Fresh User Reviews for Log Fire in Sydney

4.5 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  7      Service  3      Value  3     

Sigh! My general belief that restaurants that appeal to tourists are not much good, has sadly been proved correct on many occasions. For a long time, Catalina was a noble exception. Alas, on last visit the food, although good, was no longer great and the service was, how can I put it politely? Disappointing. bye bye Catalina.

May 31, 2012

2 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  1     

I have been there, as Tom B. says the service was very very poor, also, small amount of food in the huge plate, you can finish it with one forg action, it was $40 and for small amount of food.

I can tell that, it was the worst and poor service I have ever had. If you want to have this experience, don't hesitate to be at Efendy.

May 31, 2012

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  9     

Went to Vicini on Saturday night after hearing lots about the place and it didn't disappoint. We are from Surry Hills and have been heading to the Inner West lately and will certainly be back. Arrived about 8pm to a packed restaurant upstairs with the fire place roaring, the restaurant had a great buzz to it. We shared a few starter plates and my favourite was definitely the octopus. I had the lamb special for a main washed down with a bottle of Chianti, it was all first class, the wine list was great. Would highly recommend!

May 29, 2012

1.5 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  2      Service  1      Value  1     

We went here on the weekend with my work colleagues as it was recommended by a very close friend of mine. Service was terrible, we had to ask everything at least 3 times before it got delivered to our table.

Food quality was really average, massive plates with very small amount of food. I also didn’t expect the prices to be 5 star restaurant for this place.

Overall it was a very bad experience for everyone at the table, the place looked nice but bad management!

May 29, 2012

2.8 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  6      Service  3      Value  1     

Attractive restaurant, but very noisy so a strain to communicate with my dinner partner. My partner had main size pasta, flavour was Ok but only enough to feed a sparrow. I ordered steak ($36) which was hard to cut and chewy. Artichoke and potato tart was not fresh. I told the waiter, when he asked, how my meal was. There was no replacement offered, no apology, no reduction in price. Very expensive and extremely disappointing.

May 27, 2012

4.8 Average

Food  7      Ambience  4      Service  4      Value  4     

Totally disappointed with our night out to Vicini the other night. You have a senior staff who doesn't seem to like people or serving them which he made bluntly clear by the way he spoke to us and facial expressions. It's an open bar yes we can see and hear you when you go behind there.! And it wasn't just us, The table next to us we're just as angry as we were at the service. We have always heard great things about this place but never again. Not worth the time and money!

May 26, 2012

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  7     

Great place to eat, friendly staff, had my birthday here with friends and will definitely be back.

May 25, 2012

4.6 Below Average

Food  6      Drinks  4      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  3     

A prime location, great ambience and funky stylish timber decor. The waitstaff are not friendly and food is nice but damn overpriced. Walk in and feel the pretentiousness and sure enough you won't want to walk in again.

May 25, 2012

8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  8     

I've now been to Grub & Tucker a couple of times. The first visit was as "full paying" customers. I ordered the burger and my partner had the salmon risotto. The burger was okay, but I think the days of the outstanding burger that isn't from a gourmet burger shop have passed. The salmon risotto on the other hand was delicious! A massive serving as well.

This prompted me to jump at the chance of a voucher deal that gave us a full 3 courses for a ridiculously cheap price ($39!). Having had one meal there, we were fairly confident it wouldn't end up like our last voucher (La Kasbah). The voucher menu was separate to the full menu, but it still gave plenty of choice for each course. We started with the Garlic Prawns and Garlic Mushrooms. The prawns were fresh, juicy and tasty. I could have done with more garlic as was the case with the mushrooms, but I Love garlic!

For mains, we had the lamb shank and the barramundi. The lamb shank was fall off the bone tender, but lacked a "wow" factor flavour. It was lovely, just not Wow. The barramundi was much the same. Perfectly cooked, but the tomato relish with it lacked any real flavour. I mentioned it to the waitress when she asked, saying that it could have done with, perhaps, more herbs during cooking, and she happily passed it on to the chef.

The desserts were a step above. My partner loved her Chai and ginger creme brulee, and I inhaled the berry trifle, and loved the pashmak that was put on top.

Service was very friendly, non obtrusive and efficient. Could not fault it at all. Overall, the food here won't blow your mind, but it will satisfy you, and give you a pleasant meal out for a reasonable price, even without a voucher.
I'll definitely be going back again.

May 25, 2012

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  7      Value  6     

Best view for a restaurant in Manly. The food was good when I went.

May 24, 2012

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  9     

Top tip: book the balcony (cosy and protected in winter) for a private table of up to 18. We booked it for my 40th and had an absolute ball. That might also have had something to do with the great wine selection, started with a lovely prosecco and just got better from there.

May 23, 2012

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  7     

Very good cafe, the "benny" (eggs benedict) was really scrumptious, coffee was nice, staff were friendly and accommodating given there was a bit of a wait. The menu had a bit of attitude, i.e. there were a few innovations in there, but with solid groundings.

May 21, 2012

3.8 Below Average

Food  8      Ambience  2      Service  1      Value  4     

I am not one to generally comment on these forums but enough is enough! I have been coming to Vicini for several years now and I am appalled at what this place has become!

Came in for a quiet meal a few weeks ago and was greeted by this new senior staff. I have never encountered a worse person for a job. He strutted around, babbled for the first five minutes of our evening about who he was and how he is the new senior staff, we get it! He was consistently pushy inm trying to get us to order more food and drinks and ended up ruining our night. I was not at all surprised to read the previous comments about the senior staff here and have no doubt we have all suffered at the hands of the same person.

When this restaurant changed hands a while ago I was excited to see what new things the place could offer. Instead I have seen all the good stuff flushed out and the ambience of this place destroyed. It is a real pity because the food was fantastic yet we couldn't enjoy it for the staff serving it to us. I am sad to say after 2 years I will never be returning.

May 21, 2012

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

A very lovely restaurant I have to say, first of which is the outdoor dining area. My Gal and I had the Friday night dinner, not extremely overloaded but for 8.15pm, pretty reasonable.

The antipasto entree for 2 is massive, almost like 2 mains, could have stopped right there if we weren't a bit hungry.

Then the ribeye steak was a tad overdone for a medium, but it was very succulent nonetheless. The Salmon was reasonable, with that crispiness in the skin, pretty well right, so much vegetables though, and along with the antipasto, was a bit of an overload. The glass by the wine seems a bit small, perhaps, due to the glass it's served in.

Overall, quite nice but definitely big servings that tip it closer to quantity than quality, but a quality experience all the same.

May 20, 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

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  8     

Friendly, helpful but discreet staff, superb food and the location unbeatable, we were recommended a wine that was lovely but bottom of price range - no upselling.

Response from Management:
Glad to hear you enjoyed your experience, and that our staff looked after you well. Sounds as if you received the full 'Catalina' experience!

May 18, 2012

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  8     

I just happened to stumble upon the review dated 14 May and couldn’t get to my laptop fast enough. I was enjoying a lovely Mother’s Day lunch at Vicini with my family right near the family that got up and stormed out of the restaurant.

I think it’s only fair to tell the other side of the story. Yes it was very busy, we too had to wait a few minutes for our table, but that’s Mother’s Day for you, the busiest Sunday lunch of the year. I didn’t mind waiting a few minutes, in fact I was expecting to. Anyway, a busy restaurant is always a good sign.

We were seated soon enough and went on to enjoy a lovely meal, my salmon was cooked to perfection as was my wife’s Risotto all washed down with a lovely glass of Italian white recommended by the sommelier. Despite a packed restaurant the waiter was very attentive and good humoured, ensuring our every need was catered for.

Yeah, we had to wait a little while for the food, but nothing more than we expected and we were actually enjoying the vibe and each other’s company so it was no great hardship. If we wanted fast food we would have gone to KFC or McDonald’s.

We often go to Vicini for special occasions because it’s local and it never disappoints. In fact, under new owners the restaurant has undergone significant change in the past few months and is now better than ever.

May 18, 2012

7.3 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  6     

We returned to this favourite for the first time since La Grillade reopened under new management last March. We found the service welcoming, friendly, attentive and efficient.

The interior has not changed much and retains an intimacy and charm. The decor is cool and clean. Food was good but there is some room for improvement. Fresh oyster and ocean trout entrees were a delight and although designated as 'small' entrees the serves would please any discerning diner.

Mains were well constructed although we felt the duck was under-cooked and the skin lacked crispness. The restaurant quickly and willingly rectified these concerns. The roast lamb was tender but lacked flavour. It appeared to have been prepared in advance and kept warm with steam. We would have preferred a real roasted approach.

The wine list is comprehensive and has something for all tastes and wallets. Some value can be found though and we enjoyed the 2011 Andrew Thomas Braemore Semillon and a 2010 Cape Mentelle Cab Merlot.

Overall, the four of us had an enjoyable and pleasant evening and would return.

May 17, 2012

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

Great experience for a business lunch. There’s easy parking, the place/setting was beautiful and service was well-paced. Menu choices were good, I had a pot pie and tried the coq au vin, and both were delicious.

May 16, 2012

8.6 Highly Recommended

Quality  9      Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  8     

We went here and really enjoyed the mid week lunch special. Very impressive, so I was very surprised to read the negative reviews below. (Wheelchair facilities are excellent).

May 15, 2012