epicurious

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

How did Canberra get so lucky? We came from Sydney to eat here. This is a marvellous, lively trattoria with exceptional food. No cliches here. They take many a traditional dish and inject it with such flare and serious skill. The wine list should also be commended. Please open an Italian and Sons in Sydney!

Mar 19, 2012

7 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  7     

A fabulous "cheap and cheerful" restaurant. Compared to similar Thai restaurants (Chat Thai being the most obvious comparison) I thought the space and decor at Home vastly more comfortable and spacious.

The food is fiery and authentic. This isn't dumbed down food for Western palates. I also commend them highly for not demading customers "eat and run". My companion and I stayed for almost three hours at our table eating and chatting. And no one bothered us or demanded we hurry up. Admittedly we came for dinner very early. Which meant it was less busy and certainly there was no wait.

I'd highly recommend this restaurant. But be prepared to wait if you want to eat at peak times. Staff communication can be poor. But at these prices you can't have everything.

Mar 15, 2012

5.5 Average

Food  7      Ambience  4      Service  4      Value  7     

While the food at Al Aseel is both great value and very good (though not exceptional), I'm afraid I won't be back because I just can't forgive the restaurant's toilet facilities (both female and male). They are positively third world. I've traveled in South Esat Asia and not encountered such filth. This really is a disgrace in Sydney. Go for takeaway or avoid needing to use the toilet facilities.

Sep 03, 2011

4.8 Average

Food  8      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  5     

Here is a vivid example of a restaurant that is simply too arrogant to offer basic customer service. We dined here very early on a Saturday night (when there were still few people in the restaurant) and yet no one could muster even the pretence of a friendly greeting or an ounce of hospitality.

I can't fault the food. It is extremely fresh and vibrant. And their sake menu has some stunningly elegant drops. However, when you feel unwelcome in a restaurant - and have to contend with a deafening and distracting soundtrack that makes conversation almost impossible - the food alone cannot save the day. There are so many more warm and welcoming eateries on Crown Street (not to mention Surry Hills in general). So why bother with this one?

Jan 23, 2011

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

8.2 Recommended

Food  7      Drinks  9      Ambience  9      Service  7      Value  9     

In the souless wasteland that is Macquarie Shopping Centre this tea house is a magical oasis. The (hot) teas are superb, an entire booklet of choice awaits. The cakes/sweets can vary a little too much in terms of quality: sometimes perfectly delicious, at other times cloyingly sweet and mediocre. I have never had savoury food here, so cannot offer an assessment. Go for the astonishing array of quality teas and the convivial ambience.

Jan 11, 2011

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

How did Canberra get so lucky? We came from Sydney to eat here. This is a marvellous, lively trattoria with exceptional food. No cliches here. They take many a traditional dish and inject it with such flare and serious skill. The wine list should also be commended. Please open an Italian and Sons in Sydney!

Mar 19, 2012

7 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  7     

A fabulous "cheap and cheerful" restaurant. Compared to similar Thai restaurants (Chat Thai being the most obvious comparison) I thought the space and decor at Home vastly more comfortable and spacious.

The food is fiery and authentic. This isn't dumbed down food for Western palates. I also commend them highly for not demading customers "eat and run". My companion and I stayed for almost three hours at our table eating and chatting. And no one bothered us or demanded we hurry up. Admittedly we came for dinner very early. Which meant it was less busy and certainly there was no wait.

I'd highly recommend this restaurant. But be prepared to wait if you want to eat at peak times. Staff communication can be poor. But at these prices you can't have everything.

Mar 15, 2012

5.5 Average

Food  7      Ambience  4      Service  4      Value  7     

While the food at Al Aseel is both great value and very good (though not exceptional), I'm afraid I won't be back because I just can't forgive the restaurant's toilet facilities (both female and male). They are positively third world. I've traveled in South Esat Asia and not encountered such filth. This really is a disgrace in Sydney. Go for takeaway or avoid needing to use the toilet facilities.

Sep 03, 2011

4.8 Average

Food  8      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  5     

Here is a vivid example of a restaurant that is simply too arrogant to offer basic customer service. We dined here very early on a Saturday night (when there were still few people in the restaurant) and yet no one could muster even the pretence of a friendly greeting or an ounce of hospitality.

I can't fault the food. It is extremely fresh and vibrant. And their sake menu has some stunningly elegant drops. However, when you feel unwelcome in a restaurant - and have to contend with a deafening and distracting soundtrack that makes conversation almost impossible - the food alone cannot save the day. There are so many more warm and welcoming eateries on Crown Street (not to mention Surry Hills in general). So why bother with this one?

Jan 23, 2011

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

8.2 Recommended

Food  7      Drinks  9      Ambience  9      Service  7      Value  9     

In the souless wasteland that is Macquarie Shopping Centre this tea house is a magical oasis. The (hot) teas are superb, an entire booklet of choice awaits. The cakes/sweets can vary a little too much in terms of quality: sometimes perfectly delicious, at other times cloyingly sweet and mediocre. I have never had savoury food here, so cannot offer an assessment. Go for the astonishing array of quality teas and the convivial ambience.

Jan 11, 2011

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  8     

I adore this place. I still think it is in the top five of the best pizza restaurants in Sydney. I have been here with a wide variety of friends, and all have enjoyed it immensely. Admittedly we tend to go outside the peak periods. Thus it is rarely crowded when I have been and the staff are more attentive as a consequence. My only complaint is that their wine list is rather mediocre. However, the superb pizzas make up for any minor quibble.

Jan 11, 2011

7.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  9      Service  7      Value  7     

We had a long and enjoyable lunch on a Tuesday afternoon here with some overseas visitors. They were awed by the location and pleased with the cafe itself. As were we. I'm perpelxed by many of the complaints about Bathers. This is a cafe afterall, not the fine dining restaurant section. Yes service and food can vary occasionally, usually depending on how busy they are.

Overall I have always had a magical experience here. Weekends may not be the best time to experience Bathers at its most enchanting. The location is the primary drawcard. The pleasant food (desserts are outstanding) is a bonus. And their wine list has improved immeasurably.

Jan 11, 2011

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  8     

We had dinner at this unassuming and obscurely located restaurant on a quite Wednesday night. Expectations were not high as this is not a suburb known for worthwhile eateries. Hence, we were rather stunned when the food and service both surpassed our expectations.

The pastas were why we wanted to eat here. They are all made on the premises by a chef with an impressive CV. The menu keeps things short and simple, but the food is cooked with skill and care. Far more skill than one would ever except in such a suburban location.

The service on the night we dined was particularly attentive and engaging. Whether such a high level of service would be given on a busy Friday or Saturday night I don't know. I'd highly recommend Latteccino as a place to have a casual meal of surprisingly high quality.

Don't miss the desserts in the glass cabinet either. They are marvellous.

Aug 24, 2010

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

1.8 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  3      Service  2      Value  1     

Avoid this place and The Italian Forum at all costs. Inedible slop is the only description for the food. This is lazy, cynical cooking at its worst. We went after a Sunday night film in Leichhardt. Admittedly with low expectations as our first choice wasn't available but still hopeful that we could at least find something edible.

How wrong were we. The pastas were utterly overwhelmed by salt. Our waitress didn't know what the specials were. The cutlery had not been cleaned properly. We were given the wrong wine. It was a total farce. And to add insult to this litany of woes, they charge prices comparable to decent Italian eateries in such suburbs as Surry Hills.

I suspect most of what passes for eateries in The Italian Forum are just as disgraceful. This is a destination for the unsuspecting or the unimaginative. If you value food at all stay away.

Aug 16, 2010

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  7     

Buzo is such a magical experience. It's not the best food in Sydney, but the overall experience of dining there is one of the best in Sydney. The combination of the intimate elegant space, polished service and reliably good food, not to mention a very pleasing wine selection, has made every meal there utterly memorable. I've eaten in many of Sydney's highly hatted/rated restaurants and my overall experience of Buzo has been vastly more enjoyable than these 5-star dining venues.

May 23, 2010