MrSanjay

Reviews

Restaurants, Turkish, BYO, Food Delivery, Outdoor Dining

Overall 7.5 135

7.5 Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 6 Service 7 Value 9

Booked for 6 and we had the larger banquet. Great food and so much that we took several dishes home. Service was friendly but brisk and clearly overstretched, probably because the place was already teeming at 7.30pm (early dining before a gig at the Enmore?). A bit cramped and noisy, but given the price and quality of the food I was very satisfied.

May 07, 2012

Y2 Izakaya, Neutral Bay

Restaurants, Japanese, Good For Groups, Hip and Trendy, Air Conditioning

Overall 8.3 14

8 Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 9 Service 8 Value 7

This place definitely lived up to expectations, with excellent food, friendly service and a relaxed ambience. Having been to many Izakaya in Japan, I think this is as close as we get in Sydney, the only thing missing was tatami flooring to sit on.

The style is for a constant stream of snacks while drinking (like tapas), so you might find the service a bit casual if you expect synchronous delivery of individual meals. Pricing wasn't cheap, but quite manageable for the great quality on offer, and Way better than you get for Spanish tapas in this city.

May 07, 2012

Marque, Surry Hills

Restaurants, French, Hip and Trendy, BYO, Degustation Menu

Overall 7 227

6.5 Recommended

Food 9 Ambience 7 Service 7 Value 3

An adventure rather than a meal, but still the price seemed excessive, can't help thinking the Emperor is only wearing a man-kini.

When a degustation experience costs more than $250 a head (including matching wines), I would really expect Everything to be "Wow", and some of it certainly wasn't.

The dishes were all interesting, but many of them seemed to be much more oriented to visual aesthetics and a quirky concept (e.g. a whimsical play on "salt and vinegar chips") rather than exquisite flavour. Call me an old fuddy-duddy, but I believe a good meal should hold up under blind tasting without a waiter/sommelier explaining its subtleties, and this meal Definitely would not.

Given the price tag, I found the decor very bland and the service a bit casual and clunky. For example, I'd said when booking that the occasion was my girlfriend's birthday, and when the petit fours plate came out with "Happy Birthday" on it, the staff clearly had no idea which of us to offer it to. The restaurant was only half full, it's not like anyone was too busy to just read the note in the reservations book!

Happy to have gone as a one-off, but would never go again.

Apr 20, 2012

Sushi Club, Pyrmont

Restaurants, Japanese

Overall 8.7 20

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food 10 Ambience 6 Service 8 Value 10

This place certainly lived up to expectations from the reviews. All the food was excellent and extraordinary value (e.g. 4 grilled salmon sushi pieces for little more than 1 costs in places like Azuma, but quality just as good). Highly recommended, and I'll be going back soon.

Feb 06, 2012

Mamak, Haymarket

Restaurants, Malaysian, BYO, Serves Dinner, Serves Late Dining

Overall 7.1 264

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food 9 Ambience 7 Service 10 Value 7

Excellent food makes this place worth the wait. Once you finally get inside, the service is almost superhumanly efficient: I saw the people at next table get served food literally within 90 seconds of ordering - do the staff have a "hive mind"?!

Prices were fine for me relative to quality and cleanliness of the place: Of course Mamak is more expensive than a grotty hole-in-the-wall or food court storefront, but it's very reasonable against a standard sit-down restaurant. If you wanted $5-per-head then go elsewhere and shorten the queue for me!

Jan 23, 2012

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Member since 2011

Last updated on 1st Jun 2012

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Displaying: 1 - 10 of 17 reviews

Sultan's Table, The, Enmore

Restaurants, Turkish, BYO, Food Delivery, Outdoor Dining

Overall 7.5 135

7.5 Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 6 Service 7 Value 9

May 07, 2012

Y2 Izakaya, Neutral Bay

Restaurants, Japanese, Good For Groups, Hip and Trendy, Air Conditioning

Overall 8.3 14

8 Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 9 Service 8 Value 7

May 07, 2012

Marque, Surry Hills

Restaurants, French, Hip and Trendy, BYO, Degustation Menu

Overall 7 227

6.5 Recommended

Food 9 Ambience 7 Service 7 Value 3

Apr 20, 2012

Sushi Club, Pyrmont

Restaurants, Japanese

Overall 8.7 20

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food 10 Ambience 6 Service 8 Value 10

Feb 06, 2012

Mamak, Haymarket

Restaurants, Malaysian, BYO, Serves Dinner, Serves Late Dining

Overall 7.1 264

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food 9 Ambience 7 Service 10 Value 7

Jan 23, 2012

Restaurant Botanica, Pokolbin

Restaurants, Mediterranean, Modern Australian, Seafood, Vegetarian

Overall 8.8 31

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food 10 Ambience 10 Service 10 Value 9

From 2010: A perfect dining experience amongst some very dubious and overpriced options in the Hunter Valley. Lovely food, service has the right balance of warmth and professional efficiency, and great value 2-course/3-course options. Very appetising vegetarian fare (not the standard "asparagus-in-everything" after thoughts many restaurants offer).

Diners who like trendy "places to be seen" are warned: this venue is spacious and quiet with minimalist decor, so you'd better appreciate excellent food and the company you bring along, because there's not much additional stimulus on offer. Probably a bit of a trek from where you're staying and definitely worth the drive.

Update Jan 2012: Food is still amazing, but prices have risen a bit (NB above what's listed on Eatabilities) and service a little short of perfect this time. But the overall experience was still brilliant and wowed my partner on her first visit, she's been raving to friends and family about it every since.

Management, if you are reading this, Please don't let Botanica slip, it's still such a standout against all the other restaurants in Pokolbin.

Jan 23, 2012

Il Cacciatore Restaurant, Pokolbin

Restaurants

Overall 6.4 22

7.5 Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 8 Service 7 Value 7

I had a very pleasant dinner at this restaurant, can't understand the fuss from other patrons. Food was lovely, service friendly and overall cost seemed much more reasonable than I'd come to expect in the Hunter. The brevity of the wine-by-glass list was a little disappointing. We were only 2 people dining mid week, so maybe service struggles when the restaurant is more busy.

Jan 23, 2012

Bloodwood, Newtown

Restaurants, Mediterranean, Has Bar, Licensed, Outdoor Dining

Overall 7.2 89

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food 10 Ambience 8 Service 10 Value 7

Had a perfect first date at this place. Enjoyed a late afternoon cocktail and, with conversation flowing, opted to migrate to a dinner table, no trouble because it was still early.

Food was delicious and perfect for sharing, maybe others might be cranky if they were starving and ordered a single dish for themselves. We had excellent ceviche and also a crab-asparagus concoction. Desserts were fabulous, I recommend the chocolate tart, mmmmm...

Dining tables are quite close together, but it wasn't really a problem, you can still hear each other talk. Our waiter was very friendly and helpful, insisted that it would be such a shame to waste the (comparatively huge) plate of pate and cured meats that I should take the rest home, then remembered to get it out for me at bill-time even though he had obviously clocked-off and was leaving the restaurant himself.

Highly recommend this place, just make sure you time your entry so as to get a table since they don't take bookings.

Dec 21, 2011

Sushi Tei, Sydney

Restaurants, Asian, Japanese, Seafood, Good For Groups

Overall 6.2 100

3.8 Below Average

Food 1 Ambience 1 Service 8 Value 5

Ate there yesterday because Masuya was full, now I have the runs, I'm sure it's from bad sushi.

From where we sat at the bar we could see the "kitchen staff" manhandling the nori-rolls with all the delicacy of a novice bricklayer, adding pre-sliced fish which was wrapped up in Cling Wrap, cutting the roll up and then peeling off the strips of wrap, no doubt a few still make it to the plate. Unfortunately, by the time we saw this I'd already eaten some.

The rice (including plain in the bowl) didn't have the taste or consistency of Japanese rice, maybe the wrong kind or poorly cooked, and I suspect the vinegar was also either lacking or insufficient in the sushi-rice. The tomato in the salad was off (seriously, how do you mess up a salad consisting of lettuce and tomato?!).

I think the only reason this place was so full was because everything else was booked out for Xmas lunches! Don't go near this place!

Dec 21, 2011

Moretons Brasserie, Carlton

Restaurants, French, BYO, Licensed, Outdoor Dining

Overall 9.3 7

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food 10 Ambience 8 Service 9 Value 10

Highly recommend this place: Excellent food, a good range of wines by the glass, very friendly service and extraordinary overall value. The owner was very helpful with advice on wines, offering a few tastes so we could make the right choice. Snails, mussels, duck, quail, chocolate mousse and citron tart all superb!

Sep 13, 2011