Kayeby

7 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  6      Value  6     

Delicious pizza, a nice thin crust and a nice range of traditional and more unusual toppings. Scored lower for service and value because our party chose the All You Can Eat pizza option, and the pizzas came out veeeerrry slowly even though the restaurant wasn't particularly busy. Eventually we got sick of waiting 20 minutes between pizzas and just paid our bill and left.

Definitely a tasty meal, but did feel a bit ripped off with what felt like deliberately slow service, and probably won't return.

May 15, 2010

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.5 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  4     

The prices are cheap, but it looks and tastes like a very cheap meal. I ordered a fried noodle dish which had a small pile of noodles (heavily seasoned with soy sauce), maybe 4 pieces of meat, and a small stalk of choy sum. The broth that came with it was tasty, but overall it's an extremely average meal.

The seating is cramped and it's pretty much self-service. I wonder whether the self-service is a gimmick to make you think you're getting good value, because it's fairly obvious where they're saving their money, the quantity and quality of the food.

This place is usually quite busy though, which mystifies me. You could literally walk 5 steps down the street and go somewhere else*, where for the same price you get a fantastic meal bursting with flavour and huge portions of meat and veg. Even McDonalds is a more satisfying option.

*This was edited by Eatability. I actually named the restaurant but I guess the website doesn't like that. At any rate, walk 10 seconds in the direction of the CBD and you'll see a much busier restaurant with much larger and tastier portions of food.

May 15, 2010

7.8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  6      Service  8      Value  8     

I had great expectations for this place, and thankfully it delivered! There was only one vegetarian in our party but everyone enjoyed the meal, and raved especially over the chickpea bake. There were about 4 of us at the table trying to reverse-engineer that dish!

For me, the highlights of the banquet were the dips at the start, the chickpea bake, and the great eggplant and salad dish. The table was a bit small for our party, but space seemed to be at a premium inside. Some of the chairs were wobbly, but it wasn't too loud even though the restaurant was full.

The ambience isn't really anything special though, and if dining with less than 6 (no reservations available for smaller parties) I'd do what a whole bunch of locals seem to do, which is bring in their own plastic containers and get takeout. The service was no-frills but friendly. We got our food quickly, and they were efficient without making us feel rushed. I will definitely return, tupperware in hand!

May 15, 2010

4.5 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  6      Service  5      Value  2     

High hopes at the start of the meal, but the reality fell far short.

Food - the preamble to the menu describes how they refuse to make their food mild to cater to Western tastes. I was looking forward to a spicy, authentic meal. Though we ordered some of the spiciest dishes on the menu we could hardly taste the chilli. If you're going to make a big song and dance about how spicy your food is, then it's a bit disappointing when you fail to deliver.

The taste was fine (though nothing special), but as others have mentioned, the portions are very small for the price and not only small, but heavy on sauce and light on meat and vegetables.

Ambience - lovely atmosphere inside but it was a cold Melbourne night and the restaurant was freezing. All the diners were wearing their heavy winter coats. The bathrooms were especially icy, I walked inside and immediately started shivering.

Service - very attentive at the start of the night, but non-existent after we'd ordered. Waited a long time to get dessert menus, desserts and refills, and spent about 5 minutes trying to find a waiter to take our money before going to the front desk ourselves. I averaged it out, 10 for the start of the night but 1 for the middle and end of the night.

Overall, very poor value for money. The food is extremely overpriced and the service is not up to par. It was so bad that I felt embarrassed for the guy who had chosen this place. Walk 5 minutes down Lygon street and head somewhere else instead, you'll pay 1/3 of the price for a much better meal.

May 15, 2010

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  8     

I was very pleased with my experience at Red Emperor. The ambience is lovely, with attractive artwork, high ceilings, a lovely view of the river, and tables spaced out well. If possible, ask for a table next to the window to best enjoy the view at night.

The prices are higher than a suburban Chinese restaurant, but the service is much better. Our glasses were promptly refilled, the waiters offered to debone the fish and platter out the food, and the service was very efficient and unobtrusive.

The only disappointment of the night were the Singapore noodles, which were dry gritty and too obviously spiced. Everything else was delicious and attractively plated (though expect the portions to be smaller than at your average Chinese restaurant). The fruit platter dessert was spectacular, a must-order!

Mar 17, 2010

7 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  6      Value  6     

Delicious pizza, a nice thin crust and a nice range of traditional and more unusual toppings. Scored lower for service and value because our party chose the All You Can Eat pizza option, and the pizzas came out veeeerrry slowly even though the restaurant wasn't particularly busy. Eventually we got sick of waiting 20 minutes between pizzas and just paid our bill and left.

Definitely a tasty meal, but did feel a bit ripped off with what felt like deliberately slow service, and probably won't return.

May 15, 2010

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.5 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  4     

The prices are cheap, but it looks and tastes like a very cheap meal. I ordered a fried noodle dish which had a small pile of noodles (heavily seasoned with soy sauce), maybe 4 pieces of meat, and a small stalk of choy sum. The broth that came with it was tasty, but overall it's an extremely average meal.

The seating is cramped and it's pretty much self-service. I wonder whether the self-service is a gimmick to make you think you're getting good value, because it's fairly obvious where they're saving their money, the quantity and quality of the food.

This place is usually quite busy though, which mystifies me. You could literally walk 5 steps down the street and go somewhere else*, where for the same price you get a fantastic meal bursting with flavour and huge portions of meat and veg. Even McDonalds is a more satisfying option.

*This was edited by Eatability. I actually named the restaurant but I guess the website doesn't like that. At any rate, walk 10 seconds in the direction of the CBD and you'll see a much busier restaurant with much larger and tastier portions of food.

May 15, 2010

7.8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  6      Service  8      Value  8     

I had great expectations for this place, and thankfully it delivered! There was only one vegetarian in our party but everyone enjoyed the meal, and raved especially over the chickpea bake. There were about 4 of us at the table trying to reverse-engineer that dish!

For me, the highlights of the banquet were the dips at the start, the chickpea bake, and the great eggplant and salad dish. The table was a bit small for our party, but space seemed to be at a premium inside. Some of the chairs were wobbly, but it wasn't too loud even though the restaurant was full.

The ambience isn't really anything special though, and if dining with less than 6 (no reservations available for smaller parties) I'd do what a whole bunch of locals seem to do, which is bring in their own plastic containers and get takeout. The service was no-frills but friendly. We got our food quickly, and they were efficient without making us feel rushed. I will definitely return, tupperware in hand!

May 15, 2010

4.5 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  6      Service  5      Value  2     

High hopes at the start of the meal, but the reality fell far short.

Food - the preamble to the menu describes how they refuse to make their food mild to cater to Western tastes. I was looking forward to a spicy, authentic meal. Though we ordered some of the spiciest dishes on the menu we could hardly taste the chilli. If you're going to make a big song and dance about how spicy your food is, then it's a bit disappointing when you fail to deliver.

The taste was fine (though nothing special), but as others have mentioned, the portions are very small for the price and not only small, but heavy on sauce and light on meat and vegetables.

Ambience - lovely atmosphere inside but it was a cold Melbourne night and the restaurant was freezing. All the diners were wearing their heavy winter coats. The bathrooms were especially icy, I walked inside and immediately started shivering.

Service - very attentive at the start of the night, but non-existent after we'd ordered. Waited a long time to get dessert menus, desserts and refills, and spent about 5 minutes trying to find a waiter to take our money before going to the front desk ourselves. I averaged it out, 10 for the start of the night but 1 for the middle and end of the night.

Overall, very poor value for money. The food is extremely overpriced and the service is not up to par. It was so bad that I felt embarrassed for the guy who had chosen this place. Walk 5 minutes down Lygon street and head somewhere else instead, you'll pay 1/3 of the price for a much better meal.

May 15, 2010

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  8     

I was very pleased with my experience at Red Emperor. The ambience is lovely, with attractive artwork, high ceilings, a lovely view of the river, and tables spaced out well. If possible, ask for a table next to the window to best enjoy the view at night.

The prices are higher than a suburban Chinese restaurant, but the service is much better. Our glasses were promptly refilled, the waiters offered to debone the fish and platter out the food, and the service was very efficient and unobtrusive.

The only disappointment of the night were the Singapore noodles, which were dry gritty and too obviously spiced. Everything else was delicious and attractively plated (though expect the portions to be smaller than at your average Chinese restaurant). The fruit platter dessert was spectacular, a must-order!

Mar 17, 2010

6.3 Average

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  5      Value  6     

The presentation of the food is lovely, though I agree with The Age review that there doesn't seem to be much context to it. Tempura followed by pumpkin soup followed by steak then mango ice cream seems a bit mish-mashy. Nothing was bad, but nothing particularly stood out either.

The service is friendly but several steps short of what I would expect at a good restaurant. I enquired about one of the desserts and the waiter was unable to tell me anything about it, and there were pieces missing from one person's entree.
Everything was pleasant, but it was pretty forgettable. If you want tasty food there are much better (and cheaper) alternatives, and if you want a high-end dining experience there are many restaurants in Melbourne that do it better.

Jan 10, 2010

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  6      Service  8      Value  9     

I'm always suspicious of restaurants with spruikers outside. "If the food were good enough they wouldn't have to beg passer-bys to eat there," I think to myself. And sure enough, YT2 is one of the few restaurants on Lygon that doesn't need to drag pedestrians inside because it's always full. And it's always full because it's really good.

The food is fantastic. Affordable and authentic, with generous portions and coconut rice to die for. To die for. There's a huge variety of food (which is normally a red flag, but everything I've tried has been good to excellent) and it particularly shines when you go with friends and are able to order a lot of dishes to share. The service is efficient and friendly. Unfortunately, it can get quite loud at times, so it's not the place to go if you want deep and meaningful conversation. Though you'll probably be too busy inhaling the food to say very much.

Dec 21, 2009

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  8     

Unfortunately, for those who admired the garden outside Warung Agus, the council forced the owners to remove most of the greenery. It's still lovely inside though - romantic and intimate, with beautiful fresh flowers and of course, the Bali bed out the front (which I think you need to book specifically). The bed can probably sit 5 or 6 people comfortably, but beware that you're sitting cross-legged the whole time and if it's cold outside you'll feel the draft as people enter and leave. I think it's worth it though.

The food was (largely) fantastic. The flathead fillets were cooked in this delicious coconutty sauce and melt-in-your-mouth tender, and the chicken in tamarind sauce was full of flavour. The crispy pork was a tad oily. The service was very good, just the right level of attentiveness, although the desserts took some time to come out. The Indonesian spice cake was great but the crepes were a disappointment. The Balinese coffee is also a great way to end your meal.

Jul 12, 2009

6.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  6      Value  7     

The noodles in my laksa were cooked too long and I agree with the other reviews about it being too spicy, but all the entrees were fantastic, fresh, beautifully presented and delicious. I'd only rate my main a 5 but the various entrees I tried were a 9 so I compromised on 7 for this review.

The decor is industrial, which is attractive but sound bounces off the walls and can get loud as the restaurant fills up. No complaints about the service, but the overall experience was lacking. When ordering, they were out of my FIL's first choice of beer and my MIL's first choice of wine, which didn't impress. When I ordered dessert (which didn't sound particularly appetizing, but it was the only one available) I was apologetically told it would be a 25 minutes wait.

I might go back for the entrees but I'll definitely pass on the mains and desserts.

Apr 11, 2009

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  9     

The seafood jeon entree was delicious, I think next time I might just get a couple of those for dinner. My husband had the pork bulgogi which was full of flavour, much better than my beef bulgogi. Not that mine was bad, it's just that his was fabulous! The portions are very generous, if you're a light eater you'll probably take half your dinner home.

The service was friendly and efficient. Our water was constantly topped up, and waiters were easy to get hold of when required. The checkout process could be worked on though. Instead of having a bill brought to our table or paying at the front counter we had to stand at a counter at the back of the restaurant while waiters awkwardly maneuvered around us.

Overall I was pleased with the experience. Tasty food, good service, and great value for money.

Apr 04, 2009