Kai S.

5.8 Average

Food  7      Ambience  4      Service  5      Value  7     

Agree with previous reviews. The bento boxes and large sushi sets are pretty good value. The food quality is better than your average Sushi Train joints, but nothing extraordinary. The furniture and deco are very humble, then so are the people there.

Jan 28, 2012

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  7     

I find my experience at Quay a satisfying one, if I am only considering the meal it presented to us and not think about the fact that it is considered by critics as one of the best restaurants in Australia. Surely, the view is second to none. We had our meal in the circular room and felt like we dined on water, looking right towards the Opera House.

Our waitress was attentive and respectful. Some of the dishes were amazing, others were at least creative. The nearly repetitive young onion and baby radish was a bit of an overkill though. The snow egg was nice in technique, but it is also a big bowl of brain freeze, like another reviewer had said.

The portions are underwhelming, as you would sadly expect from this kind of establishment. It is sad because I believe any self respecting restaurant should ensure that its average patron do not feel hungry after three courses. The fact that my wife and I are not big eaters doesn't help paint a better picture.

All things considered, is this a good restaurant? Absolutely. World class or one of the best in the country? If this is true, then I'm sorry to hear it. Will we come back? Maybe to treat a friend someday, but not for ourselves.

Nov 21, 2011

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.3 Average

Food  5      Ambience  5      Service  7      Value  4     

Agree with previous reviewers, the ox cheek is very good. However, everything else was bland. The menu seemed exciting and the waitress gave good first impression, but the food generally does not live up to expectations. The truffle fragois and scallop salad we ordered both taste like a waste of perfectly decent ingredients.

A beautiful pice of duck was spoiled by an orange sauce that was too bitter, it taste like the sauce was infused with essence, not made with real fresh produce. The cooking is very home-job like. If this is French restaurant quality, it would be a mediocre one in the 1980s. In other words, the cooking has not improved since the restaurant first opened.

Nov 21, 2011

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  8     

Came here after reading the good reviews. The tapas dishes I ordered all came together on one plate, which was a bit off putting. The wait staff were warm and friendly, but not very switched on. Our waiter looked like 17, so we can't expect much more.

However, the food turned out to be quite good. My wife enjoyed her salmon very much. The ambience was nice. Unlike some tapas restaurants that could be frentic, Wild Fig was not very wild, but comfortable and calming, despite having a full house. The fig ice cream lives up to high expectations. All-in-all, a suburban gem and worth returning to.

Nov 21, 2011

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  7     

We come here every once a while. It's not our favourite joint, but there are a few decent choices definitely worth coming back for. Two very satisfying soup dishes, the prawn bisque and the seafood soup baked with puff pastry, are always full of flavour and our favourites.

The degustation menu, under $20 for dinner, is of good value. The mushroom and seafood risotto, coming from this Hong Kong styled family restaurant, is surprisingly tasty, albeit a bit salty. Their scallops (at their price range are supposedly frozen) are in fact plump, sweet and juicy. The wait staff are responsive and fairly friendly. Kitchen can be a bit slow though.

Nov 21, 2011

5.8 Average

Food  7      Ambience  4      Service  5      Value  7     

Agree with previous reviews. The bento boxes and large sushi sets are pretty good value. The food quality is better than your average Sushi Train joints, but nothing extraordinary. The furniture and deco are very humble, then so are the people there.

Jan 28, 2012

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  7     

I find my experience at Quay a satisfying one, if I am only considering the meal it presented to us and not think about the fact that it is considered by critics as one of the best restaurants in Australia. Surely, the view is second to none. We had our meal in the circular room and felt like we dined on water, looking right towards the Opera House.

Our waitress was attentive and respectful. Some of the dishes were amazing, others were at least creative. The nearly repetitive young onion and baby radish was a bit of an overkill though. The snow egg was nice in technique, but it is also a big bowl of brain freeze, like another reviewer had said.

The portions are underwhelming, as you would sadly expect from this kind of establishment. It is sad because I believe any self respecting restaurant should ensure that its average patron do not feel hungry after three courses. The fact that my wife and I are not big eaters doesn't help paint a better picture.

All things considered, is this a good restaurant? Absolutely. World class or one of the best in the country? If this is true, then I'm sorry to hear it. Will we come back? Maybe to treat a friend someday, but not for ourselves.

Nov 21, 2011

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.3 Average

Food  5      Ambience  5      Service  7      Value  4     

Agree with previous reviewers, the ox cheek is very good. However, everything else was bland. The menu seemed exciting and the waitress gave good first impression, but the food generally does not live up to expectations. The truffle fragois and scallop salad we ordered both taste like a waste of perfectly decent ingredients.

A beautiful pice of duck was spoiled by an orange sauce that was too bitter, it taste like the sauce was infused with essence, not made with real fresh produce. The cooking is very home-job like. If this is French restaurant quality, it would be a mediocre one in the 1980s. In other words, the cooking has not improved since the restaurant first opened.

Nov 21, 2011

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  8     

Came here after reading the good reviews. The tapas dishes I ordered all came together on one plate, which was a bit off putting. The wait staff were warm and friendly, but not very switched on. Our waiter looked like 17, so we can't expect much more.

However, the food turned out to be quite good. My wife enjoyed her salmon very much. The ambience was nice. Unlike some tapas restaurants that could be frentic, Wild Fig was not very wild, but comfortable and calming, despite having a full house. The fig ice cream lives up to high expectations. All-in-all, a suburban gem and worth returning to.

Nov 21, 2011

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  7     

We come here every once a while. It's not our favourite joint, but there are a few decent choices definitely worth coming back for. Two very satisfying soup dishes, the prawn bisque and the seafood soup baked with puff pastry, are always full of flavour and our favourites.

The degustation menu, under $20 for dinner, is of good value. The mushroom and seafood risotto, coming from this Hong Kong styled family restaurant, is surprisingly tasty, albeit a bit salty. Their scallops (at their price range are supposedly frozen) are in fact plump, sweet and juicy. The wait staff are responsive and fairly friendly. Kitchen can be a bit slow though.

Nov 21, 2011

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

6.3 Average

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  5     

Neil Perry's interpretation of Chinese cuisine is, at best, refreshing addition to the homogenous Chinese/cantonese food ubiquitous in Sydney. However, I think it is still lacking something, in my view, bold flavours and passion.

Spice Temple offers subtle (by Chinese standards) and fairly authentic flavours, but it feels like post-modernist renditions instead of truly vibrant and satisfying food, which is what great Chinese cooking should always have. (The $50 big bowl of black bean clams that could hardly offer 50grams of clam meat should be avoided by all means.)

The quasi-Asian decoration and set up is very trite and Orientalist in its most unflattering rustic way. When I go underground to eat in a hip and trendy glorified dungeon, I expect some opulence and comfort and found none of it in this so-called Temple.

Nov 21, 2011

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  6     

Had a quick dinner here the other night. The food is decent. My wife had a prosciutto rocket pizza, which was tasty and generously portioned. I had the cured meat plate, which was not as amazing as the waiter had bragged about, but still of fine quality. No prosciutto on an Italian cured meat plate was a bit disappointing though. And the pickled vegetable was very bland.

The dessert (Ricotta Neapolitan) was a little dry and underwhelming. Then again, the mama's spaghetti that a number of neighbouring tables ordered smelled heavenly. The service was eager, but lacked sincerity. I asked for balsamic vinegar and olive oil for my bread and was told they don't have balsamic vinegar (this cannot be right for any Italian restaurant). The waiter did offer me some chili oil, which was great. But still... The tables were arranged too closely together.

Our chairs were back-to-back with other patrons that my wife could hardly squeeze into her chair and she's underweight. Otherwise, the ambience was quite charming. If I do return, it will be lead by my curiosity over that spaghetti.

Nov 21, 2011

7.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  6     

This is the second time we go to Altitude. I understand why it has lost it's Chef's Hat. The ambience is great, spectacular view. However, the food has become less impressive. A dessert highly recommended by our waitress was a let down. The service is always attentive here, however, their level of knowledge and experience is falling somewhat. I must say the value for money has dropped a notch or two.

Nov 20, 2011