jezebel

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  7     

Our first visit to La Trattoria, but won't be our last. Good range of dishes on the menu. We had some arancini to start, then the slow cooked lamb, which was delicious and a generous sized serve, and the veal. The mushroom, pea and Parma ham sauce with the veal was very tasty. Green beans had a little too much chilli for my taste, but the potatoes were very nicely cooked.

For dessert, we had the tiramisu, which was fabulous, creamy, not too strong a coffee flavor and some gelato which was ok. The service was generally friendly and attentive. The restaurant was full on a Saturday evening and a bit noisy as a result, lots of hard surfaces to reflect noise, particularly from the large group near us.

The bill had a $20 service charge on it, which we were told was a computer glitch as it wasn't included in the total (which it wasn't), the one glitch of the evening.

Mar 10, 2012

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  8     

One of the tests of a good restaurant is how they respond to complaints. The table we were seated at was in the dark. As in, need a torch to read the menu dark. When we raised this, we were given a choice of other tables (which does make me wonder why they seat anyone who has booked in advance at a table in the dark when there are other options, perhaps, for the view of the Opera House and Harbour bridge, which was the only thing we could see), and promptly moved. Points for that.

The mulloway was delicious, skin was crispy, fish was tasty, zucchini very fresh. My husband's beef was very tender and tasty. The peach and mozzarella salad delicious. Desserts were also great, the chocolate, pecans, toffee one just a lovely mix of textures and flavours.

Service was very good, there when we needed, not hovering and pushing us out, polite and pleasant without being overly so.

Yes, it's expensive, but pretty good value for a lovely dining experience.

Feb 03, 2012

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

Delighted to find another place to dine before going to the theatre in Walsh Bay! The service was efficient without being rushed, and the staff were very helpful in guiding us on the amount we should order (although we did have a bit too much food) and recommending dishes.

We started with the trio of dips - all very tasty - and tabouli. My favourite was the yoghurt dip - simple and creamy. Then 3 of us shared the chicken and lamb skewers (which came with some potatoes and other roast vegetables), salt and pepper calamari, and beans. The chicken was so tender - just delicous. No room for dessert unfortunately, but will be back to try another time, as well as some of the mezze dishes.

Dec 05, 2011

5.5 Average

Food  9      Ambience  6      Service  3      Value  4     

Sake offers a very interesting range of modern Japanese cuisine, served tapas style to share. The food was fantastic - a great range of dishes, all delicious. The shrimp popcorn was very tasty, also really enjoyed the thinly sliced wagyu beef, melt in your mouth stuff. The sashimi was very fresh. No room for dessert as we over-ordered on entrees and mains.

What really let Sake down was the service. We were put in a private room and then completely ignored for over 15 minutes, till one of our group asked to be moved. We were then moved to a table in the main part of the restaurant and ignored there till we flagged someone down to order. She didn't think to ask if we wanted to order anything to drink (which we did). We also asked for water which didn't arrive, despite glasses on tables around us being refilled.

Once the manager came over and asked why we'd asked to be moved, and got a polite description of the service issues, the service improved dramatically. They gave us one bottle of wine and an entree on the house to apologise, which was very gracious. I'd prefer to just get decent service, without the angst though. Venue was noisy but very busy on a Friday night so that's to be expected.

Nov 07, 2011

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

A group of 5 for dinner on Saturday night and we were very satisfied with our dining experience (although finding your way out through the shopping centre can be difficult). I had the beetroot, endive, pear and blue cheese salad to start and tried some of the trout and the pork and each was very tasty. Presentation of my salad was just beautiful.

For my main, I had the lamb with peas, which was very tasty, two quite different textured types of lamb. More mash than I would generally eat on the plate. My husband's beef was okay, cooked a little more than medium so a bit tough he thought. The two people who had the mulloway cleaned their plates as did the friend who had the gnocchi (which was more entree size than main size he thought).

My banana creme brulee with peanut brittle looked spectacular, like a flying saucer and was delicious. The chocolate pudding with tonka bean ice-cream was also delicious. Friends with the souffle and apple mille feuille also loved their desserts.

Our waiter was very friendly, happy to answer questions and give us a tasting of a couple of different dessert wines so we could pick the one we'd prefer. We'll definitely be back.

Oct 04, 2011

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  7     

Our first visit to La Trattoria, but won't be our last. Good range of dishes on the menu. We had some arancini to start, then the slow cooked lamb, which was delicious and a generous sized serve, and the veal. The mushroom, pea and Parma ham sauce with the veal was very tasty. Green beans had a little too much chilli for my taste, but the potatoes were very nicely cooked.

For dessert, we had the tiramisu, which was fabulous, creamy, not too strong a coffee flavor and some gelato which was ok. The service was generally friendly and attentive. The restaurant was full on a Saturday evening and a bit noisy as a result, lots of hard surfaces to reflect noise, particularly from the large group near us.

The bill had a $20 service charge on it, which we were told was a computer glitch as it wasn't included in the total (which it wasn't), the one glitch of the evening.

Mar 10, 2012

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  8     

One of the tests of a good restaurant is how they respond to complaints. The table we were seated at was in the dark. As in, need a torch to read the menu dark. When we raised this, we were given a choice of other tables (which does make me wonder why they seat anyone who has booked in advance at a table in the dark when there are other options, perhaps, for the view of the Opera House and Harbour bridge, which was the only thing we could see), and promptly moved. Points for that.

The mulloway was delicious, skin was crispy, fish was tasty, zucchini very fresh. My husband's beef was very tender and tasty. The peach and mozzarella salad delicious. Desserts were also great, the chocolate, pecans, toffee one just a lovely mix of textures and flavours.

Service was very good, there when we needed, not hovering and pushing us out, polite and pleasant without being overly so.

Yes, it's expensive, but pretty good value for a lovely dining experience.

Feb 03, 2012

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

Delighted to find another place to dine before going to the theatre in Walsh Bay! The service was efficient without being rushed, and the staff were very helpful in guiding us on the amount we should order (although we did have a bit too much food) and recommending dishes.

We started with the trio of dips - all very tasty - and tabouli. My favourite was the yoghurt dip - simple and creamy. Then 3 of us shared the chicken and lamb skewers (which came with some potatoes and other roast vegetables), salt and pepper calamari, and beans. The chicken was so tender - just delicous. No room for dessert unfortunately, but will be back to try another time, as well as some of the mezze dishes.

Dec 05, 2011

5.5 Average

Food  9      Ambience  6      Service  3      Value  4     

Sake offers a very interesting range of modern Japanese cuisine, served tapas style to share. The food was fantastic - a great range of dishes, all delicious. The shrimp popcorn was very tasty, also really enjoyed the thinly sliced wagyu beef, melt in your mouth stuff. The sashimi was very fresh. No room for dessert as we over-ordered on entrees and mains.

What really let Sake down was the service. We were put in a private room and then completely ignored for over 15 minutes, till one of our group asked to be moved. We were then moved to a table in the main part of the restaurant and ignored there till we flagged someone down to order. She didn't think to ask if we wanted to order anything to drink (which we did). We also asked for water which didn't arrive, despite glasses on tables around us being refilled.

Once the manager came over and asked why we'd asked to be moved, and got a polite description of the service issues, the service improved dramatically. They gave us one bottle of wine and an entree on the house to apologise, which was very gracious. I'd prefer to just get decent service, without the angst though. Venue was noisy but very busy on a Friday night so that's to be expected.

Nov 07, 2011

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

A group of 5 for dinner on Saturday night and we were very satisfied with our dining experience (although finding your way out through the shopping centre can be difficult). I had the beetroot, endive, pear and blue cheese salad to start and tried some of the trout and the pork and each was very tasty. Presentation of my salad was just beautiful.

For my main, I had the lamb with peas, which was very tasty, two quite different textured types of lamb. More mash than I would generally eat on the plate. My husband's beef was okay, cooked a little more than medium so a bit tough he thought. The two people who had the mulloway cleaned their plates as did the friend who had the gnocchi (which was more entree size than main size he thought).

My banana creme brulee with peanut brittle looked spectacular, like a flying saucer and was delicious. The chocolate pudding with tonka bean ice-cream was also delicious. Friends with the souffle and apple mille feuille also loved their desserts.

Our waiter was very friendly, happy to answer questions and give us a tasting of a couple of different dessert wines so we could pick the one we'd prefer. We'll definitely be back.

Oct 04, 2011

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  7     

Given some of the recent reviews, we were very pleasantly surprised. I'd booked Mrs Top because I'd been to the Marrickville one some time ago and my mother loved it, and this was a dinner out for her.

We were shown to a table at the back of the restaurant which might be fine when the weather's nice, but Saturday wasn't so the room was freezing and breezy. We asked to be moved into the main room, much warmer and were accommodated. We later saw a large heater being carried through the restaurant to the back room.

I enjoyed my French onion soup, coq au vin and pavlova, a bit too big a serving of the pavlova, but other servings were a good size, to allow 3 courses. My dining companions had zucchini flowers, lamb shank, the beef, creme brulee and tarte tatin and all very happy.

The staff were very pleasant. Our waitress was given a lesson in how to use a corkscrew, at our table, which we probably didn't need to sit through, but otherwise, the service was very good. We'd go back.

Sep 12, 2011

7.3 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  7     

A winter's evening probably doesn't show the setting to its best advantage but quite pleasant inside despite all the glass.

The service was friendly and our waiter quickly checked to give us an answer to a question on the menu. Tasty bread delivered promptly and water glasses were refilled regularly. We had salmon and beef for mains, with a side of green beans. The beans were a bit salty but otherwise all very good, tasty, fresh, good combination of flavours. The chocolate and raspberry pudding was a bit light on the raspberries and a bit dry. The other dessert, the chocolate pave, was delicious.

Jul 04, 2010

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.5 Below Average

Food  6      Ambience  5      Service  3      Value  4     

I was there on Saturday with a group of 6 and was quite disappointed. 2 of the group arrived first, got drinks and menus. The other 4 of us arrived and nothing, no drinks, no menus, till we went to the bar and asked for them. Very slow to take orders, excellent at avoiding eye contact and didn't offer bread (a rip off to charge $3.50 pp for pretty ordinary bread too).

They were very good at replacing water bottles on the table though. The food was okay but not great. Steaks were cooked much more than medium. The calamari was very tasty. The chocolate mousse and cheesecake desserts were very good. With a lot of other places available in the vicinity, I wouldn't rush back.

Apr 12, 2010

6.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  5     

The Summit was a great place to take a friend who currently lives overseas and likes to be reminded of what a great place Sydne yis, we had a table near the window and the views are beautiful.

The food was pretty good, my husband's steak was overcooked, the pork was delicious and the beef 2 ways was pretty good. Desserts were better, 2 had big chocolate desserts and I had the meringue souffle which was light and fluffy, perfect finish to the meal. For the amount you pay for dinner, they should throw in a couple of sides though. That would improve the value considerably, as it is, you're paying a lot for lovely views, but for a special night out, it's worth it once. Service was pretty good, reasonably attentive, not too familiar.

Jan 13, 2010

5.8 Average

Food  9      Ambience  3      Service  5      Value  6     

To start with the positive, the food we had was great, the double cooked souffle and king prawns for entrees, salmon and steak for mains and then lemon meringue tart, chocolate mousse and strawberry slice for desserts. Generous servings (particularly the lemon meringue tart and the salmon) too.

The service lets Blancmange down, we waited at the front door for a minutes before anyone noticed we were there and then waited maybe 10 minutes before being offered menus. It was then almost an hour to get entrees and another long wait between entrees and mains. A table near us had about an hour wait to get their meals. Yes, it was a Saturday. Yes they were busy. But if they know they're going to be busy, get the staff they need to cope.

Staff were good at filling up water glasses unasked (although they almost hit one of our party with the jug a few times). The real down side is the noise level. There was one table of 4 who were really loud, that nails down a blackboard screech, which means everyone else in the restaurant needs to speak a bit louder to be heard. And so it goes till it's just unpleasant.

The noise problem is exacerbated by tables being fairly close together, to the point that my husband was hit in the head by someone waking past to get to their table, so he moved to the other side of our table. Staff didn't seem to notice that there might have been a problem. A pity these things let Blancmange down, as I don't think we'll be returning despite great food at a reasonable price.

Sep 05, 2009