Reviews


Pho Ben, Parramatta

Restaurants, Vietnamese

Overall 8  35

1.8 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  4      Service  1      Value  1     


I live nearby and always thought it would be good to try this place as I love pho. Dropped in for dinner and ordered pho and a chicken laksa. The pho was ok but just average, much better at the other authentic viet restaurants in parra. The laksa though was terrible. Seemed like they just added spoonfuls of sambal paste to coconut milk, all spice but no flavour.

The table next to us had also ordered a laksa and when they noticed we had it, the guy leant across and said that he never complains about food but it was the worst laksa he's had. I've had worse (attempted home cooking) but we got his point. We complained to the waiter and asked if we could get another dish but he promised the chef could fix it (after going back and forth a few times). It came back as just coconut milk with no chilli. Inedible.

The staff were not overly helpful nor concerned, despite only having a mouthful of the laksa they insisted we pay for the whole thing. Will not eat there again.

Jun 26, 2010

Was this review helpful?   |



La Grande Bouffe, Rozelle

Restaurants, French, BYO, Child Friendly, Licensed

Overall 7.4  123

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.3 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  3     


I am confused by all the glowing reviews on here, however, the negative reviews exactly mirror my own experience. Given they seem to be mostly the breakfast/ brunch crowd, the proprietor really needs to sort out this discrepancy.

I hadn't heard anything about this place when 3 friends and I chanced upon it for breakfast last weekend. It was maybe half full, and looked impressive so we figured we'd give it a shot.

The biggest issue here was the staff. There was one main waiter who was running round taking orders, and he is not the kind of person you want being the face of your restaurant. He was rude, impatient, and inattentive. He made us feel like we were wasting his time and inconveniencing him in wanting to order food. When he finally came to take our order he came and stood behind the table and glared at us, notepad in hand.

One coffee order arrived incorrect (instead of a cap with 3/4 milk, a regular cap was delivered), and when we tried to explain what the problem was he grabbed the coffee and stormed off. 5 minutes later he came back with another regular cap, placed on the table and stormed off again, not giving us the chance to point out that he still didn't get it right (a number of episodes occurred like this during the meal).

The food was average at best, $16 for a 'big' breakfast that included a single tiny rasher of bacon and a burnt half a baguette of about 10cmx4cm. The coffee was poor to average. The service really ruined the meal and we'd never go back.

Jan 07, 2010

Was this review helpful?   |



More Reviews...

Photos




Profile

Member since 2010

Last updated on 1st Jun 2012





Reviews

Sort by Review Rating Review Date


 

Displaying: 1 - 2 of 2 reviews



Pho Ben, Parramatta

Restaurants, Vietnamese

Overall 8  35

1.8 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  4      Service  1      Value  1     


I live nearby and always thought it would be good to try this place as I love pho. Dropped in for dinner and ordered pho and a chicken laksa. The pho was ok but just average, much better at the other authentic viet restaurants in parra. The laksa though was terrible. Seemed like they just added spoonfuls of sambal paste to coconut milk, all spice but no flavour.

The table next to us had also ordered a laksa and when they noticed we had it, the guy leant across and said that he never complains about food but it was the worst laksa he's had. I've had worse (attempted home cooking) but we got his point. We complained to the waiter and asked if we could get another dish but he promised the chef could fix it (after going back and forth a few times). It came back as just coconut milk with no chilli. Inedible.

The staff were not overly helpful nor concerned, despite only having a mouthful of the laksa they insisted we pay for the whole thing. Will not eat there again.

Jun 26, 2010

Was this review helpful?   |



La Grande Bouffe, Rozelle

Restaurants, French, BYO, Child Friendly, Licensed

Overall 7.4  123

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

3.3 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  3     


I am confused by all the glowing reviews on here, however, the negative reviews exactly mirror my own experience. Given they seem to be mostly the breakfast/ brunch crowd, the proprietor really needs to sort out this discrepancy.

I hadn't heard anything about this place when 3 friends and I chanced upon it for breakfast last weekend. It was maybe half full, and looked impressive so we figured we'd give it a shot.

The biggest issue here was the staff. There was one main waiter who was running round taking orders, and he is not the kind of person you want being the face of your restaurant. He was rude, impatient, and inattentive. He made us feel like we were wasting his time and inconveniencing him in wanting to order food. When he finally came to take our order he came and stood behind the table and glared at us, notepad in hand.

One coffee order arrived incorrect (instead of a cap with 3/4 milk, a regular cap was delivered), and when we tried to explain what the problem was he grabbed the coffee and stormed off. 5 minutes later he came back with another regular cap, placed on the table and stormed off again, not giving us the chance to point out that he still didn't get it right (a number of episodes occurred like this during the meal).

The food was average at best, $16 for a 'big' breakfast that included a single tiny rasher of bacon and a burnt half a baguette of about 10cmx4cm. The coffee was poor to average. The service really ruined the meal and we'd never go back.

Jan 07, 2010

Was this review helpful?   |



 

Displaying: 1 - 2 of 2 reviews



Scroll map



No photos yet






Book a Restaurant Table
Daily Deals
Special Offers
Best of Sydney
Order Takeaway
Free to order | No markup
Book a Hotel Room
Where?
No fees | Best rate guaranteed

Arrive

Depart


Anonymous photo Anonymous

Login / Register

Recently Viewed
Tell a Friend

Lists

Favourites

    No items

New List

Add

Body Left Cached User Nav : showCached : true, time: 0ms


Newsletter

Get deals, specials & news!

Sign Up
View a previous newsletter

Browse Sydney

expand Arts & Leisure
expand Health & Beauty
expand Hotels
expand Restaurants & Nightlife
expand Services
expand Shops

Restaurants & Nightlife Categories

expand Cuisines
expand Dining Atmospheres
expand Dining Features
expand Hotel Amenities
expand Bookings Online
expand View
expand Dietary Standards
expand Parking Facilities
expand Delivery, Pick Up & Catering
expand Awards
expand Internet Access
expand Accessibility
expand Arts & Crafts
expand Fitness & Recreation
expand Guided Tours
expand Hotel Room Facilities
expand Parking Types
expand Pool, Spa & Gym Facilities
expand Public Amenities
expand Sport Types

Within Sydney




Close