ezekial

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  7     

Never been to an all organic restaurant before, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The food really does taste very fresh and is full of flavour. The decor is also very tastefully done and it's nice to sit at a solid big table and comfy dining chair to eat your meal, rather than the low, rickety little things that are so common in restaurants these days.

The major drawback here though is the wine list, which is below average for a restaurant of this calibre and price. The wines I tasted were pretty ordinary. I applaud the effort to feature only organic/biodynamic wines, but the quality is not there, both wines I ordered were like house whites at a city bar. What's more, my allergies were even worse than when I drink wines with preservatives so go figure.

Having said that, I had an enjoyable night and will likely be back, though I wish it was BYO!

Jul 07, 2010

9 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  9     

What a fantastic little find in the heart of the city. A personal, warm, traditional little Parisian bistro on Clarence St! The ambience is great, you could close your eyes and for a moment think you're in France, in fact, you don't even need to close your eyes.

The food is traditional French, and doesn't pretend to be anything else, which is refreshing in the era of fusions and fat free options. Butter and garlic are used liberally and to great effect, just as it should be, yet, there are also a slight Mediterranean influence in the menu as well.

The wine list stocks some great French wines at reasonable restaurant prices which are a bit different from the Aussie varieties that are standard restaurant fare in Sydney. If you go you must try the creme brulee, a French dish of course and here it was one of the best I've had.

Jul 07, 2010

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  8     

Great restaurant tucked away in the back streets of Pyrmont. Fantastic Italian food, but more than just pizza and pasta (although the pizzas are very good indeed), and with some "out there" dishes and ingredients. Initially I wasn't too keen on the idea of "seafood froth", but with Alaskin king crab and vegetables it helped the dish come together with a real taste of the sea.

The service is friendly and attentive, and the wine list quite impressive with good local and imported drops at reasonable restaurant prices. Overall a good value restaurant with tasty and somewhat different food, infused with traditional Italian flavours and hospitality. I'll be back again!

May 13, 2010

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  7     

Nice cafe with good food served well and in generous portions. Good water views, but doesn't rest on its laurels. Far better than the imposter Zimzala down at South Cronulla, this place delivers with nice food (the eggs are always good) good service (the wait staff are attentive and will happily set up an umbrella if your vista is a bit too sunny) and not bad when it comes to value either.

I have mixed feelings about posting this review as I don't want the place to become even more popular!

Apr 26, 2010

4 Below Average

Food  7      Ambience  4      Service  4      Value  1     

Tried this place to test the hype and sorry to say I was disappointed. The coffee is nothing special, and luke warm when I finally got it. The food is good cafe grub but nothing special and not good value at all. Honestly, they charged $4 for a bit of avocado on two corn fritters that cost $18 already, and charged us for cheese on a hamburger! 1 course lunch for 2 ppl with coffees came to over 60 bucks... sheesh!

Also rather strange was the fact that there were empty tables inside the cafe while ppl were forced to line up for a seat, or sent away for an hour because they couldn't get a seat, and others (like us) were forced outside in the cold.

Overall, I wan't overly impressed, and the place has no real value proposition apart from it's apparent trendzoid status.

Apr 26, 2010

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  7     

Never been to an all organic restaurant before, and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The food really does taste very fresh and is full of flavour. The decor is also very tastefully done and it's nice to sit at a solid big table and comfy dining chair to eat your meal, rather than the low, rickety little things that are so common in restaurants these days.

The major drawback here though is the wine list, which is below average for a restaurant of this calibre and price. The wines I tasted were pretty ordinary. I applaud the effort to feature only organic/biodynamic wines, but the quality is not there, both wines I ordered were like house whites at a city bar. What's more, my allergies were even worse than when I drink wines with preservatives so go figure.

Having said that, I had an enjoyable night and will likely be back, though I wish it was BYO!

Jul 07, 2010

9 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  9     

What a fantastic little find in the heart of the city. A personal, warm, traditional little Parisian bistro on Clarence St! The ambience is great, you could close your eyes and for a moment think you're in France, in fact, you don't even need to close your eyes.

The food is traditional French, and doesn't pretend to be anything else, which is refreshing in the era of fusions and fat free options. Butter and garlic are used liberally and to great effect, just as it should be, yet, there are also a slight Mediterranean influence in the menu as well.

The wine list stocks some great French wines at reasonable restaurant prices which are a bit different from the Aussie varieties that are standard restaurant fare in Sydney. If you go you must try the creme brulee, a French dish of course and here it was one of the best I've had.

Jul 07, 2010

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  8     

Great restaurant tucked away in the back streets of Pyrmont. Fantastic Italian food, but more than just pizza and pasta (although the pizzas are very good indeed), and with some "out there" dishes and ingredients. Initially I wasn't too keen on the idea of "seafood froth", but with Alaskin king crab and vegetables it helped the dish come together with a real taste of the sea.

The service is friendly and attentive, and the wine list quite impressive with good local and imported drops at reasonable restaurant prices. Overall a good value restaurant with tasty and somewhat different food, infused with traditional Italian flavours and hospitality. I'll be back again!

May 13, 2010

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  7     

Nice cafe with good food served well and in generous portions. Good water views, but doesn't rest on its laurels. Far better than the imposter Zimzala down at South Cronulla, this place delivers with nice food (the eggs are always good) good service (the wait staff are attentive and will happily set up an umbrella if your vista is a bit too sunny) and not bad when it comes to value either.

I have mixed feelings about posting this review as I don't want the place to become even more popular!

Apr 26, 2010

4 Below Average

Food  7      Ambience  4      Service  4      Value  1     

Tried this place to test the hype and sorry to say I was disappointed. The coffee is nothing special, and luke warm when I finally got it. The food is good cafe grub but nothing special and not good value at all. Honestly, they charged $4 for a bit of avocado on two corn fritters that cost $18 already, and charged us for cheese on a hamburger! 1 course lunch for 2 ppl with coffees came to over 60 bucks... sheesh!

Also rather strange was the fact that there were empty tables inside the cafe while ppl were forced to line up for a seat, or sent away for an hour because they couldn't get a seat, and others (like us) were forced outside in the cold.

Overall, I wan't overly impressed, and the place has no real value proposition apart from it's apparent trendzoid status.

Apr 26, 2010

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  7     

This place is a great example of assessing your environment, picking a theme and executing it brilliantly. The menu is mostly seafood, which is great as you are right beside the sea at Kingscliff, and the fresh flavours perfectly compliment the serene North Coast surrounds.

You can tell the staff here are passionate about food, talking to one of the waitstaff you will soon learn that what they doesn't know about oysters (among other food-related trivia) isn't worth knowing. And this knowledge is certainly put into practice (the oysters were divine btw). The seafood tagine is a delight (specialty of the house), and the fish dishes are always done to perfection (my partner doesn't like fish, but ate more than a few pieces on our last visit, until I told her it was fish!).

The wine cellar is also well stocked, but be warned the prices do not make this place what I would consider a value option. Having said that, it's nice once in a while (or more often if you can afford it) to indulge and submit to your surrounds, and for this Fins is the perfect place.

Nov 02, 2009

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

This is a great little restaurant, everyone should have a 'local' like this. Good food with traditional flavours, large (but not huge) serves, and friendly service. Recommend the veal shank (the meat was perfect and the vegetables were full of indulgent flavours), the john dory was also very nicely done and for dessert, the creme brulee is an excellent choice and not fussy at all.

No pretence about this place, just good food and pretty good value too. Will be going back to this one.

Nov 02, 2009

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

9 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  10     

The best patisserie in Sydney with the best cakes. Nothing compares to this place, the pastries are in a league of their own.

Oct 28, 2009

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  6     

Have been here a few times, it is not the best value for money going around, but the view is great, the service has always been good, and the seafood is always spot on.

Everyone should have a local restaurant like this one. It's not the best restaurant in town, but it doesn't try to be. A good meal is always guaranteed and the lobster mornay is a fave.

Sep 04, 2009

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  8     

I've been back a couple of times since my last review and I'm sorry to say the standard has slipped slightly. Once my partner ordered a chicken dish and the meat was pink (not healthy), and the service isn't as good as it used to be. Overall it's still a good place for a quick feed and I'll be back, but now I just stick to the dishes I trust (nothing with chicken) and know they do well.

I'd still recommend this restaurant, it still offers better value and service than a lot places in the Shire.

Mar 30, 2009