bergkamp7

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  9     

Stopped at Bambinos Too for an early dinner on the way to a Mariners game in Gosford. I looked at the reviews here because we had a Sydney North entertainment book voucher. They were helpful and accurate, thank you. The restaurant was spacious with al fresco and lawn areas outside. A very relaxed atmosphere on Sydney's outskirts made even more casual with a TV. I think they are trying to cater, successfully, to many tastes.

Pizzas ranged from the downmarket supremes and meatlovers to gourmet, calzones and gluten free all competently prepared. Everyone in our party was happy. I enjoyed my large marinara pizza. There was a larger family size pizza for sharing but I think that is available only as a takeaway. I wish we had another voucher for next time we drop on the way to a game at Bluetongue.

Jan 16, 2012

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  9     

Lucetta Pizzeria is an escape from the noisy city. The Rocks end of Kent Street is growing on me as a dining quarter. It also works out as convenient to the Walsh Bay theatre precinct.

We went on an ouffer deal which included an attractively presented antipasto platter that featured a number of cured meats, a wood fired pizza each and a glass of Basedows chardonnay. For a house set menu wine this was a beauty. Lovely fruity characters without over-oaking which often turns me off that grape variety. I will look out for Basedows again.

Pizzas were tasteful italian style without brash or down market clashes of ingredients. Not overloaded with toppings so you could taste all of the distinct and pleasant flavours. Crusts were thin, dry and crisp, as you usually get from a wood fired oven. The base reminded me of baked lebanese bread as it pocketed between two layers in places.

Those after an oily meatlovers pizza or some other kind of grievous assault to their senses are better off looking somewhere else.

All in all an excellent meal which was just the right quantity for dinner. We noticed that prices, even without a voucher, were reasonable, especially for the city so this place is a bit of a haven. With the voucher we had I can't give it less than a 9 rating on value. We received terrific service. As a dinner for two surprise with my wife it was lovely.

Lovely owners as the other reviewers have said. They have a good grasp on how to look after diners so they deserve to do well.

Response from Management:
Thanks for taking the time to write a review. Unfortunately the Basedows we use is a restaurant only wine so you will need to come back to get some more!! Glad you loved the pizzas and most of all the entire experience. Hopefully see you again soon.

Nov 04, 2011

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  9     

Our meal was terrific. I would take issue with the reviewer who thought the glasses of wine were inadequate in particular. I thought them decent, perhaps largish on lavish long stems, but more about the wine below. I would say this place is about fine food. Three of us went with a cudo voucher for two which worked out really well for all with some further ordering. Calling the meal a feast is probably a marketing error to which the aforesaid reviewer has taken exception.

Perhaps a tad unfairly, although it is the marketer's job to attract some of the wrong diners who pay as well as the right ones I suppose. Those looking for all you can eat will be disappointed but we weren't disappointed not to see them. Portions were beautifully balanced as far as we were concerned which, to my mind, is how you eat well. You know the restaurant is on the right track when the diner pointedly finishes everything yet does not go home hungry. That is how we were.

Entrees were 2 money bags, 2 thai fish cakes, 2 spring rolls and, later, 2 grill-marinated chicken in curry paste/coconut milk and 2 peking duck in pancake rolls. These were thoughtfully presented with spoon sets of fish sauce and hoi sin sauce, with a thai touch I think, for the duck. All good, especially the marinated meat dishes. All dishes were served on wavy white asian platters which matched the sheer white restaurant décor.

For mains we chose stir fries seafood pad cha and crispy chicken with mixed herbs which came with jasmine rice and also chicken pad thai. The crispy chicken my partner ordered was superb. More beautiful marinated chicken, this time seasoned in herbs, with sauce based on onions caramelised to a fine sweetness. Both it and the seafood had those wonderful contrasts of lingering thai flavours including hot, sour, sweet and saltiness.

The seafood pad cha had plenty of hot chilli (I was duly warned and loved it) but those other dimensions of flavour were prominent too. The pad thai was presented well with a traditional crushed nut trimming. We shared all of our dishes and liked them all. The pictures on the restaurant's website, which appear painstakingly prepared by a food stylist, fairly reflect what you get.

All really good so far but I now get to the point when the meal went well beyond expectation. Our cudo voucher entitled us to two house wines. Our waiter (maitre' d and owner) advised that the wines to choose on our voucher were a NZ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (Waihopai) or a NZ Marlborough Pinot Noir (Little Black Stone). My partner chose the white and I, the red, but we shared those too! As I mentioned we received ample glasses and I reckon they are worth discussion.

The sauvignon blanc was well structured with tropical fruit and kiwifruit characters with a hint of herbaceousness. Very good indeed. I think Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc holds up very well with spicy food. This one certainly did. My pinot noir was pretty good too although I found it a bit more mouthfilling than other experiences I had had of Marlborough pinot. It was more savoury than fruit driven so I was suspicious that it might not have been Marlborough fruit. Sure enough, checking later I found out that the wine was a blend of Marlborough and Central Otago fruit.

A smart thai café serving Central Otago pinot as the house drop? That's an agreeable surprise! We are talking about the Southern Hemisphere's finest pinot noir producing area here (often $50 plus a bottle). That explains the mouth fill. Granted it's an entry level medium weight pinot for these regions, and I reckon it had some oak to fortify some savouriness into the red fruitiness. This gave the wine some backbone making it a decent accompaniment to strongly flavoured food. So much so that I ordered a second glass at $9 a pop. This evening was fun.

I would say Amaya is at its best if you sit outside as it is situated in an inviting eat street alley way mercifully free of motor traffic among the Potts Point shops. We don't know Potts Point very well so we found parking the car a battle. Next time I think we would go by train to Kings Cross railway station (very close by) to avoid that hassle. Amaya is a treat.

Aug 13, 2011

5 Average

Food  6      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  4     

We gave this place a try since our favorite in Gladesville, Jaipur Bizarre shut down sadly. It was Ok but it won't become our replacement unfortunately.

Its a dimlit rambling place which they have gone to some trouble to deck out in Bollywood style. Unfortunately, this means that table service is not quite up there with attentive intimate bistros but I would say our waiter tried hard enough. He just wasn't in our nook of the restaurant that often. We were there on a quiet night. We order curries. They were nicely cooked and were of modest though reasonable size in brass bowls.

From memory they were about $17 each {non-seafood) and are really a serving for one. They are rich so the serving is probably about right. Rice was not so well planned. The menu listed rice as a per person charge. The rice arrived in a bowl of the size of a soup for one. We needed to run off to the kitchen ourselves for two refills (3 of these bowls) to have with our curries and we had naan too!

Based on the per person charge and so many refills we were looking at $27 for rice (3 bowls times 3 persons times $3)! I was a little stressed that they might charge us in this way. Fortunately, they did not and we received the standard per person rice charge of $9 but the worry about did detract from our meal.

We had an entertainment book voucher and were hoping for a cheap meal. It was still over $50 for curries, rice, naan and corkage for three with the voucher so, particularly without a voucher or not using their Tuesday half price deal, this place does not present attractive value for us.

Jul 14, 2011

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  9     

I read the reviews here before trying this place with my entertainment book voucher. Thank you for these reviews. They were helpful.

As described, the restaurant was fairly empty, even on a Friday night, and we received excellent service. I imagine more activity in their takeaway trade?

All in all, a very pleasant experience including clean white table cloths. That is always a nice touch. There were huge windows at the front so no sense of being in one of those Pacific Highway boxes. It is very easy for passers-by to see what they can get.

With the voucher we ordered plenty. For three we ordered two curries and a tandoori chicken with basmati rice. Lucky for us we didn't order the maharajah feast on the menu (about $29 per person)! I was tempted because I was famished but desisted. Other reviews say they have big serves but haven't really described how big. I will attempt to do so. Like most diners, who love Indian, I am used to cute and stylish but small brass handled bowls of curry. These make some sense because, with Indian curries, we are talking about rich food here.

Not at Shahnai. Curries are served on bowls which I would use to serve a laksa or tom yum! In future when we go to Shahnai I will get two curries which, to our decent appetites, will be plenty for us three. Curries are about $16 from memory so two curries will be $32 excluding rice. At the cheapest half decent Indian places that serve dinner, curries are usually at least $13 at dinner time. So even minus an e-book voucher, I still foresee more good value to be had.

We enjoyed the curries. I preferred them to the tandoori chicken. My favorite was the lamb gosht with spinach. Basmati rice was done nicely with saffron.

The very attentive staff gave us the tandoori chicken we couldn't finish in a bag to take home to end an enjoyable evening. Thank you.

May 24, 2011

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  9     

Stopped at Bambinos Too for an early dinner on the way to a Mariners game in Gosford. I looked at the reviews here because we had a Sydney North entertainment book voucher. They were helpful and accurate, thank you. The restaurant was spacious with al fresco and lawn areas outside. A very relaxed atmosphere on Sydney's outskirts made even more casual with a TV. I think they are trying to cater, successfully, to many tastes.

Pizzas ranged from the downmarket supremes and meatlovers to gourmet, calzones and gluten free all competently prepared. Everyone in our party was happy. I enjoyed my large marinara pizza. There was a larger family size pizza for sharing but I think that is available only as a takeaway. I wish we had another voucher for next time we drop on the way to a game at Bluetongue.

Jan 16, 2012

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  9     

Lucetta Pizzeria is an escape from the noisy city. The Rocks end of Kent Street is growing on me as a dining quarter. It also works out as convenient to the Walsh Bay theatre precinct.

We went on an ouffer deal which included an attractively presented antipasto platter that featured a number of cured meats, a wood fired pizza each and a glass of Basedows chardonnay. For a house set menu wine this was a beauty. Lovely fruity characters without over-oaking which often turns me off that grape variety. I will look out for Basedows again.

Pizzas were tasteful italian style without brash or down market clashes of ingredients. Not overloaded with toppings so you could taste all of the distinct and pleasant flavours. Crusts were thin, dry and crisp, as you usually get from a wood fired oven. The base reminded me of baked lebanese bread as it pocketed between two layers in places.

Those after an oily meatlovers pizza or some other kind of grievous assault to their senses are better off looking somewhere else.

All in all an excellent meal which was just the right quantity for dinner. We noticed that prices, even without a voucher, were reasonable, especially for the city so this place is a bit of a haven. With the voucher we had I can't give it less than a 9 rating on value. We received terrific service. As a dinner for two surprise with my wife it was lovely.

Lovely owners as the other reviewers have said. They have a good grasp on how to look after diners so they deserve to do well.

Response from Management:
Thanks for taking the time to write a review. Unfortunately the Basedows we use is a restaurant only wine so you will need to come back to get some more!! Glad you loved the pizzas and most of all the entire experience. Hopefully see you again soon.

Nov 04, 2011

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  9     

Our meal was terrific. I would take issue with the reviewer who thought the glasses of wine were inadequate in particular. I thought them decent, perhaps largish on lavish long stems, but more about the wine below. I would say this place is about fine food. Three of us went with a cudo voucher for two which worked out really well for all with some further ordering. Calling the meal a feast is probably a marketing error to which the aforesaid reviewer has taken exception.

Perhaps a tad unfairly, although it is the marketer's job to attract some of the wrong diners who pay as well as the right ones I suppose. Those looking for all you can eat will be disappointed but we weren't disappointed not to see them. Portions were beautifully balanced as far as we were concerned which, to my mind, is how you eat well. You know the restaurant is on the right track when the diner pointedly finishes everything yet does not go home hungry. That is how we were.

Entrees were 2 money bags, 2 thai fish cakes, 2 spring rolls and, later, 2 grill-marinated chicken in curry paste/coconut milk and 2 peking duck in pancake rolls. These were thoughtfully presented with spoon sets of fish sauce and hoi sin sauce, with a thai touch I think, for the duck. All good, especially the marinated meat dishes. All dishes were served on wavy white asian platters which matched the sheer white restaurant décor.

For mains we chose stir fries seafood pad cha and crispy chicken with mixed herbs which came with jasmine rice and also chicken pad thai. The crispy chicken my partner ordered was superb. More beautiful marinated chicken, this time seasoned in herbs, with sauce based on onions caramelised to a fine sweetness. Both it and the seafood had those wonderful contrasts of lingering thai flavours including hot, sour, sweet and saltiness.

The seafood pad cha had plenty of hot chilli (I was duly warned and loved it) but those other dimensions of flavour were prominent too. The pad thai was presented well with a traditional crushed nut trimming. We shared all of our dishes and liked them all. The pictures on the restaurant's website, which appear painstakingly prepared by a food stylist, fairly reflect what you get.

All really good so far but I now get to the point when the meal went well beyond expectation. Our cudo voucher entitled us to two house wines. Our waiter (maitre' d and owner) advised that the wines to choose on our voucher were a NZ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (Waihopai) or a NZ Marlborough Pinot Noir (Little Black Stone). My partner chose the white and I, the red, but we shared those too! As I mentioned we received ample glasses and I reckon they are worth discussion.

The sauvignon blanc was well structured with tropical fruit and kiwifruit characters with a hint of herbaceousness. Very good indeed. I think Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc holds up very well with spicy food. This one certainly did. My pinot noir was pretty good too although I found it a bit more mouthfilling than other experiences I had had of Marlborough pinot. It was more savoury than fruit driven so I was suspicious that it might not have been Marlborough fruit. Sure enough, checking later I found out that the wine was a blend of Marlborough and Central Otago fruit.

A smart thai café serving Central Otago pinot as the house drop? That's an agreeable surprise! We are talking about the Southern Hemisphere's finest pinot noir producing area here (often $50 plus a bottle). That explains the mouth fill. Granted it's an entry level medium weight pinot for these regions, and I reckon it had some oak to fortify some savouriness into the red fruitiness. This gave the wine some backbone making it a decent accompaniment to strongly flavoured food. So much so that I ordered a second glass at $9 a pop. This evening was fun.

I would say Amaya is at its best if you sit outside as it is situated in an inviting eat street alley way mercifully free of motor traffic among the Potts Point shops. We don't know Potts Point very well so we found parking the car a battle. Next time I think we would go by train to Kings Cross railway station (very close by) to avoid that hassle. Amaya is a treat.

Aug 13, 2011

5 Average

Food  6      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  4     

We gave this place a try since our favorite in Gladesville, Jaipur Bizarre shut down sadly. It was Ok but it won't become our replacement unfortunately.

Its a dimlit rambling place which they have gone to some trouble to deck out in Bollywood style. Unfortunately, this means that table service is not quite up there with attentive intimate bistros but I would say our waiter tried hard enough. He just wasn't in our nook of the restaurant that often. We were there on a quiet night. We order curries. They were nicely cooked and were of modest though reasonable size in brass bowls.

From memory they were about $17 each {non-seafood) and are really a serving for one. They are rich so the serving is probably about right. Rice was not so well planned. The menu listed rice as a per person charge. The rice arrived in a bowl of the size of a soup for one. We needed to run off to the kitchen ourselves for two refills (3 of these bowls) to have with our curries and we had naan too!

Based on the per person charge and so many refills we were looking at $27 for rice (3 bowls times 3 persons times $3)! I was a little stressed that they might charge us in this way. Fortunately, they did not and we received the standard per person rice charge of $9 but the worry about did detract from our meal.

We had an entertainment book voucher and were hoping for a cheap meal. It was still over $50 for curries, rice, naan and corkage for three with the voucher so, particularly without a voucher or not using their Tuesday half price deal, this place does not present attractive value for us.

Jul 14, 2011

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  9     

I read the reviews here before trying this place with my entertainment book voucher. Thank you for these reviews. They were helpful.

As described, the restaurant was fairly empty, even on a Friday night, and we received excellent service. I imagine more activity in their takeaway trade?

All in all, a very pleasant experience including clean white table cloths. That is always a nice touch. There were huge windows at the front so no sense of being in one of those Pacific Highway boxes. It is very easy for passers-by to see what they can get.

With the voucher we ordered plenty. For three we ordered two curries and a tandoori chicken with basmati rice. Lucky for us we didn't order the maharajah feast on the menu (about $29 per person)! I was tempted because I was famished but desisted. Other reviews say they have big serves but haven't really described how big. I will attempt to do so. Like most diners, who love Indian, I am used to cute and stylish but small brass handled bowls of curry. These make some sense because, with Indian curries, we are talking about rich food here.

Not at Shahnai. Curries are served on bowls which I would use to serve a laksa or tom yum! In future when we go to Shahnai I will get two curries which, to our decent appetites, will be plenty for us three. Curries are about $16 from memory so two curries will be $32 excluding rice. At the cheapest half decent Indian places that serve dinner, curries are usually at least $13 at dinner time. So even minus an e-book voucher, I still foresee more good value to be had.

We enjoyed the curries. I preferred them to the tandoori chicken. My favorite was the lamb gosht with spinach. Basmati rice was done nicely with saffron.

The very attentive staff gave us the tandoori chicken we couldn't finish in a bag to take home to end an enjoyable evening. Thank you.

May 24, 2011

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

Exceptional cooking here. The prices are a little higher than the cheapest Thai places but that is fully justified by the cooking and presentation. As another reviewer has suggested, the mussaman beef in eye catching large chunks was evenly cooked to fall apart tenderness. Also good were duck with chilli and pepper and pad thai. The pad thai included delicious prawn. Jasmine rice servings were ample and, it too, was cooked just right - firm, fluffy and severable. Beautiful food with wine.

I am not too sure about what some of the other reviews say. This place and Chilli Jam are notable Thai alternatives to excellent Italian options along this part of Majors Bay Road. All in all very professional as you would expect from the Thai Riffic group. Staff were very helpful and courteous on a Saturday night even though they were busy. This narrow but thoughtfully appointed restaurant was packed out.

May 08, 2011