Reviews


University Cafe, Carlton

Cafes, International, Italian, BYO, Licensed

Overall 7  17

4.8 Average

Food  4      Ambience  4      Service  7      Value  4     


Out on a date last night (Saturday May 21 2011). My date and I wandered along the Lygon St food strip and almost all eateries that spilled on to the street were choc-full. We were in a casual dining frame of mind, and not in the mood to wait for seats at the reputably popular restaurants. We chanced upon the University Cafe as there were a couple of free tables out front on the street.
The weather was pleasantly mild, and the outdoor gas heaters were on, so the street seating was okay.

I personally would recommend against street seating due to the loud traffic interruptions, not great for conversation. We were right next to the waiting staff outdoor bay where they keep cutlery etc. So it was noisy. But we were given immediate attention. We ordered drinks, and the wait staff apologised for the delay in receiving our order when she returned to take our meal order. It was okay, they were clearly busy.

The menu seems to be okay, enough vegetarian options for me, and my partner seemed satisfied that he had a few selections, too.

I ordered the Bruschetta with tomato, my partner had the Minestrone. The starters came quickly. Hats off to the girl who took our order, all memorised not written in an order pad. The bruschetta was quite nice, the toasted bread was really nice to chew with a good texture. The minestrone was reportedly ok but it looked very heavy and thick to me, not fresh.

I ordered the Cannelloni with spinach and ricotta, as a safe option, and ordered a side of broccoli. My partner had Saltimbuca and a side salad. I was very disappointed. I ordered an entre size and was given full (thankfully when I saw the size and the wait staff explained the mistake I was glad they made the mistake, portions are ordinary).

The cannelloni looked awful, soggy, over-browned plastic looking "cheddar cheese" and drowned in tomato sauce. If we eat with our eyes, I was gonna starve! My partner's plate looked equally sloppily presented, and overcooked.
He wasn't impressed but he is less particular than I am. Did I like the taste of the cannelloni?

No, it was bland, watery, and I doubt one of the other reviewers here was correct in assuming the cannelloni is fresh, it distinctly looked and tasted like pre-packaged and overcooked pasta. It was not pleasant, but I ate it to be polite, it was not dreadful but it was bland, and poor quality.

The broccoli was so badly presented I was convinced it had just been dragged out of the cooking pot with a ladle and slopped into my little serving bowl.
The florets were starting to break up and they sat in a ton of water.
However, they were only just a little overcooked and had a nice hint of garlic to them and I devoured all the broccoli because it is a favourite vegetable.

Overall - the service was good, but the food is a let down and there is little that would entice me to return. It is cheap food priced too high ($95 for our meal and I would have only paid half that, if not less). My advice, if you have no idea how to cook and will eat almost anything, you'll be okay here.
Otherwise, stay at home and order in pizza.

May 22, 2011

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Sawasdee Thai Restaurant, Melbourne

Restaurants, Thai, Vegetarian, Citibank Dining Program, Licensed

Overall 6  19

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  9     


First time and highly recommend. Very quiet, few people in and apparently the piano player was not on for the night. There were four of us and we were attended to quickly. One of us asked for a special drink with mint and as it wasn't on the menu the drinks waiter went out of his way to make it. The chips brought to the table are vegetarian but you need to ask to find this out as it just assumed you'll know.

I ordered suitable vegetarian options, a salad, a vermicelli dish and vegetables and it was so refreshing and delicious. It was just as easy to mix the salad with the main as it just added extra texture and flavour, it was all so nice. There was nothing disappointing. It seemed that all of us were satisfied but my dining companions typically ordered too much and struggled to eat it all.

I would recommend it all just for the quality of the food, and the delicious freshness of it. I was impressed and would go back, the meal was fairly priced and the service was very good.

Feb 12, 2011

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Berth Restaurant Bar Cafe, Docklands

Restaurants, Mediterranean, Modern Australian, Has Bar, Licensed

Overall 7  13

2.3 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  2      Service  2      Value  2     


The appearance of the restaurant is encouraging. We arrived early for our table, and opted for the bar to have a drink. Crowded and noisy. We were taken to our table, there were 7 of us. The menu is ordinary and being vegetarian, I researched by checking their online menu. They only have 2 "vegetarian" (or meat free) dishes.

So I knew what I would be having as there were few choices. We had the platters of bread and dips. These were nice enough. I ordered the Fusilli, pasta with Mediterranean vegetables including artichokes which I detest. Still, as I was a guest at a birthday dinner, I put up and ate. I can't say I enjoyed it, it was pretty ordinary.

Someone had barramundi at the table and said it was ok but bland. Someone else had the kangaroo and appeared to enjoy it. One had Lamb shanks and thoroughly loved it. One seemed to have something like a chicken parma and it looked no different to any pub plate.

The other thing that disappointed me was that all meals were just Meat and maybe a starch. Few had vegetables as part of the meal. The meals were slow to come. The greek salad was slow to arrive and when I saw it, after I'd eaten the pasta dish, I was put off. The chunks of cheese were huge, and there were too many tomatoes. There was just no balance in the salad, no lettuce base (which I was told is Not standard to greek salad) and I usually Love greek salad.
Disappointed.

The staff seem indifferent, perhaps, too busy and too inexperienced, and just overall, I felt that the hype about the place left Berth wanting. It doesn't do it for me and I am not keen to go again. The 7 meals, drinks and the platter of breads and dips came to over $300 and I thought this was too expensive for the food quality, portions, and the service.

Feb 12, 2011

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Automatic Cafe, Southbank

Cafes, International, Modern Australian, Pizza, Vegetarian

Overall 6.2  13

2.8 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  3      Service  3      Value  2     


I've been twice, not at my choice. The second visit was most recent, just last month. There were 7 of us, and two were senior members. We'd eaten our main meals elsewhere, and so the idea was to go to the cafe for coffee and cake as the dessert portion of our night out.

The overall layout of the cafe is okay, but the loo is upstairs and I didn't see any wheelchair friendly options. I don't need wheelchair access but I do note absence or presence of.

We were taken to our table and fairly quickly we were attended by a young waiter who seemed to lack sense of humour, probably because he was not "aussie" and didn't get the wise cracks that our family tend to dish out. We checked out the menu and the desserts are all heavy rich cake offerings, only one I noticed that was fruit based. I ordered the apple and berry pie.

When all 7 of us received our orders I was astounded, the plates of cake are Huge and it is a total Waste of food. The fruit pie was ordinary and the gelling powder used to hold the fruit together in the pie is way overdone and gluey, tastes horrible.

I didn't like the pie dessert and was disappointed, esp the $9.90 price tag.
My coffee was not hot. It was hot enough but not Hot like good coffee should be.
Not One of our diners could finish their cakes. Even the chocoholic who liked the Mars Bar cake (or whatever simile it was) could not eat it, and I could tell that if any of them ate more than half the cake, they'd be sick.

Disappointing. Not my favourite place and with such an expensive price tag on the desserts, I clearly would recommend that they cut their portion sizes in half along with their prices and rid wastage from the food industry.

Feb 12, 2011

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Thien An, Footscray

Restaurants, Vegetarian, Vietnamese, BYO, Wheelchair Access

Overall 6.2  7

1.5 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  2     


Sadly, very unimpressed. Was required to attend for a work lunch. Five at the table. From the beginning it seemed okay. Not all staff are of Vietnamese background which detracts just a little from any feeling of authenticity.
That aside, I ordered the highly recommended rice vermicelli with vegetarian spring rolls.

The positives: The thermos of tea placed on the table is hot and brewed nicely.
The negatives: The room acoustics are dreadful. Buses with squealing breaks pull up directly outside the door and the road is busy. The noise penetrates the restaurant and it echoes around the room.

If you sit too close to the main counter you hear the vitamiser go off when the ice-condensed milk drink is made. Again it makes any conversation a real strain.
Of the five of us, 2 were familiar with the place and one ordered a satay with a special rice dish. Three of us ordered the vermicelli vegetarian dish.

The first two meals came out, the satay and the other plate of meat/rice. So, two of our lunch diners were presented with the choice, do they eat now as we only had a short lunch break, Or do they wait for the other 3 dishes? The decision was made after several minutes to start eating, and when we could one of our diners grabbed the busy front-of-house lady and asked about our spring roll dish.

Several minutes later they arrived on our table, after one of our guests had to help himself to the as-yet-served cans of softdrink ordered by a few at the table. To say I was surprised or disappointment would be fair. I watch Luke Nguyen, and I didn't expect exceptional quality, but the ordinariness of the dishes when they arrived struck me of the plainness of any asian food that is not authentic because it has to satisfy the boring western palate.

I poured all the sweet chilli dipping sauce over the rice noodles, and tucked in. All I can say is that I won't order it again, the spring rolls were overcooked, and the rice noodles were bland because the "salad" they were served with was also bland, no flavour and no colour.

What also disappointed me was the size of the portions. I was hungry and I am a long time vegetarian, so I found the portion just adequate for me. But the meals were too big for all other at the table.

What also was disappointing was sitting directly under an air con vent, not something that can be avoided when looking at the roof, and the air rushes out and is quite cool, cooling the plates of food way too quickly.

Overall, disappointed and if I am required to attend lunch there again for work purposes, I will select food that I am interested in, rather than what is recommended, and then I will see if the standards are the same or if my visit was just a "bad day".

Feb 12, 2011

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Displaying: 1 - 6 of 6 reviews



University Cafe, Carlton

Cafes, International, Italian, BYO, Licensed

Overall 7  17

4.8 Average

Food  4      Ambience  4      Service  7      Value  4     


Out on a date last night (Saturday May 21 2011). My date and I wandered along the Lygon St food strip and almost all eateries that spilled on to the street were choc-full. We were in a casual dining frame of mind, and not in the mood to wait for seats at the reputably popular restaurants. We chanced upon the University Cafe as there were a couple of free tables out front on the street.
The weather was pleasantly mild, and the outdoor gas heaters were on, so the street seating was okay.

I personally would recommend against street seating due to the loud traffic interruptions, not great for conversation. We were right next to the waiting staff outdoor bay where they keep cutlery etc. So it was noisy. But we were given immediate attention. We ordered drinks, and the wait staff apologised for the delay in receiving our order when she returned to take our meal order. It was okay, they were clearly busy.

The menu seems to be okay, enough vegetarian options for me, and my partner seemed satisfied that he had a few selections, too.

I ordered the Bruschetta with tomato, my partner had the Minestrone. The starters came quickly. Hats off to the girl who took our order, all memorised not written in an order pad. The bruschetta was quite nice, the toasted bread was really nice to chew with a good texture. The minestrone was reportedly ok but it looked very heavy and thick to me, not fresh.

I ordered the Cannelloni with spinach and ricotta, as a safe option, and ordered a side of broccoli. My partner had Saltimbuca and a side salad. I was very disappointed. I ordered an entre size and was given full (thankfully when I saw the size and the wait staff explained the mistake I was glad they made the mistake, portions are ordinary).

The cannelloni looked awful, soggy, over-browned plastic looking "cheddar cheese" and drowned in tomato sauce. If we eat with our eyes, I was gonna starve! My partner's plate looked equally sloppily presented, and overcooked.
He wasn't impressed but he is less particular than I am. Did I like the taste of the cannelloni?

No, it was bland, watery, and I doubt one of the other reviewers here was correct in assuming the cannelloni is fresh, it distinctly looked and tasted like pre-packaged and overcooked pasta. It was not pleasant, but I ate it to be polite, it was not dreadful but it was bland, and poor quality.

The broccoli was so badly presented I was convinced it had just been dragged out of the cooking pot with a ladle and slopped into my little serving bowl.
The florets were starting to break up and they sat in a ton of water.
However, they were only just a little overcooked and had a nice hint of garlic to them and I devoured all the broccoli because it is a favourite vegetable.

Overall - the service was good, but the food is a let down and there is little that would entice me to return. It is cheap food priced too high ($95 for our meal and I would have only paid half that, if not less). My advice, if you have no idea how to cook and will eat almost anything, you'll be okay here.
Otherwise, stay at home and order in pizza.

May 22, 2011

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Sawasdee Thai Restaurant, Melbourne

Restaurants, Thai, Vegetarian, Citibank Dining Program, Licensed

Overall 6  19

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  9     


First time and highly recommend. Very quiet, few people in and apparently the piano player was not on for the night. There were four of us and we were attended to quickly. One of us asked for a special drink with mint and as it wasn't on the menu the drinks waiter went out of his way to make it. The chips brought to the table are vegetarian but you need to ask to find this out as it just assumed you'll know.

I ordered suitable vegetarian options, a salad, a vermicelli dish and vegetables and it was so refreshing and delicious. It was just as easy to mix the salad with the main as it just added extra texture and flavour, it was all so nice. There was nothing disappointing. It seemed that all of us were satisfied but my dining companions typically ordered too much and struggled to eat it all.

I would recommend it all just for the quality of the food, and the delicious freshness of it. I was impressed and would go back, the meal was fairly priced and the service was very good.

Feb 12, 2011

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Berth Restaurant Bar Cafe, Docklands

Restaurants, Mediterranean, Modern Australian, Has Bar, Licensed

Overall 7  13

2.3 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  2      Service  2      Value  2     


The appearance of the restaurant is encouraging. We arrived early for our table, and opted for the bar to have a drink. Crowded and noisy. We were taken to our table, there were 7 of us. The menu is ordinary and being vegetarian, I researched by checking their online menu. They only have 2 "vegetarian" (or meat free) dishes.

So I knew what I would be having as there were few choices. We had the platters of bread and dips. These were nice enough. I ordered the Fusilli, pasta with Mediterranean vegetables including artichokes which I detest. Still, as I was a guest at a birthday dinner, I put up and ate. I can't say I enjoyed it, it was pretty ordinary.

Someone had barramundi at the table and said it was ok but bland. Someone else had the kangaroo and appeared to enjoy it. One had Lamb shanks and thoroughly loved it. One seemed to have something like a chicken parma and it looked no different to any pub plate.

The other thing that disappointed me was that all meals were just Meat and maybe a starch. Few had vegetables as part of the meal. The meals were slow to come. The greek salad was slow to arrive and when I saw it, after I'd eaten the pasta dish, I was put off. The chunks of cheese were huge, and there were too many tomatoes. There was just no balance in the salad, no lettuce base (which I was told is Not standard to greek salad) and I usually Love greek salad.
Disappointed.

The staff seem indifferent, perhaps, too busy and too inexperienced, and just overall, I felt that the hype about the place left Berth wanting. It doesn't do it for me and I am not keen to go again. The 7 meals, drinks and the platter of breads and dips came to over $300 and I thought this was too expensive for the food quality, portions, and the service.

Feb 12, 2011

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Automatic Cafe, Southbank

Cafes, International, Modern Australian, Pizza, Vegetarian

Overall 6.2  13

2.8 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  3      Service  3      Value  2     


I've been twice, not at my choice. The second visit was most recent, just last month. There were 7 of us, and two were senior members. We'd eaten our main meals elsewhere, and so the idea was to go to the cafe for coffee and cake as the dessert portion of our night out.

The overall layout of the cafe is okay, but the loo is upstairs and I didn't see any wheelchair friendly options. I don't need wheelchair access but I do note absence or presence of.

We were taken to our table and fairly quickly we were attended by a young waiter who seemed to lack sense of humour, probably because he was not "aussie" and didn't get the wise cracks that our family tend to dish out. We checked out the menu and the desserts are all heavy rich cake offerings, only one I noticed that was fruit based. I ordered the apple and berry pie.

When all 7 of us received our orders I was astounded, the plates of cake are Huge and it is a total Waste of food. The fruit pie was ordinary and the gelling powder used to hold the fruit together in the pie is way overdone and gluey, tastes horrible.

I didn't like the pie dessert and was disappointed, esp the $9.90 price tag.
My coffee was not hot. It was hot enough but not Hot like good coffee should be.
Not One of our diners could finish their cakes. Even the chocoholic who liked the Mars Bar cake (or whatever simile it was) could not eat it, and I could tell that if any of them ate more than half the cake, they'd be sick.

Disappointing. Not my favourite place and with such an expensive price tag on the desserts, I clearly would recommend that they cut their portion sizes in half along with their prices and rid wastage from the food industry.

Feb 12, 2011

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Thien An, Footscray

Restaurants, Vegetarian, Vietnamese, BYO, Wheelchair Access

Overall 6.2  7

1.5 Not Recommended

Food  2      Ambience  1      Service  1      Value  2     


Sadly, very unimpressed. Was required to attend for a work lunch. Five at the table. From the beginning it seemed okay. Not all staff are of Vietnamese background which detracts just a little from any feeling of authenticity.
That aside, I ordered the highly recommended rice vermicelli with vegetarian spring rolls.

The positives: The thermos of tea placed on the table is hot and brewed nicely.
The negatives: The room acoustics are dreadful. Buses with squealing breaks pull up directly outside the door and the road is busy. The noise penetrates the restaurant and it echoes around the room.

If you sit too close to the main counter you hear the vitamiser go off when the ice-condensed milk drink is made. Again it makes any conversation a real strain.
Of the five of us, 2 were familiar with the place and one ordered a satay with a special rice dish. Three of us ordered the vermicelli vegetarian dish.

The first two meals came out, the satay and the other plate of meat/rice. So, two of our lunch diners were presented with the choice, do they eat now as we only had a short lunch break, Or do they wait for the other 3 dishes? The decision was made after several minutes to start eating, and when we could one of our diners grabbed the busy front-of-house lady and asked about our spring roll dish.

Several minutes later they arrived on our table, after one of our guests had to help himself to the as-yet-served cans of softdrink ordered by a few at the table. To say I was surprised or disappointment would be fair. I watch Luke Nguyen, and I didn't expect exceptional quality, but the ordinariness of the dishes when they arrived struck me of the plainness of any asian food that is not authentic because it has to satisfy the boring western palate.

I poured all the sweet chilli dipping sauce over the rice noodles, and tucked in. All I can say is that I won't order it again, the spring rolls were overcooked, and the rice noodles were bland because the "salad" they were served with was also bland, no flavour and no colour.

What also disappointed me was the size of the portions. I was hungry and I am a long time vegetarian, so I found the portion just adequate for me. But the meals were too big for all other at the table.

What also was disappointing was sitting directly under an air con vent, not something that can be avoided when looking at the roof, and the air rushes out and is quite cool, cooling the plates of food way too quickly.

Overall, disappointed and if I am required to attend lunch there again for work purposes, I will select food that I am interested in, rather than what is recommended, and then I will see if the standards are the same or if my visit was just a "bad day".

Feb 12, 2011

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Banjo Paterson Cottage Restaurant, Gladesville

Restaurants, International, Modern Australian, Vegetarian, Fine Dining

Overall 7.6  78

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  9     


First time visit. Went with a male friend who claims to eat a lot. First impression: welcomed by MaitreD who was very pleasant, and remembered my telephoning to book the table. When we were seated, we were asked if this was our first visit. On answering 'yes', we were encouraged to visit the whole grounds, the garden, etc and to wander through the restaurant to enjoy the historical aspect.

WHAT I LIKED: Nothing was too much trouble for any of the staff. We were fussed over, and when I asked what could be done for me as a vegetarian, I was immediately offered a vegetarian menu (only small criticism here, is that it is a separate folder/menu. Had I not asked I may not have discovered it.) The vegetarian (not strict) menu had ample tasty choices. I selected a rocket and pear salad as an entree... simple and delicious. My friend has oysters naturale. Loved the basket of bread rolls... several selections, warm, fresh from the oven.

The staff had no issue with our request for another roll, as they walked past our table. Nice wine choices, too. We dined alfresco on the verandah as all the river side seating was booked out (to be expected, as we booked on the day we dined). My companion was bitten by one or two mozzies, and one of the female staff appeared with a bottle of aerogard mozzie repellent!!!!!

Extraordinary... excellent service, so prepared to please! For dinner, I had the mushroom Gnocchi, my friend had Prawns, we had vegetables served with it, and neither of us were disappointed. Excellent flavour, texture and quantity. No room for dessert - what a pity!

WHAT I CRITIQUED: Yes, after reading through the other user comments here, I note reference to the "comedian/waiter" whom I note most didn't enjoy. Yes, some of his attempts at humour were corny, a little poor taste. I would say this is the ONLY possible -ve. There is more to like than to criticise here: we were given a complimentary port, to acknowledge our first visit, and the barman also came out to offer me a second complimentary after dinner drink.

Prices are as reasonable as any of this calibre in Sydney. Mid-range. One of the best features of this restaurant ARE THE STAFF - who go out of their way to be engaging, welcoming, friendly, helpful, entertaining, and to provide impeccable service. Faultless. Perhaps, those who take 'offence' to such waiting staff, ought not visit this restaurant.

Come here, with the expectation of having fun, treat the waiting staff with respect, and smile and laugh along, it makes for genuinely satisfying night. Beautiful peaceful setting. Truly delightful restaurant, will definitely dine here again. I loved it.

Feb 18, 2007

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