Pooh

Reviews

Overall 7.6 43

6.5 Recommended

Food 7 Ambience 6 Service 6 Value 7

Dinner for 2, $48 - Shaking beef and prawns with mixed vegetables. I had been keen to go to Non La because my partner had been there twice and spoke glowingly of the Shaking Beef. His family are also fans and indeed some of them regulars. I have a particular liking for the S.B. at the Saigon on George St so that's my point of comparison. I'm not quite sure what S.B. is really meant to be like as it always seems to vary slightly between the places at which I try it. At any rate, at Non La it was pleasant enough (the accompanying sauce was nicely tart) but it wasn't as spectacular as I had been lead to believe it to be - perhaps it was a matter of taste? The prawn dish was average, nothing worth revisiting for. The presentation of the dishes was also a bit ordinary e.g. the courgettes not cut up properly, such that pieces were still co-joined.

They were insanely busy and maybe that was one of the reasons for service being slightly slow, they did seem run off their feet. Nonetheless, the owner seemed pleasant. It was also a little noisy there, I found it hard to hear at times. In terms of desserts, we were told that they only had lychees with ice cream on the menu. Given that it was a Friday evening, I'd have thought that perhaps they should have prepared a little better. It was a generous serve but again, the presentation was a bit wanting. I did tell my partner not to order it because lychees are not in season so they would be tinned ones but he had a need for ice cream!

Oct 06, 2006

Jean-Marc's Patisserie and Boulangerie, Pyrmont

Cafes, French

Overall 7.7 13

6 Average

Food 6 Ambience 6 Service 6 Value 6

As I was in the area, I decided to pop in today, not having visited for a while, maybe almost 2yrs! I don't know if my memory is faulty but I'm pretty sure that it was better when I was last here. I bought a croissant and a passionfruit cake (small friand shaped one) to take away. The croissant was not terribly buttery or flaky and really quite ordinary. The passionfruit cake was okay but not anything above what one might find at a weekend market. I was quite disappointed. I considered buying a chocolate macaron as they were so incredibly large but some of them looked slightly charred/ burnt on top, which turned me off. Actually, I was really hanging out for a millefeuille but alas they didn't have any :(

Oct 04, 2006

Francois Pastries, Pyrmont

Cafes, Cake Shops and Patisseries, French, Outdoor Dining, Wheelchair Access

Overall 7.8 10

6.5 Recommended

Food 6 Ambience 7 Service 7 Value 6

On the recommendation of the reviewers here, I went to Francois today just to try their pies. Its kind of strange how different my experience was in terms of the food. I had the beef pepper pie. The pepper component wasn't great enough for me to actually taste the difference. The meat was tender and chunky but the filling had that "gluey" consistency that seems to appear too frequently in pies of lesser quality. This was a complete surprise to me, as I had not expected it given the raving reviews. The pastry was really nothing spectacular either, and at some $4.60 a pop, with a charge of 30c for packet tomato sauce, I have to say that I was really not terribly impressed at all. The iced chocolate was one of those too common lazy concoctions - chocolate syrup is slack, coating the bottom of the glass with the syrup and not even bothering to mix it is slack. Upon reflection I should have probably ordered a baguette. The place was doing a roaring lunch trade. The ambience is light and airy, as mentioned previously, but quite ordinary in terms of decor and ambience. Plus a small quibble - the name on the premises says that its a boulangerie. Its not.

Oct 04, 2006

Pho 54, Cabramatta

Restaurants, Vietnamese, BYO

Overall 7 17

6.8 Recommended

Food 7 Ambience 6 Service 7 Value 7

Had lunch here today with a friend. Neither of us speak Vietnamese so we were given (after having had to ask for it), the rather more limited English menu (complete with pictures). There were only about half a doz items on it. There were some additional items listed in English on the wall menu though. My friend had the pho (she loved the broth), I had a dish whose name which I neglected to note but it was rice served with grilled pork and a small triangular slice of something which I could most accurately describe as terrine like in taste and texture. It was okay but nothing to rave on about. For $7 (the pho was $6.50 I think) it wasn't a bad bargain. My friend ordered a fresh lemon drink which was deemed so enjoyable that she had a second. Service was polite but unlike a previous reviewer, we didn't get the feeling that the owner went out of his way for everyone. We shared a table with a lovely gentleman though who sweetly poured tea for us and wished us a lovely day as he left.

Oct 01, 2006

Ginger & Spice, Neutral Bay

Restaurants, Malaysian, BYO, Licensed, Serves Dinner

Overall 7.5 125

7 Recommended

Food 7 Ambience 7 Service 7 Value 7

Dinner for 5 - $109. Dishes were Oluak, Kangkung belachan, beef rendang, half (a very small) Hainanese chicken, char kway teow. The Oluak was probably the highlight food wise, it's the first time I have ever had this dish and I would definitely order it again. The rendang was spicier than usual and reasonably tasty but lacking a little in 'body'. The char kway teow was a bit of a disappointment, the soy was used a little too liberally and it just seemed to lack something. I didn't eat the chicken so I can't give an opinion - those given ranged from "great" to "I've had better". The kangkung was a bit of a disappointment, the belachan wasn't utilised that well and the kangkung was a bit overcooked. Maybe it was because it was a Tuesday evening and the restaurant was barely half full but we had pretty good service. The waiter was very attentive when it came to replenishing rice and everyone else seemed quite hospitable. We all found the serving sizes quite adequate with the exception of the chicken.

Sep 20, 2006

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Member since 2005

Last updated on 1st Jun 2012

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Displaying: 1 - 10 of 36 reviews

Non La, Surry Hills

Restaurants, Vietnamese, BYO

Overall 7.6 43

6.5 Recommended

Food 7 Ambience 6 Service 6 Value 7

Oct 06, 2006

Jean-Marc's Patisserie and Boulangerie, Pyrmont

Cafes, French

Overall 7.7 13

6 Average

Food 6 Ambience 6 Service 6 Value 6

Oct 04, 2006

Francois Pastries, Pyrmont

Cafes, Cake Shops and Patisseries, French, Outdoor Dining, Wheelchair Access

Overall 7.8 10

6.5 Recommended

Food 6 Ambience 7 Service 7 Value 6

Oct 04, 2006

Pho 54, Cabramatta

Restaurants, Vietnamese, BYO

Overall 7 17

6.8 Recommended

Food 7 Ambience 6 Service 7 Value 7

Oct 01, 2006

Ginger & Spice, Neutral Bay

Restaurants, Malaysian, BYO, Licensed, Serves Dinner

Overall 7.5 125

7 Recommended

Food 7 Ambience 7 Service 7 Value 7

Sep 20, 2006

Macchiato, Sydney

Restaurants, European, Italian, Mediterranean, BYO

Overall 5.4 116

6 Average

Food 6 Ambience 6 Service 6 Value 6

I've bought takeaway pizzas from here numerous times (proscuitto/ rocket) with no problems. Eating here seems to be a different experience. Disregarding the 3 different spellings of "risotto" (if you're going to get something wrong at least get it consistently wrong) on the menu, there were insufficient staff to manage the number of diners. The waitress, when we could summon her, was pleasant. Dishes were the chicken "rissotto" and the pizza with proscuitto. The former was a bit too salty and welll, not very risotto like. The pizza was not as good as it sometimes can be. My post pizza hot chocolate was luke warm, not my preferred temperature. I think that a previous reviewer is right - the location probably is a large reason for its popularity.

Sep 12, 2006

Uchi Lounge, Darlinghurst

Restaurants, Japanese, Vegetarian, BYO, Has Bar

Overall 7.6 55

6.5 Recommended

Food 7 Ambience 7 Service 6 Value 6

I tend to be a bit underwhelmed by the Uchi Lounge experience but go about once a year or so because my partner seems to like it there. I don't know what it is but something inevitably goes wrong. Last time it was the non arrival of desserts which they had the temerity to argue with us about. This time it was the non-arrival of rice which they decided to treat "humorously" by saying that most people don't tend to eat all their rice anyway and similar sentiments. The service is really a bit flat and disengaged. The food I find inconsistent - the sashimi was good as was the barramundi but the prawn/ fish balls were bland. The creme brulee referred to by someone else was not bad but not that fabulous. The azuki ice cream however pleasant, didn't have much of a red bean taste. I also find Uchi Lounge a bit overpriced.

Sep 12, 2006

Kopitiam Cafe, Ultimo

Cafes, Malaysian

Overall 6 72

5.5 Average

Food 6 Ambience 5 Service 5 Value 6

4 adults 2 children, some half a doz dishes, total of $80. The service was a bit slack in parts. The food was a mixed bag with some items a bit too greasy or a bit tasteless. The coconut rice wasn't all that flavoursome for the adults but the kids enjoyed it. Satay - a bit on the dry side. Belacan buncis was enjoyable but perhaps a little too chilli for us. Char kway teow was quite tasty and the roti canai was fresh and very enjoyable. Ba Ku Teh was deemed to be satisfactory but nothing special. The teh tarik was considered a bit of a tasteless disaster. Overall, it was okay but I don't think that any of us will be going back.

Aug 21, 2006

Sakana-Ya, Crows Nest

Restaurants, Japanese, Seafood, BYO, Child Friendly

Overall 7.2 69

7.5 Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 7 Service 8 Value 7

Dinner for 2 - $91 which consisted of sashimi, half a doz natural oysters, baby school prawns, soft shell crab, green tea ice cream and sesame pudding. This is my 3rd trip to Sakana-Ya and the experience has been similar each time. The food is of excellent quality but it really isn't a terribly cheap place. I guess that you pay for the quality you get. For the prices, it's a phenomenally popular place, we managed to get a last minute booking for Saturday dinner only if we promised to be there at 6pm and out by 7.30pm.

Aug 12, 2006

Alio, Surry Hills

Restaurants, Italian, BYO, Degustation Menu, Private Room

Overall 7.5 271

7.3 Recommended

Food 7 Ambience 7 Service 8 Value 7

Its been a few years since I've been to Alio. My enduring memory had been of the moreish-ness of the 25yo balsamic so obviously, I ordered the entree with this (said entree being a slight adaptation of my previous experience) - proscuitto with savoy cabbage, balsamic & parmesan. Though pleasant, the balsamic was not as flavoursome as on the previous occasion, and barely sufficient quantity wise for the dish. The parmesan was also a little on the miserly side. For mains we had the papardelle with duck & chestnuts, and spaghetti vongole. The fmr was deemed to be great though the aesthetics were somewhat disappointing. The spaghetti vongole was light, with a nice broth element to the dish, and very pleasant. We ordered one dessert but the coffee/ tea came first (with fruit cake like petit fours) and so we cancelled the dessert. I rather think that they had forgotten about it. The coffee was apparently not a bad one at all. My only gripe with the tea is that it really should not be served in a coffee cup (complete with the 'advertising banner' of the coffee type), and that service wise, the cup should not have been placed in front of me with the strainer & its dish dumped in the cup for me to remove.

Aug 06, 2006