Steve A.

Reviews

Kingsleys Steak & Crabhouse, Woolloomooloo

Restaurants, Modern Australian, Seafood, Steak House, Fine Dining

Overall 7.2 149

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

7.5 Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 8 Service 8 Value 6

Context: This review comes from someone whose knowledge of fine dining extends to reading about it/seeing it on TV sometimes so if you detect naivety in the analysis don’t be shocked.

My daughter was given the option of choosing an eatery anywhere in Sydney to celebrate her 21st with immediate family (4 of us) and after some advice via a recent backyard BBQ from my old friends who know about such things she chose Kingsleys as it ticked boxes that included steak, (as she is a fiend for a near blue top quality piece), seafood and a nice view and new experience.

On a day that showed off Sydney Harbour to its best advantage and being unseasonably mild, only early 20’s temperature wise, and we specifically asked to be seated outside. From what I could see that was the only place lunch was served from. (Derr).

Presumably in hindsight we would have stuck out as newbies to the staff when we arrived @ 12:10 for our 12:00 booking. We were easily first to arrive for that sitting. I suspect from the air of some of the diners it was important to be seen arriving by as many as possible so arriving late was probably de rigueur. Mind you we were served faster by miles (whoops I mean kilometres) than those that knew the ‘right” time to arrive fashionably late and who would, therefore, have had to wait much longer. Enough of my inverse snobbery.

Our waiter was friendly, helpful, not at all condescending and a pretty good judge of character. (Might have been my beer gut that gave him a hint that an opening Heinekin wouldn’t go astray of course.)

Entrees: Included scallops, garlic prawns, a mixed charcuterie plate that included a duck terrine that was apparently the prize on the plate. All were highly praised. I ordered SA sardines and was underwhelmed. I have a knack of ordering poorly.

Mains: I arrived intending to order the Qld Mud Crab (Singapore Chilli version) as other reviews rave. It is sold according to market price. Alas my conservative bones wouldn’t allow me to stretch to $100.00. There will hopefully be another day to try for my first time. Mains included steak, rack of lamb and my own steak with soft shell crab. All came up trumps. I was especially taken with soft shell crab as a first timer.

We did order desserts (well the girls shared) and my 20yr old son was particularly stricken by his brownie peanut brittle and vanilla bean ice cream (which I thought from the menu may not be so flash – wrong again!). The girls had a raspberry and mango sundae but raved about the ginger shortbread in it. My strawberry and rhubarb concoction with meringue was lovely but,(as I thought was likely when ordering) was pretty light on the rhubarb.

Drinks: As with every significant restaurant they climb all over you with alcohol prices. Our lower end of the menu Chardy was great but @ $50 or so I reckon it would need to be.

Overall: A lovely experience. I have never spent that sort of money on a feed before and wouldn’t do it readily again, but for those where $ are not so important, (or the occasion warrants the overlooking of that issue) there is a fair bit to like about this establishment.

Footnote: A neighbouring table decanted and drank a bottle of Penfolds Grange to celebrate something special. It was all I could do to resist from crawling under their table to taste my likely only drop ever if spilled of the brew. Damn…What the other half do!