Ellebee

5.5 Average

Food  3      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  3     

Wow, such a disappointment after hearing / reading good things about this restaurant. Perhaps the chef had a night off? Service was great and friendly, loved the decor, but the food...

For entrees we ordered smoked trout betel leaf, which was nice, but nothing special. The prawn siu mai were probably the worst siu mai I have ever eaten: they fell apart at the slightest touch (lucky we had asked for spoons for the kids because we would have had to lick them off the steamer otherwise). Once we managed to get some pieces into our mouth, they tasted ok but they could just as easily have been called corn siu mai.

Onto the mains: the steamed fish with lemongrass, garlic and ginger saved the day: truly delicious! The seasonal veg was good too (but really, how hard is it to stuff that up?). The stir fry beef with black beans took a long time, and considering the other dishes had been small we decided to order extra rice as well as crispy five spice prawns. I wish we hadn’t.

The beef was tender and succulent, but the pieces were too big to eat in 1 mouthful and the chef must really like star anise because it sure was overpowering the other flavours. As for the crispy prawns: just don’t go there unless you have an odd craving for deep fried flour

(oh, and they also changed the menu without changing the menu on the website, which I found a little annoying as I was looking forward to ordering some dishes that were no longer on the menu)

Oct 12, 2010

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  7      Value  8     

A great addition to Manly! Went here a few weeks ago and loved the ambience, the cocktails and the food. Servings were small, but that's to be expected from tapas in Australia, and what it lacked in size it made up for in taste. We went with a small group, and the only regret I have is not ordering more. Service was quite slow (and although waitress was lovely and friendly, she did not seem to know her stuff very well). Great place, definitely worth a visit!

Aug 25, 2010

5 Average

Food  4      Drinks  4      Ambience  7      Service  5      Value  5     

Anyway, went for dinner at the Carlisle after reading good reviews: food was very hit and miss. The gnocchi was fantastic, the mezze plate and whitebait were really good, but everything else was either mediocre or downright bad.

The Pasta Marinara was just ok, nothing extraordinary, the steak on lentils was leathery, overcooked, and tasteless, the angelhair pasta was awful (hoisin sauce overkill), and the trout was dry and bland. On a positive note, a nice pub to hang and drink, but won't go back there again for dinner.

May 24, 2010

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  9     

Although I agree with the previous poster in that it is a little noisy for a 'wine bar', I don't think they missed the point. At all. We got there at 6.45 and it was packed, but more so at the bar: quite a few seats available at the back. We got to our table (at the window) 10 minutes later after they shuffled tables around to add 2 to our initial booking of 4 (we did call the day before but the message wasn't passed on. wasn't a problem though).

The drinks list was extensive as you would expect from a wine bar, and the ambience was great. Loved the decor too! Gave it 9 out of 10 because of the noise factor at the bar (once seated at the window this wasn't an issue). Service: 10/10: One in our group has a severe peanut allergy. It was the best service he has ever had when it comes to his allergy. Waitstaff and management really went out of their way.

In general they were attentive without being over the top, knowledgeable and patient. And friendly and fun. Food 9/10: for entrees (all very generously sized) we had the pate, the chorizo sausage roll, salt and pepper squid and the ceviche: all mouthwatering and pretty much done to perfection (especially the pate!).

For mains, there was chicken pie (delish and filling), steak frites (done perfectly), 2 x trout (again, perfectly cooked), angel hair pasta with blueswimmer crab (great flavours and just the right amount of chilli) and mussels (nicely done, but broth was too salty).

Value: 9/10: very reasonably priced! $70 pp which included some pre-dinner drinks, 3 bottles of wine (all well matched with the food) and a bottle of dessert wine. I will definitely be back a few more times to go through the rest of the menu (and wine list).

May 16, 2010

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

Great food, and service was excellent. However, I was quite worried to find a stray peanut on my plate after having told the staff that one in our group had a severe peanut allergy, and after having been reassured that that was not an issue at all!
I called the restaurant a few days later, to check if the oversight was on my part (not reading the menu correctly, although I normally check for peanuts when going out for dinner with my friend) or theirs and was told that the dish I ordered should not have had any peanuts in it. When I told them their mistake could've ended badly (anaphylactic shock/death) all I got was a: 'I'll check with the staff and will let them know'.....?

Jan 01, 2010

5.5 Average

Food  3      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  3     

Wow, such a disappointment after hearing / reading good things about this restaurant. Perhaps the chef had a night off? Service was great and friendly, loved the decor, but the food...

For entrees we ordered smoked trout betel leaf, which was nice, but nothing special. The prawn siu mai were probably the worst siu mai I have ever eaten: they fell apart at the slightest touch (lucky we had asked for spoons for the kids because we would have had to lick them off the steamer otherwise). Once we managed to get some pieces into our mouth, they tasted ok but they could just as easily have been called corn siu mai.

Onto the mains: the steamed fish with lemongrass, garlic and ginger saved the day: truly delicious! The seasonal veg was good too (but really, how hard is it to stuff that up?). The stir fry beef with black beans took a long time, and considering the other dishes had been small we decided to order extra rice as well as crispy five spice prawns. I wish we hadn’t.

The beef was tender and succulent, but the pieces were too big to eat in 1 mouthful and the chef must really like star anise because it sure was overpowering the other flavours. As for the crispy prawns: just don’t go there unless you have an odd craving for deep fried flour

(oh, and they also changed the menu without changing the menu on the website, which I found a little annoying as I was looking forward to ordering some dishes that were no longer on the menu)

Oct 12, 2010

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  7      Value  8     

A great addition to Manly! Went here a few weeks ago and loved the ambience, the cocktails and the food. Servings were small, but that's to be expected from tapas in Australia, and what it lacked in size it made up for in taste. We went with a small group, and the only regret I have is not ordering more. Service was quite slow (and although waitress was lovely and friendly, she did not seem to know her stuff very well). Great place, definitely worth a visit!

Aug 25, 2010

5 Average

Food  4      Drinks  4      Ambience  7      Service  5      Value  5     

Anyway, went for dinner at the Carlisle after reading good reviews: food was very hit and miss. The gnocchi was fantastic, the mezze plate and whitebait were really good, but everything else was either mediocre or downright bad.

The Pasta Marinara was just ok, nothing extraordinary, the steak on lentils was leathery, overcooked, and tasteless, the angelhair pasta was awful (hoisin sauce overkill), and the trout was dry and bland. On a positive note, a nice pub to hang and drink, but won't go back there again for dinner.

May 24, 2010

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  9     

Although I agree with the previous poster in that it is a little noisy for a 'wine bar', I don't think they missed the point. At all. We got there at 6.45 and it was packed, but more so at the bar: quite a few seats available at the back. We got to our table (at the window) 10 minutes later after they shuffled tables around to add 2 to our initial booking of 4 (we did call the day before but the message wasn't passed on. wasn't a problem though).

The drinks list was extensive as you would expect from a wine bar, and the ambience was great. Loved the decor too! Gave it 9 out of 10 because of the noise factor at the bar (once seated at the window this wasn't an issue). Service: 10/10: One in our group has a severe peanut allergy. It was the best service he has ever had when it comes to his allergy. Waitstaff and management really went out of their way.

In general they were attentive without being over the top, knowledgeable and patient. And friendly and fun. Food 9/10: for entrees (all very generously sized) we had the pate, the chorizo sausage roll, salt and pepper squid and the ceviche: all mouthwatering and pretty much done to perfection (especially the pate!).

For mains, there was chicken pie (delish and filling), steak frites (done perfectly), 2 x trout (again, perfectly cooked), angel hair pasta with blueswimmer crab (great flavours and just the right amount of chilli) and mussels (nicely done, but broth was too salty).

Value: 9/10: very reasonably priced! $70 pp which included some pre-dinner drinks, 3 bottles of wine (all well matched with the food) and a bottle of dessert wine. I will definitely be back a few more times to go through the rest of the menu (and wine list).

May 16, 2010

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

Great food, and service was excellent. However, I was quite worried to find a stray peanut on my plate after having told the staff that one in our group had a severe peanut allergy, and after having been reassured that that was not an issue at all!
I called the restaurant a few days later, to check if the oversight was on my part (not reading the menu correctly, although I normally check for peanuts when going out for dinner with my friend) or theirs and was told that the dish I ordered should not have had any peanuts in it. When I told them their mistake could've ended badly (anaphylactic shock/death) all I got was a: 'I'll check with the staff and will let them know'.....?

Jan 01, 2010

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  5     

It had been a while so we decided to take our overseas visitors to Longrain for a great Sydney food experience. Ambience was great, the DJ added a nice touch, the cocktails were delish (although a warning that the Bloody Longrain is spicy would've been good.

The food was good, but not as spectacular as I remembered. The fact we had to wait nearly 2 hours did not help either! We were told it would be a long, maybe 1 1/2 hour wait, but groups seemed to be moving pretty quickly from the bar area so we thought it would not be such a long wait after all, which is why we decided to wait for dinner instead of having lots of bar food (We had the betel leaf and the caramalised pork hock, which were both fantastic).

1 hour and 50 minutes later we were finally seated in the room at the back. In that time, there were at least 2 couples and a group of 4 who arrived well after us but were seated before us!

Jan 01, 2010

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

Been here a few times and again last night. Great food, and a nice change from the usual Thai you get around the area. Service isn't consistent, and it does get very noisy, but I'll definitely go back to taste some more. So far have not had a dish that wasn't good: dumplings, Gang Ga-ree Gai, Massaman Beef, Heavenly Beef, Mandarin Duck and Chilli Jam Pak stood out.

Aug 08, 2009

7.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  10      Value  6     

Hadn't been for a long time and although the food was good, it was a little uninspiring and overpriced. The degustation menu looked great but I wasn't that hungry so settled for 2 entrees: the fish and crab cakes (balls really: very tasty but a bit dry), and the scallops with smoked eel, both of which were delish. My partner had the garlic prawns which were, ummmm, very garlicy.

His main was the special of the day: grilled kingfish which was just what he got: a piece of grilled fish placed on a plate next to a bowl of green leaves tossed with olive oil. We both thought there would be more to it than that. Service was great, ambience was nice (oh ok, a little dark but were there for a romantic night so suited us fine. I would've wished for a little bit more space between the tables though (we were against the wall, on the benches).

Aug 04, 2009

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Went there about 6 months ago and absolutely loved it. Food was great (albeit in small portions), as was the service and the value. We were with a large group (8) so had to wait a bit for a table, but that wasn't an issue with plenty of bars nearby. We kept ordering and ordering and walked away (stuffed) only paying about $45 a head. Oh, and sitting next to a famous actress added that little extra touch.

Aug 04, 2009

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  7      Value  8     

Fantastic food, great ambience but the service was a little rushed I found. Having said that, I can imagine they want to make sure a group of 6 with a reservation at 8 pm doesn't hang around until 1 am.

But back to the food: Beautiful! Absolutely loved it. We all did. My husband said it was the best pork belly he's ever had (and he's fussy when it comes to his pork belly). Likewise, 2 friends who had the barramundi said it was the best they ever tasted. In the end it came to around $70 for 2 1/2 courses (we shared 4 desserts between 6 of us) so definitely good value. Highly recommend this place!

Aug 04, 2009