izzybelle

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

We had the five course banquet for two. Most memorable dishes were the sashimi, duck, and lime tart. Fresh, sharp, and authentic flavours, incorporating the best of regional Asian ingredients. Male waiter was knowledgeable about all the dishes. Very good value at around $70 per person.

Apr 14, 2012

3.8 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  1      Service  5      Value  4     

Among the worst restaurants I've been to. The three of us were seated in a table the size of a school desk. I sat in a phone chair which was the height of a toilet seat with as much leg room as economy class. My friend accidentally burned the plastic menu on the candle while reading it, which reflects the lack of space on the table! We noticed similar markings on our menus so it must not be that uncommon. There was also a hair on my plate. Gross!

The food is as confused as the decor. Every dish contained essentially the same ingredients with a few tweaks: quinoa, asian greens, and nuts. We may as well have ordered 5 of the same dishes. The skin on their signature rice paper rolls was too tough. The "passage to India" curry was like an overcooked vegetable stew with no detectable spices, something you would feed to a child with an underdeveloped palate.

Dumplings looked deflated and they were pricey at $15 for 5. They came with a smudge of chilli on the side which everyone fought for because they had no flavour.

We ran out of space on our table as the food arrived. When our last dish came, it was placed in our hands. I was expecting the table to be cleared so we could put our food down but that never happened.

Didn't try dessert. Could not wait to get out of there!

Apr 14, 2012

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

Many options for non-red meat eaters. King quail was tender and bursting with flavour. The spicy lobster was underwhelming, as the sauce overpowered the taste of the lobster. One dish I would like to have again is the beer battered oysters with sake and seaweed risotto. This dish had complex textures and flavours. Boyfriend had the Iberico ham and asparagus, which he liked. Also recommend the soups and the delicious black sesame bread.

The dessert list is very tempting, and was the subject of much deliberation. Eventually settled on the crème brûlée, which paired well with some bitter coffee ice cream. Then there was the earl grey tart and milk ice cream - a must for earl grey enthusiasts. The milk ice cream was distinctively 'milky'. Ambience is good, as is the service.

Feb 08, 2011

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  9     

Teriyaki Boy consistently delivers simple Japanese food, cooked to perfection. My boyfriend and I have probably been here a million times. We always order steamed crab dumplings ($12 for 3), salmon teriyaki, kingfish teriyaki, and wafu steak (around $20 each). The dumplings look more like shumai, but they are perfect. The salmon is creamy, the kingfish is juicy, as is the steak. Also recommend the kakuni - sweet, melt-in-your-mouth braised pork belly. The sushi is always fresh. The rice is high quality. The wasabi salad is refreshing. The service is excellent. Always look forward to coming here!

Feb 07, 2011

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  10      Value  9     

The Kaiseki delivered some interesting dishes, some were creative while others were not well executed. The fish in a parcel and the teriyaki walnut salmon were highlights. The prawn sashimi with plum sauce was underwhelming, consisting of half a prawn. Our waitress was very earnest. She apologised for their depleted stock of asparagus as she handed us sushi containing a bean tempura substitute. I doubt we would have noticed, and we cared not anyway, but they insisted on complimentary desserts on top of the ones we had ordered, a very nice gesture.

The fig and pistachio ice cream was brilliant, but my favourites were the complimentary chocolate fudge with soybean dust and the pannacotta. This restaurant is well worth another visit.

Feb 07, 2011

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

We had the five course banquet for two. Most memorable dishes were the sashimi, duck, and lime tart. Fresh, sharp, and authentic flavours, incorporating the best of regional Asian ingredients. Male waiter was knowledgeable about all the dishes. Very good value at around $70 per person.

Apr 14, 2012

3.8 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  1      Service  5      Value  4     

Among the worst restaurants I've been to. The three of us were seated in a table the size of a school desk. I sat in a phone chair which was the height of a toilet seat with as much leg room as economy class. My friend accidentally burned the plastic menu on the candle while reading it, which reflects the lack of space on the table! We noticed similar markings on our menus so it must not be that uncommon. There was also a hair on my plate. Gross!

The food is as confused as the decor. Every dish contained essentially the same ingredients with a few tweaks: quinoa, asian greens, and nuts. We may as well have ordered 5 of the same dishes. The skin on their signature rice paper rolls was too tough. The "passage to India" curry was like an overcooked vegetable stew with no detectable spices, something you would feed to a child with an underdeveloped palate.

Dumplings looked deflated and they were pricey at $15 for 5. They came with a smudge of chilli on the side which everyone fought for because they had no flavour.

We ran out of space on our table as the food arrived. When our last dish came, it was placed in our hands. I was expecting the table to be cleared so we could put our food down but that never happened.

Didn't try dessert. Could not wait to get out of there!

Apr 14, 2012

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

Many options for non-red meat eaters. King quail was tender and bursting with flavour. The spicy lobster was underwhelming, as the sauce overpowered the taste of the lobster. One dish I would like to have again is the beer battered oysters with sake and seaweed risotto. This dish had complex textures and flavours. Boyfriend had the Iberico ham and asparagus, which he liked. Also recommend the soups and the delicious black sesame bread.

The dessert list is very tempting, and was the subject of much deliberation. Eventually settled on the crème brûlée, which paired well with some bitter coffee ice cream. Then there was the earl grey tart and milk ice cream - a must for earl grey enthusiasts. The milk ice cream was distinctively 'milky'. Ambience is good, as is the service.

Feb 08, 2011

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  9     

Teriyaki Boy consistently delivers simple Japanese food, cooked to perfection. My boyfriend and I have probably been here a million times. We always order steamed crab dumplings ($12 for 3), salmon teriyaki, kingfish teriyaki, and wafu steak (around $20 each). The dumplings look more like shumai, but they are perfect. The salmon is creamy, the kingfish is juicy, as is the steak. Also recommend the kakuni - sweet, melt-in-your-mouth braised pork belly. The sushi is always fresh. The rice is high quality. The wasabi salad is refreshing. The service is excellent. Always look forward to coming here!

Feb 07, 2011

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  10      Value  9     

The Kaiseki delivered some interesting dishes, some were creative while others were not well executed. The fish in a parcel and the teriyaki walnut salmon were highlights. The prawn sashimi with plum sauce was underwhelming, consisting of half a prawn. Our waitress was very earnest. She apologised for their depleted stock of asparagus as she handed us sushi containing a bean tempura substitute. I doubt we would have noticed, and we cared not anyway, but they insisted on complimentary desserts on top of the ones we had ordered, a very nice gesture.

The fig and pistachio ice cream was brilliant, but my favourites were the complimentary chocolate fudge with soybean dust and the pannacotta. This restaurant is well worth another visit.

Feb 07, 2011

5 Average

Food  7      Ambience  5      Service  3      Value  5     

The walnut strudel is worth trying. As others have mentioned, the service is fairly indifferent. You must call the waiter to order something and the food takes longer than usual to arrive.

Feb 07, 2011

7.8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  6      Value  8     

Had lunch here recently. Warm sourdough on arrival. Confit tuna was beautifully presented and delicious. It looked like a miniature garden, gorgeous! Beef risotto was over salted. Beans were young and tender. Ginger cake was average, overly sweet. Eton mess was great.

I would not describe the service as friendly, from the maître d’ to the waiters who swept crumbs off our table in between courses. It was clinical, which is fine by me.

Dec 28, 2009

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  9     

Go for their sublime tea smoked duck and delicious cocktails. Also highly recommend the seafood and desserts. In summer, the ambience is perfect around dinner time.

The service is excellent. Each course arrived promptly after the other, with sufficient time in between to dwell on the last course. Waiters are courteous and unobtrusive. Will return again and again!

Dec 28, 2009

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  7      Value  7     

Really fantastic tasting food which was beautifully presented. Lunch here was probably the highlight of our trip to the Hunter Valley. The ambience was perfect; airy and spacious.

Dec 10, 2008