Fedeles

7.8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  8     

I agree. The food here is exceptional. I've tried at least half the menu and every single dish has excelled. Having the owner play the piano while you eat is just an added bonus. Best thing is he seems to love music and isn't doing it for the adoration.

Sep 22, 2007

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  6     

Service at Vini was wonderful. Even though the "no reservations" aspect really frustrated me, staff made it bearable with their friendliness during the wait. The owner spent a lot of time with us, talking through ingredients and even how the restaurant came into being. I enjoyed that immensely. Unfortunately our good sized serves of food did not dazzle me. My friend's vegetarian dish was quite good but my crab pasta had almost no crab and very little flavour. The menu was quite limited and nothing grabbed my eye for dessert. Vini is a sweet venue but I'm not sure it lives up to all the hype.

Jan 13, 2007

6 Average

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  5      Value  6     

Being a tourist in Melbourne, it was fun to dine in the confusion of federation square but I was sceptical of the quality the way people in Sydney avoid Darling Harbour. I went in expecting the worse and left feeling pretty content. I stuck to what I knew: beef tataki, teriyaki eel and sashimi. very simple, easy dishes that came to our table the way they should. The beef tataki could have done with a little more kick (perhaps some rice wine vinegar) but the kingfish sashimi was wonderful. The eel was perfectly earthy and sweet all at once. Service was non-existent but after a few umeshu, who cares!

Nov 08, 2006

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

7 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  7     

For such a famous restaurant, the interior was a little too "country" for my liking.

The food did not disappoint though. Soft shell crab salad renewed a lost love for these strange crustaceans and the wagyu tartare also impressed. Rabbit saddle stuffed with prunes was a solid performer and the sirloin with truffle mash was intoxicating. I was too full for dessert but a peanut and chocolate number did catch my eye. Oh well, next time.

Nov 08, 2006

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  7     

This modern Polish restaurant is renowned for the more than 100 types of European (mostly Polish) vodkas available for sampling. Our group tried quite a few on our visit as well as some of the cocktails. For food we decided to go with a series of przekski (Polish snack dishes), rather than mains and although every single dish tasted very good, the highlights were the crispy fetta and rice balls; pan-fried uszka with porcini mushrooms; black mussels with chilli; Golabki (veal and cabbage roll) as well as the most divine dill cucumber pickles I have ever eaten! Sadly the bigos, a traditional sauerkraut and smoked meat stew (often considered Poland's national dish), was unavailable.

For dessert I tried a sampling tray of three liqueur vodkas: winter romance (rose and forest fruit infused); sour cherry (sour cherry, honey and spices) and advocaat (brandy, vanilla and egg yolk). I also tasted the delicious wild bee vodka which is like liquid honey.

Service was faultless despite the fact that the restaurant was packed out all night and our waitress was very patient in the face of our constant distraction and chronic indecision.

The furniture and decorations was a cross between bohemian Paris and country-pub Poland. Overall the style added significantly to the cosy atmosphere. This is very much a happening place, loud and buzzing with a warm, friendly environment.

Total price for five people including an above average tip was $50 per person. This was very reasonable for the amount of food we ate as well as the quality vodka we consumed. A total bargain in my books. I would certainly come back here in a flash.

Nov 08, 2006

7.8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  8     

I agree. The food here is exceptional. I've tried at least half the menu and every single dish has excelled. Having the owner play the piano while you eat is just an added bonus. Best thing is he seems to love music and isn't doing it for the adoration.

Sep 22, 2007

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  6     

Service at Vini was wonderful. Even though the "no reservations" aspect really frustrated me, staff made it bearable with their friendliness during the wait. The owner spent a lot of time with us, talking through ingredients and even how the restaurant came into being. I enjoyed that immensely. Unfortunately our good sized serves of food did not dazzle me. My friend's vegetarian dish was quite good but my crab pasta had almost no crab and very little flavour. The menu was quite limited and nothing grabbed my eye for dessert. Vini is a sweet venue but I'm not sure it lives up to all the hype.

Jan 13, 2007

6 Average

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  5      Value  6     

Being a tourist in Melbourne, it was fun to dine in the confusion of federation square but I was sceptical of the quality the way people in Sydney avoid Darling Harbour. I went in expecting the worse and left feeling pretty content. I stuck to what I knew: beef tataki, teriyaki eel and sashimi. very simple, easy dishes that came to our table the way they should. The beef tataki could have done with a little more kick (perhaps some rice wine vinegar) but the kingfish sashimi was wonderful. The eel was perfectly earthy and sweet all at once. Service was non-existent but after a few umeshu, who cares!

Nov 08, 2006

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

7 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  7     

For such a famous restaurant, the interior was a little too "country" for my liking.

The food did not disappoint though. Soft shell crab salad renewed a lost love for these strange crustaceans and the wagyu tartare also impressed. Rabbit saddle stuffed with prunes was a solid performer and the sirloin with truffle mash was intoxicating. I was too full for dessert but a peanut and chocolate number did catch my eye. Oh well, next time.

Nov 08, 2006

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  7     

This modern Polish restaurant is renowned for the more than 100 types of European (mostly Polish) vodkas available for sampling. Our group tried quite a few on our visit as well as some of the cocktails. For food we decided to go with a series of przekski (Polish snack dishes), rather than mains and although every single dish tasted very good, the highlights were the crispy fetta and rice balls; pan-fried uszka with porcini mushrooms; black mussels with chilli; Golabki (veal and cabbage roll) as well as the most divine dill cucumber pickles I have ever eaten! Sadly the bigos, a traditional sauerkraut and smoked meat stew (often considered Poland's national dish), was unavailable.

For dessert I tried a sampling tray of three liqueur vodkas: winter romance (rose and forest fruit infused); sour cherry (sour cherry, honey and spices) and advocaat (brandy, vanilla and egg yolk). I also tasted the delicious wild bee vodka which is like liquid honey.

Service was faultless despite the fact that the restaurant was packed out all night and our waitress was very patient in the face of our constant distraction and chronic indecision.

The furniture and decorations was a cross between bohemian Paris and country-pub Poland. Overall the style added significantly to the cosy atmosphere. This is very much a happening place, loud and buzzing with a warm, friendly environment.

Total price for five people including an above average tip was $50 per person. This was very reasonable for the amount of food we ate as well as the quality vodka we consumed. A total bargain in my books. I would certainly come back here in a flash.

Nov 08, 2006

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

I visited in a group of 10 and was more than impressed. I had mistakenly imagined Sails as a restaurant resting on its view and had assumed the food would be mediocre, I was very wrong. The food was wonderful. Presentation was exquisite and flavours were playful, inventive and (better still) successful. The interior of the restaurant is the biggest let down. With such wonderful food and a great view the venue needs a more modern fit out.

The service our large group received was very good, even though the staff seemed to be predominantly high school and university students. On occasion their inexperience was apparent but they were all extremely attentive, friendly and professional. My quail entrée was wonderful. Contrasting textures and flavours worked well with the beautiful presentation. It looked like a sculpture.

Keeping on the game theme, I ate venison for my main and this came with gorgeous caramelised pears and fetta mash. What a treat! The desserts looked wonderful and their flavours were fresh and fruity. Everyone was pleasantly surprised with our experience.

Nov 08, 2006

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5 Average

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  2      Value  5     

Maybe it was an off night for staff but we had an awful time. First of all they wouldn't allow the one vegetarian at the table to order the vegetarian banquet alone and the rest of us to have the meat banquet. After much discussion they promised some extra vegetarian dishes to compensate for the extra $10 they were after. Between intervals of amazingly loud belly dancing music blasting out of speakers above us at unfathomable decibels, the service from sweet and friendly yet hugely confused waiters meant food arrived at the table haphazardly. We had to continually remind them about our food, our bread and even asked for a coke four times before it arrived.

When the meat mains arrived, the promised vegetarian replacement did not. We looked for waitstaff to tell them but no one arrived until after we'd all finished our mains. When we complained, the floor manager was extremely abrupt and aggressive, implying that all we were after was a discount, then stormed off. A word of advice: if you make the stuff up, don't blame the customer! A discount on missing food is the least you can do.

Next our bill arrived without us even asking for it (hint, hint, get out!) and they'd charged us for numerous cokes when we'd only received one.

The food was solid and dependable. It wasn't brilliant, but it was certainly good and homely Lebanese. I can't fault the food.

As you can see by my prolific list of reviews, I eat out a lot and I've experienced a range of service styles from amazing to gruff. Nothing can excuse the rudeness we received from the floor manager. Very poor!

What could have been a local oasis in a sea of Italian food turned out to be a customer service desert. Won't be going back in a hurry.

Nov 08, 2006

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

I was impressed that after being open for little more than a week, Pony were already serving up some pretty good food. An impromptu drink with a friend turned into an impromptu dinner and since no one knew Pony even existed, we had our pick of space on the outside deck. Our waitress was fantastic and built a rapport with us immediately. It was a shame that another waitress was significantly less genuine. We ordered some of the small plates for entrées. I gobbled down my sardines baked with lemon, parlsey and pine nuts then moved onto my friend's seared sirloin with soy, lime, chilli and ginger (was perfectly rare).

For mains we had the bintje potato gnocchi with gorgonzola and spinach, the parmesan crusted lamb cutlets and the crispy skinned ocean trout. My portion of lamb was huge (three cutlets) and couldn't be finished, the gnocchi was one of the better gnocchi recipes we've tried but unfortunately the ocean trout was raw on the inside. No, not rare - raw. But that didn't dampen our spirits because we washed it all down with a Rabbit Ranch pinot noir. We have enjoyed a fantastic spontaneous dinner and finished off with a fruit trifle, went home happy and very, very full. My only hope is that Pony doesn't fall into the trap of its neighbours by dumping down the menu to feed bored tourists. Stick to your guns Pony!

Sep 26, 2006

8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  7      Value  7     

I think I would have enjoyed Quay a lot more if I hadn't come for dinner with a client. The view was panoramic and really showed off Sydney wonderfully. Service was friendly and professional but occasionally forgetful which was surprising for a restaurant of this calibre (and price). We skipped entrées (how sad!) and for my main I ate the John Dory with baby leeks, scallops, lime and nasturtium. It was a perfectly balanced dish: the accompaniments were strong and flavoursome without overpowering the delicacy of the fish.

For dessert I chose the five texture chocolate cake made from Valrhona. This was spectacular and consisted of a cookie-like base of chocolate and almonds, milk and white chocolate mousses and a wafer-thin disc of dark chocolate. At the table, melted dark chocolate is poured over the tart from a copper pot. I would certainly come back again and go the whole hog. Quay is on the pricey side but they don't skimp on quality.

Sep 26, 2006

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  8     

I have visited here twice: once as a couple and again in a table of five. Service was excellent. The waiters are well informed about the dishes and their ingredients, are eager to explain the Italian terminology used in the menu and can match wines successfully. My manzo carpaccio entrée tasted wonderful although the olive oil based mayonnaise did overpower the flavour of the beef a little and needed some more tang. Aged parmigiano and Ligurian olives were an excellent assaggio, or a good entrée for someone not particularly hungry. Tangy oysters mignonette convinced a non-oyster eater to convert and scallops with fennel puree and blood orange were exquisite. Matched with a Tiffenbrunner Pinot Grigio, this was bliss.

Tuna served in three ways unfortunately was a little repetitive in flavour and should have branched out. The caramelised flavour of the pumpkin and sage fazzoletti was beyond amazing and my linguine with marinated sardines, breadcrumbs and lemon suited my tastes perfectly - a dish I have been dreaming of ever since. Crushed broad beans topped with whiting was light and enjoyable and a salad of rocket, pear and hazelnuts was worth fighting everyone at the table for. Dessert of a warm valrohna chocolate pudding was indulgent, the rhubarb and pear crumble shone but the passionfruit sformato was divine. Matched with the world's best dessert wine, a Braida Brachetti d'Acqui, Otto is easily my favourite Sydney restaurant.

Sep 13, 2006