Annie1962

5 Average

Food  5      Ambience  5      Service  6      Value  4     

This place had a buzz when first opened and, unfortunately, the two times I dined here, well the buzz turned into a frizzle. The meals are very ordinary to say the least and today with about ten customers, the chef couldn't get it right.

I got my meal, the main sized meal of Thai beef salad with noodles as what must have been the entree size and the noodles, which take hot water to just soak in, were underdone. I could have counted the chunks of beef on one hand. The sauce was lovely though. I called the waitress over and she offered to replace my dish. The dish was returned a short while after and it had somehow doubled in size, looked completely different, the sauce was totally different (I preferred the original sauce) and the nuts were omitted. So consistency isn't a priority here.

My friend had a special, the roast beef and yorkshire pudding, the beef she said was nice and tender, but the yorkshire pudding had clearly been microwaved as the skin was like leather (I had a bit of a chuckle).

Ordinary - don't waste your money, apathy seems to be the order du jour.

Aug 02, 2010

4.3 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  5      Service  4      Value  3     

A very average fair. One waiter served all the tables which had him looking rather confused. We arrived and it took a while to get our order taken. I kinda hinted at him by looking at my watch and making sure he noticed we were holding up menus. I had my young sons with me and hoped to get out within an hour, so they could go to bed.

Entrees were combination duckmeat soup, gloop which was totally flavourless and I wondered if a prize was given for locating a piece of duck meat within the soup. My younger sons had steamed dim sum and fried dim sum, while my older son had seafood claypot. He wished he had ordered the fried dim sum, as apparently they were quite good. The steamed dim sum received no complaint which is also a positive.

Mains were fried rice, plain omelette in gravy, chicken fillets in bbq sauce, fried chicken in garlic and vinegar sauce, chicken and mushroom claypot, combination vegetables in crab meat sauce and we made sure to taste a sample of each dish. Apart from the vinegar and garlic sauce (which didn't really taste of garlic at all), the other sauces accompanying the dishes all tasted the same and rather bland too. The price? Well a bit too much for what's offered to you on the plate.

I've eaten authentic Chinese in Chinatown Sydney and now after sampling this bland fare, I wish that I was back in Sydney! I was hopeful to see a restaurant called The Emperor's palace here, as there are a few in Sydney which are excellent, guess I hoped far too much.

A bland affair, very lacklustre, thus I won't be back.

Nov 18, 2009

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Loved it, came here on a Sunny morning and had the loveliest meal. The service was prompt and the waiter very cheeky (but in a good way).

I had the Fillet of Beef medallions with creamy baked potato stack, pancetta sautéed baby spinach and red wine jus (yeah copied pasted from pdf menu) and it was delightful. The jus was amazing, the meat tender and juicy. My partner had the Chicken filled with pork, veal and pistachio, wrapped in pancetta, served with pomme anna, asparagus and capsicum coulis and he loved it too.

The dessert tasting plate for two is a must! We couldn't get over how lovely the honeycomb cheesecake and the chocolate hot fudge pudding was. Highly recommended.

Sep 02, 2009

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  8     

We came here Tuesday 25th Aug after reading eatability reviews and we weren't disappointed. I had the slow baked lamb and yes, it falls off the bone! Gorgeous, come with a huge appetite. The service efficient and very friendly! Highly recommended.

Aug 31, 2009

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

9 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  9     

Great service and lovely fresh food. I loved the Emperor's squid and the shredded duck meat soup, our kids were spoiled by the waiter as he chatted with them and then brought them out a deep fried icecream, at no cost. This was my sons' favourite restaurant of our 8 day stay in Sydney. Will come back for sure.

Aug 29, 2009

5 Average

Food  5      Ambience  5      Service  6      Value  4     

This place had a buzz when first opened and, unfortunately, the two times I dined here, well the buzz turned into a frizzle. The meals are very ordinary to say the least and today with about ten customers, the chef couldn't get it right.

I got my meal, the main sized meal of Thai beef salad with noodles as what must have been the entree size and the noodles, which take hot water to just soak in, were underdone. I could have counted the chunks of beef on one hand. The sauce was lovely though. I called the waitress over and she offered to replace my dish. The dish was returned a short while after and it had somehow doubled in size, looked completely different, the sauce was totally different (I preferred the original sauce) and the nuts were omitted. So consistency isn't a priority here.

My friend had a special, the roast beef and yorkshire pudding, the beef she said was nice and tender, but the yorkshire pudding had clearly been microwaved as the skin was like leather (I had a bit of a chuckle).

Ordinary - don't waste your money, apathy seems to be the order du jour.

Aug 02, 2010

4.3 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  5      Service  4      Value  3     

A very average fair. One waiter served all the tables which had him looking rather confused. We arrived and it took a while to get our order taken. I kinda hinted at him by looking at my watch and making sure he noticed we were holding up menus. I had my young sons with me and hoped to get out within an hour, so they could go to bed.

Entrees were combination duckmeat soup, gloop which was totally flavourless and I wondered if a prize was given for locating a piece of duck meat within the soup. My younger sons had steamed dim sum and fried dim sum, while my older son had seafood claypot. He wished he had ordered the fried dim sum, as apparently they were quite good. The steamed dim sum received no complaint which is also a positive.

Mains were fried rice, plain omelette in gravy, chicken fillets in bbq sauce, fried chicken in garlic and vinegar sauce, chicken and mushroom claypot, combination vegetables in crab meat sauce and we made sure to taste a sample of each dish. Apart from the vinegar and garlic sauce (which didn't really taste of garlic at all), the other sauces accompanying the dishes all tasted the same and rather bland too. The price? Well a bit too much for what's offered to you on the plate.

I've eaten authentic Chinese in Chinatown Sydney and now after sampling this bland fare, I wish that I was back in Sydney! I was hopeful to see a restaurant called The Emperor's palace here, as there are a few in Sydney which are excellent, guess I hoped far too much.

A bland affair, very lacklustre, thus I won't be back.

Nov 18, 2009

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Loved it, came here on a Sunny morning and had the loveliest meal. The service was prompt and the waiter very cheeky (but in a good way).

I had the Fillet of Beef medallions with creamy baked potato stack, pancetta sautéed baby spinach and red wine jus (yeah copied pasted from pdf menu) and it was delightful. The jus was amazing, the meat tender and juicy. My partner had the Chicken filled with pork, veal and pistachio, wrapped in pancetta, served with pomme anna, asparagus and capsicum coulis and he loved it too.

The dessert tasting plate for two is a must! We couldn't get over how lovely the honeycomb cheesecake and the chocolate hot fudge pudding was. Highly recommended.

Sep 02, 2009

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  8     

We came here Tuesday 25th Aug after reading eatability reviews and we weren't disappointed. I had the slow baked lamb and yes, it falls off the bone! Gorgeous, come with a huge appetite. The service efficient and very friendly! Highly recommended.

Aug 31, 2009

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

9 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  9     

Great service and lovely fresh food. I loved the Emperor's squid and the shredded duck meat soup, our kids were spoiled by the waiter as he chatted with them and then brought them out a deep fried icecream, at no cost. This was my sons' favourite restaurant of our 8 day stay in Sydney. Will come back for sure.

Aug 29, 2009

4.4 Below Average

Food  3      Drinks  3      Ambience  5      Service  6      Value  5     

Went here Friday the 24th July 2009 and I must say that contrary to the word of mouth reviews, the food and service was rather disappointing.

I ordered a seafood basket ($25) which consisted of a couple of calamari rings, a couple of breaded prawns, one piece of crabstick, battered.. and one piece of fish, also battered all which came on a bed of extremely salty chips. Not worth the money. You're given a bread plate with which to obtain the salads. They're at the salad bar. One side of the bar is just a repeat of the other side, consisting of rice, potato, pasta salads, the usual fare.

My friend ordered a rack of lamb (chef's special) and he couldn't eat it. It wasn't trimmed, so very fatty as a result and my nose told me upon smelling it, that it had been parboiled! I tasted it which supported my theory. It was well done and very tender, but had that 'boiled meat' flavour. He was disappointed and the waitress didn't even flinch when she retrieved his mostly uneaten plate.

Dessert time. I ordered "ebony and Ivory' which is meant to be a chocolate/white chocolate with a 'grenache' coating (yes meant to spell 'ganache'). It eventually came and I took one mouthful and spat it out. The cake tasted cheesy, in fact, it tasted of blue vein cheese? My friend tasted it and spat it out too. I returned it and received a refund and a generic (those pizza hut ones) chocolate mousse. The karaoke started, so soon after we left. A big disappointment and I'm not in a hurry to return.

Jul 26, 2009

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

We came here in late October after a lovely walk through the gardens. My partner dismayed after realising that according to their books we had no booking at all, even though he had a hardcopy of the email booking he made with him. They then realised that they incorrectly had us booked for the day after.

None the less it wasn't busy and the waiter took us to a very ho hum table which I wasn't happy with view wise, considering the restaurant surrounds are very beautiful and serene. I selected a nicer table with gorgeous views of the garden and to my surprise, a tree full of slumbering bats! (I'm from WA).

The service was pretty good and we were attended to promptly, receiving a nice platter of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and pink salt/cracked pepper to soak up with our bread roll. Delicious.

For entree I ordered the smoked quail whilst my dining partner opted for the harrisa prawns. Both were lovely. Pity I can't upload photos here as I have some nice ones..

For mains I ordered the herb crusted lamb rack, braised radicchio, balsamic tomato, red wine jus, which was tender and moist, my partner ordering the wagyu beef cheek, beans, king brown mushroom, asian broth. He loved it, we both try a mouthful of each other's dishes and I found the beef tender and full of flavour. The jus playing an important role in the delivery of the flavours. Well done. We ordered a side of chat potatoes with rosemary, which were as awesome in taste as they looked.

We were entertained by a wandering bird, which sat above us and then traipsed peacefully around the restaurant without a care in the world. My partner said they're a bit of a pest, but this tourist found it endearing (as in Fremantle the seagulls are far more aggressive around diners)

The wine I had with my mains was just beautiful. Vasse Felix Cabernet Merlot. Great choice and I'm thrilled to see it comes from WA. Going to buy myself a drop.
I must say that we were a bit bemused (or amused) at one of the waitress's comments to us. When we had completed dining and went to pay, she said 'Are ya done?" ..

I plan to come here again one day when eventually I return to Sydney.

Dec 06, 2008

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  9     

What a lovely, picturesque location. The weather was luckily good to us, slightly overcast, but the sun came through. My boyfriend soaked up the sun filtering through the undressed windows (why dress the windows and spoil that view?).

Service was impeccable. As soon as we were seated, we were approached to see if we wanted a drink. Soon a small white cup of pumpkin soup arrived, it was lovely with a hint of herbs, smooth and creamy. A bowl of olive oil was poured, then balsamic vinegar added, we could dip our sourdough bread into this. I didn't notice until later that we also received some lovely salt to go with it. Delicious.

A lovely man came to our table and recited to the specials of the day. We decided to stick with the normal menu but commended him anyway, very friendly and warm person. My boyfriend ordered Eden sardines for an entree, whilst I decided to try the beef, onion and thyme soup with the sourdough and gruyere cheese. Verdict on both (we tried each other's of course), lovely! My soup was a harmony of beef stock, onions, soft but not mushy and a hint of thyme, just perfect. The Eden sardines were flavoursome and not dry at all, good choice.

Next, came the mains. Perfect timing. Not too soon after entree, not too long. I ordered the pork belly which I was informed later by the same lovely man, was cooked slowly like a confit in olive oil at 80 deg for hours. It was lovely and tender and the apple (with the cute little lid) had the loveliest puree of prunes and pine nuts, just gorgeous.

My boyfriend enjoyed his ocean trout because nothing was left on the plate. (he forgot to let me try a bit too, must have been good). Oh and just do not miss out on the potatoes dauphine, amazing! A must!

We were then informed of a lovely dessert, chocolate biscuit with white chocolate mousse, strawberries and a sauce of what seemed to be caramel and strawberry combined, served with icecream. It was so nice, rich too, so glad my boyfriend and I shared one only. I finished with a lovely pot of English breakfast tea (no bag - the real deal) and it was a great way to finish this meal. A lovely, warm atmosphere. I'd come back for sure.

Nov 27, 2008

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

My boyfriend and I came here on nice balmy Sunday afternoon in late Oct and had the most wonderful view of Freshwater Beach. We ordered the entree of the Calamari filled with baby squid, pine nuts, fregola, olives and mixed herbs and I found it to be ok. The squid tender but the filling seemed busy and I couldn't make out the flavours. The accompanying tomato based sauce was lovely though.

Next, my boyfriend ordered the suckling pig which was a masterpiece (yes I took photos). Our tradition is to try one another's food and I found his to be absolutely wonderful. Tender, soft and flavoursome with a light, crispy crackling that didn't make one feel sick after a while, I had the lamb rump with broccolini, fregola and Bosane olives and found the lamb wasn't so medium rare but more medium, none the less it was absolutely lovely, the lamb soft and the broccolini just slightly crisp, the way it ought to be.

Dessert was, however, the most heavenly delight I'd come across . I had the Vanilla bean pannacotta with abbamele and no words can describe its loveliness. My boyfriend watched in amusement as I squealed with delight after tasting the first delectable mouthful. It was creamy, delicate and light and the honeycomb flavour was out of this world. It never got sickly either. 11/10 for that one.

The service was good, the waitpersons polite and considerate, the food arrived in good time and the view just lovely. I'd go again but it's hard to because I live in WA. Thanks for a memorable experience. Can't really rate the value for money because I didn't pay.

Nov 25, 2008

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

9 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  8      Value  8     

After my visit to this restaurant last night, I really learned what the idea of a restaurant 'experience' meant. My boyfriend is a local Sydneyite (as we Fremantleites say) and for my first trip to Sydney, he wanted every part of my visit to be memorable. Now he's rather careful and thorough in his methods and last night, we braved the cold (and traffic ) to wander the streets of Crow's nest and arrive at this atmospheric establishment. He showed me the sign which in blue stated "Stuyvesant House" and asked me what nationality that would be. Being born in Amsterdam, you'd think I'd have a clue but I replied "Swedish"?

He opened the door to allow me to go through and I realised, after our tour of Crow's nest (and a restaurant I thought said "Hamster curry") that this was the place he wanted my first restaurant experience in Sydney to be in.

I was thrilled at the decor... old Dutch style ! Delft blue adorned the walls, which reminded me of my childhood - I have a "Zomer" plate on my door at home, my only souvenir of Holland.

But one of the biggest thrills for me was the menu which stated to my surprise the availability of "Bitter Ballen". A delicacy I'd only heard about from my parents since my childhood I'd hear about how awesome these were and really longed to try them. My boyfriend smiled a lot just watching me going through all these emotions as I realised my childhood dream was going to end and a pleasant reality replace it.

They arrived and I almost didn't want to eat them, for if I did, they'd disappear and I might be left doubtful if this was reality or a dream. They were heaven to eat, I was absolutely delighted and even emotional, now this is what's called a restaurant experience.

Sure the waiter (who was Asian) was a little clumsy, but so am I... sure he could improve but to me this isn't important, I was enjoying myself and wow..the menu! So much choice and it took me a while to make my selection.

We decided on the snails and a plate of various meats for entree. The snails arrived (with speed!) and were hot, tasty and in a wonderful sauce which was accompanied by rusk like bread ..these sopped up the sauce which was just lovely. The plate of various meats was just awesome and nothing was left on the plate but a smattering of grated cabbage and carrot, it was all eaten with enthusiasm.

Next, the pork knuckle which I'm sure deserves an allocation of its own postcode. It was huge. My boyfriend had prior been presented with a special knife and I could see why. I ordered the veal schitzel with the Bearnaise sauce and we both delighted in tasting one another's meal. The schnitzel was tender and the accompanying potato salad, cauliflower and sauce etc. was a lovely match. The plates are huge and just fit onto the table, a bit crammed but a small matter not even worth worrying about.

I loved to hear the loud laughter of restaurant revellers as Rudi entertained them. This moustached man had the charisma and charm to warm his customers to the place and add to the enjoyment of their meal. I loved to hear them burst out laughing, just added to the relaxed ambience of the restaurant. Most enjoyable.

My boyfriend found it a task to finish his meal and I was able to enjoy the skin of the pork knuckle. It was delightfully gelatinous on the inside and chewy so full of flavour.

After we decided on the chocolate parfait which came with a raspberry couli.. lovely chocolate even though my boyfriend told me to stick to the other part of the dessert (busted).

The experience for me was topped off by a very strong whiskey (thankfully accompanied by a glass of water - much needed by this inexperienced whiskey drinker) followed by Rudi outside, loudly whistling and yodelling a taxi down for his patrons. I thanked Rudi and told him of my experience and history re: the bitterballen. I thanked him for allowing me the experience and he gave me a hug and kiss. Such a lovely friendly man.. some have accused him of being rude and abrasive but he's just a loud, proud man with a wicked gleam in his eye. He definitely added to my awesome experience of this restaurant.

Highly recommended!

Aug 23, 2008