the gallery down the road. I'm no coffee connoisseur, but I find the coffee to be very good almost every time.

Only drawback is that they have quite a staff turnover, so *occasionally* you get bad service or coffee by a learner.

To anyone with a complaint, don't fear to raise it with the staff or owner (politely of course). They are always very gracious and endeavour to keep customers happy.

Response from Management:
Hi Eatington S.

Thanks for your generous and honest review.

FYI now we finally have a committed and full time floor staff completely committed to giving the Clover standard of service. Her name is Laura. There has been a high turnover of staff hey- it's been a challenge for owners and customers alike- that's for being so understanding and helpful and rest assured that now we are back on track. Flick me an email on info.clover@me.com and I'll have a little surprise ready for you.

Cheers, have a nice day.
Aaron

Apr 12, 2012

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

We had the buffet dinner, which was a pretty handy selection of seafood, cold cuts, salads, couple of hot meal options and a multitude of desserts. We found the seafood nice and fresh, the curry on offer with quite a deal of flavour and heat. Strangely, there was no plain rice on show for the curry, but when we enquired we were promptly served a bowl to share by the chef. As far as buffets go, which as a rule we tend to avoid, it wasn't too bad at all.

Apr 12, 2012