Fresh User Reviews for Cruise Dining in Sydney

4.8 Average

Food  4      Ambience  6      Service  5      Value  4     

Had the rogan josh and was disappointed. The meat was tough/chewy. Would have expected better.

May 28, 2012

5.5 Average

Food  5      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  4     

Went with a Cudo voucher. Service was acceptable, and decor was splendid. They even had two chefs outside making spinach raviolis (which was a tad strange as there was no ravioli on the menu).

We were also unable to order the oysters as an entree, which was disappointing and misleading as when the deal was on offer, there was no mention of such an exclusion. It clearly stated 'any entree and main'. First disappointment of the night.

Second disappointment, when our entrees and mains were served, it was clear that we were being differentiated from the full paying customers. Entrees were ok, but the mains were definitely different to the ones being served to the full paying diners. I spotted them getting served a differently plated and obviously bigger portion of the "same menu item".

Being differentiated was a major disappointment. I suspected they went as far as sitting all the 'voucher' diners on the one side of the restaurant. Also, there appears to be a change in management although the "senior staff" refused to admit it. It seemed to be now run by new owners with two oddly hired ravioli making kitchen staffs at the front window.

Third disappointment, the squid ink spaghetti we had was definitely not freshly made. It may have been freshly made a week or so ago, but it was not fresh on the plate.

All in all, I would not have paid more than the price of that voucher ($49) and did not think it was worth more than that. In fact, I don't think its really worth $49. Revisit? I think not.

May 23, 2012

5.8 Average

Food  7      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  6     

Went there twice. The first was a Sunday evening lured by the fact that yum cha was on offer at 6pm. Whilst the food was good, the menu is yum cha food, ordered a la carte. We asked for the dishes (about 10 of them between the 4 of us) to be spaced. They came virtually all at once, resulting in cold food.

There was only one other table occupied and it seemed rather empty (I guess it was). The architecture is nice, but when you are sitting almost alone in the expanse, ambience suffers.

The food was very good, spoiled only by the fact that half the dishes were cold by the time we got to eat them because of the delivery.

We also tried it during the week for lunch-time yum cha. This time the place was full, and trolley service available. It is fine, but doesn't stand out from any other yum cha, and is probably less atmospheric.

Lastly, I thought the a la carte menu had some interesting dishes on it. (and for those like it, it is one of the few restaurants where you can get shark fin, I'm not going to editorialise, merely stating a fact).

May 23, 2012

2.3 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  2      Service  4      Value  2     

I went to Mulga Tree on Mothers Day. I am a local and was looking forward to it. I ordered grilled fish and what I was served was a chewy piece of fish covered in oil. They were cutting costs for Mothers Day and had obviously got a few meals out of the one fillet. The fish seemed to be fried and then put on a grill to get black grill marks to hide the frying.

I sent my meal back as it was inedible and the senior staff came out and told me that it was now costing him to give me another meal and that gremolata is meant to be oily, which its not. We ended up leaving as it was such an insulting humiliating situation and $175 later I didn't get lunch. The senior staff even continued telling me he is not in the business of giving away food while swiping my credit card.

Not a single Happy Mothers Day to me or my mother. Not even a table cloth for $175. I don't think the fish was even Barramundi. Moral of the story is do not complain about the food at Mulga Tree because the senior staffs ego can't cop it. I will never go there again. A big big shame.

May 13, 2012

4.5 Below Average

Food  6      Ambience  8      Service  1      Value  3     

I visited Spago on Thursday night with my fiance with a Cudo voucher. The waitress that showed us to our table was lovely and proceeded to tell us that we can order whatever we like off the main and entree menus with our voucher.

My fiance asked for the oyster entree and she then replied by saying 'sorry no more oysters'. That was fine so he ordered something else. To our surprise the lady behind us ordered oysters just after us and received it!

We then questioned the owner as to why we had been told there were no oysters when there actually was? he responded by saying "you are getting very good value with your voucher, if we give you oysters we will be losing money". So we were lied to, very bad move for your business buddy!

We would have been happy if the waitress told us this before we ordered but instead got lied to. Apart from this the restaurant itself was lovely and the food was Ok but would have been much better if the night didn't start on such a negative. No need to say I won't be coming here again and making sure no one else I know does either.

May 12, 2012

6.5 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  3      Value  7     

Had a fantastic meal here last week with a group of friends But was never offered to order a drink and it took 1.5 hours to get first course. Service is very ordinary. Such a shame.

May 03, 2012

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  6      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  8     

We went on the Sunset dinner cruise and really enjoyed it. The food is passable, but nothing special (although desserts were yum), but the view, service, and experience are great. Make sure you give yourself time to enjoy the top deck after eating!

Read the full review on my blog

Response from Management:
Dear Maku,
Thank you so much for your fantastic review of our Sunset Dinner cruise.

As a company it is great to hear that we delivered an enjoyable experience on Sydney Harbour for you. Our whole team really appreciates your comments.

We hope to see you and of course your friends very soon.

Cheers

Richard Doyle
Head of Sales and Marketing
Captain Cook Cruises

Apr 26, 2012

9.2 Highly Recommended

Quality  10      Food  9      Drinks  6      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

Thank You for a fantastic day. A Great cruise, terrific entertainment, and good food. Perfect, we'll be back.

Apr 16, 2012

5.5 Average

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  3      Value  4     

Great food, but even 2nd time around, the waitstaff don't seem to be interested in serving you once you have had your food brought to the table. They are only interested in removing empty plates and trying to get you out the door as quick as possible. Had to call out when we required more drinks but must admit the food is exceptional.

Apr 13, 2012

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  9     

My partner and I had the High Tea at Sea cruise. Was amazing. It was on this huge cruise boat. High Tea was very delicious and big serve. Service was friendly. Afterwards we went on top deck and its just beautiful up there. They have it all turf covered, and its so high up that its just a different experience to view the harbour.

Response from Management:
Dear Brooke2606, Thanks so much for your outstanding review of our High Tea at Sea cruise.

As a company it is great to hear that we delivered a world standard experience on Sydney Harbour aboard our vessel the MV Sydney 2000. We agree that the sky deck onboard is the perfect viewing platform to experience Sydney Harbour and provides great photo opportunities.

Our whole team really appreciates your comments and we hope to see you and of course your friends very soon.

Cheers

Richard Doyle
Head of Sales and Marketing
Captain Cook Cruises

Apr 02, 2012

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  8     

Delicious food. Entree, main and dessert were delicious. The service was friendly, quick and professional. A must-do restaurant for anyone with fine taste that likes impeccable service. Highly recommended.

Mar 30, 2012

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Chicken is very moist and tender, try the chilly and garlic sauce mix. goes great with the chicken.

Mar 22, 2012

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  8     

Went for dinner here last night with a friend. We love trying new places and thought this place sounded promising. Best decision! Service was impeccable and the food was beyond impeccable. I struggled picking what I wanted all the food just sounded amazing and I can't wait to come back and try something else! I highly recommend this restaurant! Thankyou for a great night.

Mar 21, 2012

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  9     

Our second time at Acacia and the food and service was superb once again. We love trying new foods and restaurants and the staff were very willing to tell us what all the dishes were. It's been a long time since a chef came out and spoke to us after our meal to ask what we thought. We'll be back with more friends to introduce them to this wonderful gastronomical experience.

Mar 18, 2012

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  7     

Amazing food, lovely service and reasonable value. Sure you can find cheaper yum cha in Chinatown but this the quality of food, service and cleanliness wouldn't be as good. Go for any of the steamed dumplings and BBQ buns - yum!

Feb 08, 2012

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

We have been ther twice and is now my preferred restaurant on the (gastronomically deprived) North Shore!

Feb 04, 2012

6 Average

Food  3      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  5     

Just didn't like it. Thought the BBQ pork was not marinated long enough. Pan fried turnip cakes didn't have their usual crust but were soaked in fat. Beef Cheung Fen didn't taste right. The only dishes I liked there were the classic char siu bao (how can one get this wrong though?), lava custard buns and prawn and chives dumplings (the chives' seasoning was genuine).

Read the full review on my blog

Jan 28, 2012

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  8      Value  8     

Went to Spagos last night with a friend. We didn't have a reservation and the previously described "fight club senior staff" (what a mean comment) could not have been more helpful or polite. After a wait of 10 minutes he beckoned us in and the staff ensured we were attended to very promptly. A good sign to see no vacant tables and people waiting for the turn around!

We had the mushroom risotto as well as the grilled mushrooms and haloumi for an entree and both were delicious. For my main, I had the spinach agnolotti stuffed with ricotta in a butter and sage sauce - Yum! My friend has the spaghetti with barramundi, scampi and cherry tomatoes. We both had coffee, a bottle of wine we brought with us and left a tip. $50/head - We're happy! Glad to see a suburban restaurant not taking themselves too seriously and caring about the patrons.

Could hear some laughing from the bar and chefs, a great sign, if the staff are happy, chances are the patrons will be too. Well done Spago, particularly our charming gentleman.

Jan 28, 2012

2 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  3      Service  1      Value  2     

I recently went for lunch with 5 others. It was not very busy as there was only one other table at the time. Overall we were incredibly disappointed with the food and service. As an example one meal, the pork schnitzel was almost inedible and we all found the price of bread exorbitant. In addition the service was abysmal and to make matters worse he tried to charge us for 7 meals not 6! None of us would ever go back nor recommend it to anyone.

Jan 25, 2012

9 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  8     

My wife and I went on the MV2000 Captains Dinner Cruise for our wedding anniversary. We went on a Friday night in January so we got a discounted rate. We were welcomed on board and immediately seated with a glass of champagne.

The food was absolutely beautiful. My wife had the Aubergine then Beef Tenderloin, whilst I had the Smoked Trout then Chicken. We even commented to each other how promptly each course arrived. We then went up to the top deck and took in the views whilst cruising around Sydney Harbour for the remainder of the 3 hour cruise.

The live entertainment consisting of a piano player, guitar player and singer, was pleasant but not to our personal tastes.

Overall it was a great cruise and would recommend it to anyone.

Response from Management:
Congratulations on your wedding anniversary ! We are so plesaed to hear that you had a fantastic night and that you would recommend it to others.

Our Captain's Dinner onboard the MV Sydney 2000 is very popular for special event dinner cruises and we agree that the sky deck provides the best views in Sydney as you cruise the harbour.

All the best
Richard Doyle
Head of Sales & Marketing
Captain Cook Cruises

Jan 23, 2012