Benjor

Reviews

Strangers With Candy, East Redfern

Restaurants, Cafes, Modern Australian, Good For Groups, Hip and Trendy

Overall 7.7 125

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.8 Average

Food 5 Ambience 5 Service 5 Value 4

We went here for breakfast the other day, like other reviewers, not realising that it had changed hands. It was like walking into a completely different establishment. First, the breakfast menu was dull beyond belief, I kept looking around for a specials board or smth but that was it. We are talking about variations on eggs, bacon, mushrooms, beans and toast and that is about it.

The service was really unsure and rather inattentive. Coffee was only average and when the food arrived, it was not especially hot and my pet hate, plain, white toast! I could have made all of this at home and had a nicer ambience too.

Jun 07, 2011

Ash St. Cellar, Sydney

Restaurants, Portuguese, Spanish, Licensed, American Express

Overall 7.8 30

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 9 Service 9 Value 7

This is a great little laneway wine bar with a lovely atmosphere. I dearly wish there was more of this type of place in Sydney. The food was very good, perfect eating with a nice bottle of wine (the wine list is very good and varied). The portions are quite small for the price but the quality is great so it is still reasonable value (it is not a cheap and cheery kind of place and not at all comparable with the (mostly dingy) places in the so-called Spanish Quarter. The service was very good, they knew their wines, was a slight hiccup with the food arriving a long time before our chosen bottle turned up, but the staff rushed over with complimentary glasses of wine to tide us over. Fun people watching too. Definitely a favourite place in the CBD.

Oct 22, 2010

Eathouse Diner, The, Redfern

Restaurants, American, Licensed, Serves Dinner, Serves Lunch

Overall 7.1 25

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 8 Service 9 Value 8

I have lunched here twice and adored the super-friendly and efficient service, the charming fit-out and the simple but excellent food. The wine list is also good, with lots of decent choices by the glass. This place has been busy since the day it opened, and has a lovely atmosphere. Hopefully the lunch menu will get a bit more varied beyond the sandwiches that feature now (oh, but what sandwiches, pulled pork with sour plum sauce, philly cheese steak and a really good burger etc etc). Recommended.

Sep 09, 2010

Etch Restaurant, Sydney

Restaurants, European, Modern Australian, Vegetarian, Citibank Dining Program

Overall 8.1 74

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 8 Service 8 Value 9

The degustation menu here was really enjoyable, with very good food and good wine. I liked the comfortable, lounge room feel to the restaurant, and found the service to be personal and attentive. I felt that the waiters cared about whether we were enjoying ourselves. The wine/food degustation is extremely good value at $125 pp. We will be back soon.

Aug 30, 2010

Bondi Tratt, Bondi Beach

Cafes, Italian, BYO, Has Bar, Licensed

Overall 7.8 64

7 Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 7 Service 6 Value 7

We had a very nice Sunday evening meal here. It was a joy to enter the warm, cosy and fragrant (basil!) room on a cold night. The menu is reasonably basic, no unnecessary or 'trendy' frills, it is simply good food well executed. It is not inexpensive (about $30-35 for a main) but the portions are large and the view is great. Quite nice (albeit not super friendly) and efficient service. An eminently reliable choice.

Aug 30, 2010

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Member since 2009

Last updated on 1st Jun 2012

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Displaying: 1 - 9 of 9 reviews

Strangers With Candy, East Redfern

Restaurants, Cafes, Modern Australian, Good For Groups, Hip and Trendy

Overall 7.7 125

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.8 Average

Food 5 Ambience 5 Service 5 Value 4

Jun 07, 2011

Ash St. Cellar, Sydney

Restaurants, Portuguese, Spanish, Licensed, American Express

Overall 7.8 30

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 9 Service 9 Value 7

Oct 22, 2010

Eathouse Diner, The, Redfern

Restaurants, American, Licensed, Serves Dinner, Serves Lunch

Overall 7.1 25

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 8 Service 9 Value 8

Sep 09, 2010

Etch Restaurant, Sydney

Restaurants, European, Modern Australian, Vegetarian, Citibank Dining Program

Overall 8.1 74

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 8 Service 8 Value 9

Aug 30, 2010

Bondi Tratt, Bondi Beach

Cafes, Italian, BYO, Has Bar, Licensed

Overall 7.8 64

7 Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 7 Service 6 Value 7

Aug 30, 2010

Assiette, Surry Hills

Restaurants, French, Modern Australian, Citibank Dining Program, Licensed

Overall 8.2 268

7.3 Recommended

Food 9 Ambience 7 Service 6 Value 7

We recently had the pleasure of trying the degustation menu. The food was truly excellent and, as is so infrequently the case with degustation meals, the portion size was spot on meaning that we were not uncomfortably full at the end of the evening. We also had the matching wines. I thought the wines were reasonable, if not stellar, with a couple of interesting choices. I liked the fact that the sommelier explained, and was happy to discuss, the reason behind the choice of each wine to accompany each course.

The price was high ($318 for two people plus tip, the prices on eatability are out of date) but (just) fair. My only criticism is regarding the service. It was perfectly efficient, but that was about it. There really was no warmth or pleasure in the service, no engagement whatsoever. I am not sure whether this is the desired style, but it left me feeling a bit cold in terms of really enjoying the experience. I found myself wondering whether the staff really wanted to be there.

BTW - if you are going for the degustation menu, I suggest an early (7.30 at the latest) booking otherwise you may be rushed, I noticed the table next to us being seated at 8.30, an hour later than ours, and they were served dessert at the same time as we were. I imagine that they must have felt rushed which is a shame given the quality of the food (and the high prices).

Aug 30, 2010

Boteco, Surry Hills

Restaurants, Brazilian, Tapas, Has Bar, Licensed

Overall 6.2 26

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

6.3 Average

Food 7 Ambience 5 Service 7 Value 6

I was looking forward to trying this new place and swung by on a Sunday evening with a couple of friends. I wanted to love Boteco but I went home really disappointed. The fit out is nice and the menu is good but there was a distinct lack of any atmosphere at all, let alone a nice Brazilian or even South American atmosphere. Maybe it was just an off night but for starters the music was atrocious, resembling a 2 Day FM mix (Rolling Stones anyone?) which did absolutely nothing for the atmosphere.

The service was efficient but a little downbeat, almost glum. The drinks were well prepared, although the bar tender was a bit mean with the cachaca, especially for the prices ($16 for a caipirinha). The food going by to other tables looked delicious, although quite small portions for the prices.

All in all, this place has potential but just wasn't happening. It won't survive without an authentic vibe and some fun about it. Please pump up the pagode, put on some big Brazilian smiles and get this place going. Valeu!

Aug 30, 2010

Baffi & Mo, Redfern

Cafes, Modern Australian, Outdoor Dining, Serves Breakfast, Serves Lunch

Overall 6.9 17

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

8 Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 8 Service 8 Value 8

Baffi & Mo is our local (or at least it used to be until it got so popular that there are queues out the door from 9 am onwards on the weekend!) Coffee has always been great there, strong and creamy, and not at all bitter. The Breakfast food is simple and fab, and really good value.

My faves are the sauteed mushrooms, ricotta and basil on Sonoma miche bread and the poached pear and spiced ricotta on the fruit spelt (again from Sonoma). The lunch items are a little less successful in my opinion. The service is always cheery and competent. A great local and worth a trip.

Jul 27, 2010

Restaurant Pendolino, The, Sydney

Restaurants, Italian, Has Bar, Has Cafe, Licensed

Overall 8 153

7.8 Recommended

Food 9 Ambience 9 Service 6 Value 7

We ate here on a recent Friday night. The front of house staff scowled on arrival which didn't set a good tone, then we were sat at the front of the kitchen which is noisy and stressful. Steer clear of these "B" tables if you want to have a conversation. We moved which was fine, then the service was terrible, amiable waiter and wine waiter but the latter was so disastrously slow to attend us and then to bring our wine that our entrees arrived and got cold with no sign of our wine appearing.

Just try flagging down a waiter to get attention on a busy Friday night, it was simply impossible! I eventually managed to complain about the no show and we were given two glasses of average soave to tide us over until the "real wine" arrived. It was eventually explained to us that the "real wine" had to be cooled down for us to drink. Clearly we should have been given a choice about this. Also it was annoying that the wine waiter didn't make a recommendation and give us a choice about the wine, he just sent a (fairly expensive) bottle which was about $30 more than we were anticipating spending.

Yes, we could have enquired but frankly I was over it by then, I just wanted a nice glass of wine to enjoy with the lovely food. Food was excellent quality but service let the whole experience down, it was stressful and we left without a thank you or good night. Not good enough for $250 for two.

Jul 13, 2009