Fresh User Reviews for Modern Australian in Sydney

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  9     

We had a fantastic night at the Vanguard. The food is amazing. I had the Braised beef shoulder ravioli and my partner had the smoked ocean trout carpaccio. For our mains we both had the sweet potato risotto. Portion sizes were good and the food tasted amazing.

Unfortunately, we were to full for desserts. They have a great wine list with quirky wines I was not familiar with but the waiter lead me in the right direction with a Pinot Blanc from Alsace France. We can't wait to comeback and check out on of there in house burlesque shows.

May 31, 2012

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  7      Value  8     

Both the trout pate and the BLT were excellent, and so were the chips. Prices may seem a bit steep considering the only menu is at the counter, and that's where you have to order also. But the portions are so large, I'd conisder this place value for money. The lovely setting is just a bonus.

May 31, 2012

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

3 Below Average

Food  8      Ambience  2      Service  1      Value  1     

A leopard doesn't change it's spots, I can't think of a better way to sum up the Black Pony Cafe.

The senior staff used to run The Stockmarket Cafe at Leura. Great food at both places, however, the terrible, rude service makes the Black Pony a no go zone for me.

It is such a shame, you would have thought they would have paid attention to the terrible feedback they got in Leura and worked on training up their staff before moving locations and starting again.

Maybe the senior staff just doesn't care but I think they will find they can rely less on one off tourists here and locals just aren't going to put up with plates being slammed down and completely unhelpful rude service. I gave it a go but like my opening sentence stated, nothing has changed here.

May 31, 2012

4.5 Below Average

Food  7      Ambience  3      Service  5      Value  3     

Very disappointing. I was a semi regular visitor. The food was good but the excessive loud Turkish music and heavy smoking which comes back through the open doors really made it a not enjoyable venue. Never again.

May 31, 2012

6.3 Average

Food  6      Ambience  9      Service  5      Value  5     

This is a beautiful restaurant for a special occasion and a nice dining experience, especially for 'commoners' like me who would not normally have this place on the radar and better still when it's a business 'shout'.

Definitely a place where people come to be seen rather than dine. Fortunately my back was to the Eastern Suburbs faux 'socialites' and the view out to the vegie garden was far more appealing.

The 'Collective Menu' made our 9 person group easy to cater for with all choices covered. Of the 12 small dishes the olives, lamb and rhubarb eclair were the stand outs. We did not go hungry and we were supplied with our left overs for take home and my Jack Russell agreed on the lamb as well!

The service was Ok but the over the top 'flamboyant' waiter was overkill for me and he was trained as a parrot to answer everything, but know nothing. The wine list was as boutique as you could expect with many local choices and of course prices to match.

Would I go again? Yes, if someone else was paying, but No if it was my money, there are better and more 'comfortable' establishments elsewhere.

May 31, 2012

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

We used a voucher here which made this great value. Otherwise it is priced Ok but at the higher end.

Having a voucher we didn't expect a window seat but were pleasantly surprised and had a great view of the Opera House during the Vivid Festival. Great view and a nice way to spend an evening.

I have the calamari to start, thick slabs which I wasn't expecting. It was interesting and had some great crispy pancetta with it. The crab pasta was apparently also good. The lamb in a tagine was nice and had a great flavour. The kangaroo was well cooked and quite a huge piece of meat.

The wine list is reasonably priced and they gave us the benefit of the doubt over an incorrect bottle of wine being ordered which impressed me.

May 31, 2012

6.3 Average

Food  5      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  5     

Love the room, decor, layout, however, left disappointed with the food. Chiswick has a great feel about it from the moment you walk in the door. The service was great and attentive given how incredibly busy they were on a Wednesday night. The tuna starter was a real let down. The fish itself was dull in colour and bland in taste, even with the accompaniments. The oysters were fantastic, the chicken parfait ok and the sirloin was a little tough and lacked quality flavour.

I realise I sound rather picky, but I just left disappointed after having higher expectations on the food. In saying that, there are many other dishes to go back and try.

May 31, 2012

1.5 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  2     

Please note that Italian Village, Waterfront and Wolfies are owned by the same group. We booked for Italian Village through Dimmi, but were seated at Waterfront. Ok, that's fine, but knowing that they could not provide a table that was requested (We were just given any table, not the Reserved one), that is just Poor Customer and Booking service. Ok, maybe because my name is too exotic, so they could not find me on the list? She had that "I don't understand what you were saying" look. Bad! Overpriced, not so spectacular.

May 31, 2012

1.5 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  2     

Please note that Italian Village, Waterfront and Wolfies are owned by the same group. We booked for Italian Village through Dimmi, but were seated at Waterfront. Ok, that's fine, but knowing that they could not provide a table that was requested (We were just given any table, not the Reserved one), that is just Poor Customer and Booking service.

Ok, maybe because my name is too exotic, so they could not find me on the list? She had that "I don't understand what you were saying" look. Bad! Overpriced, not so spectacular.

May 31, 2012

2.8 Not Recommended

Food  4      Ambience  4      Service  1      Value  2     

I'm disgusted with the poor service here. It seems that the senior staff has no idea about customer service at all. After receiving a take away coffee that had sugar in it (I don't have sugar at all being a diabetic), I informed him over the phone when I ordered the following day what had happened. When I went in to collect my take away coffee he attempted to charge me for it! I explained that I didn't expect to pay for it after throwing out the other one. He was furious and was rude.

How on earth do people think they'll keep customers if they're so short sighted? good customer service goes a long way. That is why I will never return there even though it is one minute from my house. Rather I will back track 10 minutes out of my way to Parc in clovelly st where Michael and all his staff know about wonderful customer service, loyalty and consistently good coffee. It's no wonder they are so busy despite what day of the week it is.

May 31, 2012

4.4 Below Average

Food  1      Drinks  7      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  1     

The refurb really opens this pub up, the indoor areas are many and comfy compared to the previous options. Pity the food has got worse, yet more pricey. $26 for a curry is way pricier than the thai or indian restaurants nearby. $18 for a soup? Go there for a drink before or after your meal elsewhere.

May 30, 2012

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Spotted in our local paper that the chefs from Shangri la Chiang Mai were over for a special Thai food promotion, so popped in for lunch today. Very welcoming staff into a lovely, bright buffet room (very 5 star hotel, so nothing original, but not dated or tired). Staff couldn't have been more helpful and the buffet was varied and good value at $48.00.

Loved all the salads, thought the chef had made a nice balance between satisfying those diners who like an authentic level of spice, and those who prefer it milder. Really enjoyed all the hot dishes, especially the beef massaman, the green curry, the tom kah gai and the chilli mussels.

All in all a delightful experience (even for my father who doesn't like thai food).

May 30, 2012

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  9     

We love Sandbar. A favourite of ours for dinner but have been many times for breakfast also.

The menu is really varied and the food is consistently great. The same faces seem to have been working there for a long time which says a lot about the service. Very friendly and efficient. Great location. Great place. Well done Sandbar.

May 30, 2012

7.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  7     

Lovely place. Was a dry cleaners, but has the feel of an old home. Nice decor, good for romance, but we went for a family birthday dinner and loved it. Very good food with a reasonable variety of dishes. Servings are on the small size, therefore, the bill adds up once you add in the entrees, the salads, the vegies on the side, etc...

Will definitely go again. Very pleasant staff too.

May 30, 2012

6.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  8     

I like Seachange for brekkie. The food is always consistent. Love the Cali.
The thing I don't like about Seachange is that the tables are so crammed in that you feel like you are sitting on top of the people around you. You actually have to stand up at times to allow people to get around you. The staff are young generally so sometimes service can be hit and miss but we go back.

May 30, 2012

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  9     

Awesome dining experience and great service. Espatada is a knock out. I also love breakfast there with possibly the best coffee on the beachs.

May 30, 2012

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  8      Value  7     

We were really impressed with the calibre of this new local, which we booked after a recommendation from a foodie friend. My partner and I ate entrees and mains, all of which were beautifully presented and offered interesting flavour combinations that worked really well. We cleaned our plates!

The wine list has some good choices of international as well as Australian. We enjoyed a lovely Rioja.

The dessert selection also looked appealing, but we decided to leave it until the next time, which will hopefully be soon! The only point against this place is its ambience, the lighting is a little too bright and we felt a bit exposed with the high ceiling.

All in all the food was excellent and the service very attentive.

May 30, 2012

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  10     

The food here is made with care and attention and our taste buds loved every mouthful. The menu is modern, but also everything you'd expect from a classic dining experience. Carole and the team made us feel like members of her family. The service was casual, friendly and laid back and the atmosphere relaxed. As Molly would say: "do yourself a favour..."

May 29, 2012

7 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  6     

Good service, food was quite high quality. Kangaroo is still a great dish. Don't like the lounge type seating at some of the tables. Very awkward. Comfy after the meal but difficult trying to eat like that. Nice art works on the walls.

May 29, 2012