kdavy

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  8     

What a great addition to the Surry Hills dining scene. I had lunch for two on a Thursday. We were seated at the counter overlooking the kitchen staff. We really enjoyed watching the team prepare the dishes.

I started with oysters, and my dining guest had jerusalem artichoke soup. Then we both had suckling pig for main and shared the Bounty dessert. The food was beautifully executed, the pork was tender and delicious. I'd describe it as homey food with a bit of funk. The servings are generous.

Between 2 of us, we order 375ml of sauvignon blanc followed by pinot noir. I think it's fantastic that you can order the equivalent of half bottles of really good wine.

The room is funky without being too cool for school. There's a lot of room between tables. The staff were friendly and professional. The owner chatted with us as we were about to leave, it was nice to feel so welcome.

I love the Four in Hand and I love this new addition. I look forward to returning.

May 24, 2012

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  9     

Great little noodle spot. I had beef teriyaki udon, the broth was very flavoursome and meat tender. Every Japanese condiment you could wish for is available on the communal tables. There's plenty of Japanese students coming in and out, which must be a good sign. Recommended for a quick noodle fix.

Jan 20, 2012

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  9     

In a party of 4 for lunch we had the seven course degustation. The food was exceptional, interesting combinations executed perfectly. I would have rated the food a ten had one of the courses not been to my liking, that's the flame grilled mussels with sweetbread, duck prosciutto and kohl rabi. But every other course was fine dining at its best.

Even the little extras, the amuse bouches, the breads, all very special. They gave us a little bag with two small cakes as we left. Becasse has these lovely extra touches that make it a very special dining experience.

I can't comment on the ambience without mentioning the strange location. It is weird to be finding your way to a fine dining restaurant through a food hall in a shopping centre. To be honest, it's a bit off putting, but once in the restaurant, the setting is very impressive. You walk down a corridor lined with vines into an intimate, luxurious setting.

The service was faultless. Someone else in the party was looking after the wine list, so I can't comment on that but of course our wines were delicious. At $175 for 7 courses with all the extras, the price reflects the quality of the food and the fine dining experience.

A great spot for a special occasion.

Dec 22, 2011

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

I had one of the best dining experiences ever at Gastro Park on a Saturday night with 2 friends.

We ordered the degustation, 7 courses for $145. The food was the most exceptional cuisine I had enjoyed for some years. Each course was exciting and delicious as well as being a visual treat. I honestly loved every dish, but if I had to pick stand outs it the gnocchi with mushroom consomme and the dessert egg filled with honeycomb and chocolate. We also tasted the epoisse and St Agur cheeses.

Sometimes chefs can go too far with presentation and overly complicated combinations of flavours and textures, but not at this restaurant. The beauty of the food matches the enjoyment in eating the amazing dishes. This is food with real wow factor.

I love the feel of Gastro Park. It's a surprisingly small room with a funky but welcoming fitout. The uncovered tables and paper menus belie the exceptional standard of the food.

The staff were professional, friendly and a bit quirky. We did not find them intrusive. The service was of the highest level and added to our enjoyment of the evening. The sommelier listened to us and helped us choose some fantastic wines from their interesting wine list. On a Saturday night in December there was no delay in service. The pricing of the meals reflected the quality of the ingredients, the execution and the service.

I will be telling everyone I know who loves dining out to go to Gastro Park and I look forward to returning. This is an amazing restaurant.

Dec 04, 2011

6.8 Recommended

Food  6      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  5     

I dined here on a Saturday night with 2 friends. I really wanted to love this restaurant but the food fell short. To me the food experience did not match Black's fine dining competition in Sydney. Overall I felt the food was too heavy and complicated, sometimes a bit stodgy.

It starts with the bread, which is actually brioche, served with butter and black salt. Already things are just too complicated and heavy.

I ordered prawns for entree and one friend ordered a spring salad. The prawns were ok, but there was a lot on my plate and I avoided the gluggy sauce sitting under the prawns. There were also some sort of fried crumbs on the plate. My friend's spring salad came with deep fried artichoke covered in batter, is there any dish without something that is deep fried?

We each had steak for main and we all agreed that was lovely. If I had to rate the steak only I'd give it an 8. We ordered chips, parsnip, asparagus and a green salad as sides. The chips were soggy and the serving small. The parsnips were delicious, but again deep fried and heavy. The green salad was covered in blue cheese dressing.

I had lemon curd for dessert which was good but not exceptional. At the start of our meal the restaurant was full and very noisy. As people left it got better and the massive windows along the restaurant were opened, which brought in a lovely breeze.

The wine list is great and they present it on an ipad. It allows you to make a shortlist, which is a fantastic help when choosing wines. But it's all about the food for me and Black didn't hit the mark. And for that reason, I don't think it's good value, there's much better food at these prices in Sydney, in my opinion.

Nov 27, 2011

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  8     

What a great addition to the Surry Hills dining scene. I had lunch for two on a Thursday. We were seated at the counter overlooking the kitchen staff. We really enjoyed watching the team prepare the dishes.

I started with oysters, and my dining guest had jerusalem artichoke soup. Then we both had suckling pig for main and shared the Bounty dessert. The food was beautifully executed, the pork was tender and delicious. I'd describe it as homey food with a bit of funk. The servings are generous.

Between 2 of us, we order 375ml of sauvignon blanc followed by pinot noir. I think it's fantastic that you can order the equivalent of half bottles of really good wine.

The room is funky without being too cool for school. There's a lot of room between tables. The staff were friendly and professional. The owner chatted with us as we were about to leave, it was nice to feel so welcome.

I love the Four in Hand and I love this new addition. I look forward to returning.

May 24, 2012

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  9     

Great little noodle spot. I had beef teriyaki udon, the broth was very flavoursome and meat tender. Every Japanese condiment you could wish for is available on the communal tables. There's plenty of Japanese students coming in and out, which must be a good sign. Recommended for a quick noodle fix.

Jan 20, 2012

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  9     

In a party of 4 for lunch we had the seven course degustation. The food was exceptional, interesting combinations executed perfectly. I would have rated the food a ten had one of the courses not been to my liking, that's the flame grilled mussels with sweetbread, duck prosciutto and kohl rabi. But every other course was fine dining at its best.

Even the little extras, the amuse bouches, the breads, all very special. They gave us a little bag with two small cakes as we left. Becasse has these lovely extra touches that make it a very special dining experience.

I can't comment on the ambience without mentioning the strange location. It is weird to be finding your way to a fine dining restaurant through a food hall in a shopping centre. To be honest, it's a bit off putting, but once in the restaurant, the setting is very impressive. You walk down a corridor lined with vines into an intimate, luxurious setting.

The service was faultless. Someone else in the party was looking after the wine list, so I can't comment on that but of course our wines were delicious. At $175 for 7 courses with all the extras, the price reflects the quality of the food and the fine dining experience.

A great spot for a special occasion.

Dec 22, 2011

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

I had one of the best dining experiences ever at Gastro Park on a Saturday night with 2 friends.

We ordered the degustation, 7 courses for $145. The food was the most exceptional cuisine I had enjoyed for some years. Each course was exciting and delicious as well as being a visual treat. I honestly loved every dish, but if I had to pick stand outs it the gnocchi with mushroom consomme and the dessert egg filled with honeycomb and chocolate. We also tasted the epoisse and St Agur cheeses.

Sometimes chefs can go too far with presentation and overly complicated combinations of flavours and textures, but not at this restaurant. The beauty of the food matches the enjoyment in eating the amazing dishes. This is food with real wow factor.

I love the feel of Gastro Park. It's a surprisingly small room with a funky but welcoming fitout. The uncovered tables and paper menus belie the exceptional standard of the food.

The staff were professional, friendly and a bit quirky. We did not find them intrusive. The service was of the highest level and added to our enjoyment of the evening. The sommelier listened to us and helped us choose some fantastic wines from their interesting wine list. On a Saturday night in December there was no delay in service. The pricing of the meals reflected the quality of the ingredients, the execution and the service.

I will be telling everyone I know who loves dining out to go to Gastro Park and I look forward to returning. This is an amazing restaurant.

Dec 04, 2011

6.8 Recommended

Food  6      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  5     

I dined here on a Saturday night with 2 friends. I really wanted to love this restaurant but the food fell short. To me the food experience did not match Black's fine dining competition in Sydney. Overall I felt the food was too heavy and complicated, sometimes a bit stodgy.

It starts with the bread, which is actually brioche, served with butter and black salt. Already things are just too complicated and heavy.

I ordered prawns for entree and one friend ordered a spring salad. The prawns were ok, but there was a lot on my plate and I avoided the gluggy sauce sitting under the prawns. There were also some sort of fried crumbs on the plate. My friend's spring salad came with deep fried artichoke covered in batter, is there any dish without something that is deep fried?

We each had steak for main and we all agreed that was lovely. If I had to rate the steak only I'd give it an 8. We ordered chips, parsnip, asparagus and a green salad as sides. The chips were soggy and the serving small. The parsnips were delicious, but again deep fried and heavy. The green salad was covered in blue cheese dressing.

I had lemon curd for dessert which was good but not exceptional. At the start of our meal the restaurant was full and very noisy. As people left it got better and the massive windows along the restaurant were opened, which brought in a lovely breeze.

The wine list is great and they present it on an ipad. It allows you to make a shortlist, which is a fantastic help when choosing wines. But it's all about the food for me and Black didn't hit the mark. And for that reason, I don't think it's good value, there's much better food at these prices in Sydney, in my opinion.

Nov 27, 2011

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  7     

I work not far from the original Spice I Am and have eaten there many times so I have a good benchmark for this restaurant.

The food is up to the standard of Surry Hills. This is definitely the best Asian food on the Balmain Peninsular. The room is certainly a step up from the canteen-type tables in Surry Hills, and there is the option to dine outside.
I found the wait staff to be efficient and friendly, though it wasn't really busy when I ate there.

The prices for this quality food are good. I do agree with others that the 3% surcharge for credit cards is unjustified, but paying with cash meant I didn't get stuck with that charge. And yes, it's a bit disappointing that you can't BYO. From the reaction of others here, they might need to adjust these policies. But I still think this is fantastic food that is a step above its nearby competitors.

I'm delighted that Spice I Am have set up in Balmain.

Nov 23, 2011

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  8     

I enjoyed a lunch here with three colleagues.

I had the oyster salad for entree while my friends had the scallops with corn and fresh oysters. My salad and the scallops looked like works of art and the eating didn't disappoint. For main I had grilled duck for main while my friends tried the chicken and a flathead special. We shared a selection of cheeses to finish. We all loved the meal and would return.

The service was good and the wine list has plenty of interesting options. I thought the price reflected the quality of the meal. I also liked the room that has a feel of casual elegance.

Another great addition to the CBD dining scene.

Nov 23, 2011

7 Recommended

Food  5      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  6     

This restaurant has a lovely feel to it - it's light and open, with lots of outside dining space.

But I found the food a bit underwhelming. At a lunch for 2 we shared the proscuitto platter with chicken liver parfait, and the tarte tatin (an entree offering - not dessert). The platter was ok but the tarte was just weird. The sweet flavours overpowered the savoury ingredients of goats cheese and caramelised onion.

For main we had the trout. Again, it seemed to have a weird combination of flavours, with a massive slab of butter on the top. We had beetroot salad as a side which was OK but not much different to what I would whip up at home.

I wanted to love this place but didn't love the food and in that area, there's lots of better places to eat.

Aug 28, 2011

6.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  9      Service  5      Value  5     

I had breakfast here on a gorgeous Sydney morning. The food was nice if not wow (not that I expect wow for breakfast) and the portions were fine. The coffee was good.

This a beautiful setting, outside on a wide verandah of an old house, with parkland and harbour views. This is the reason to come here.

But my guess is the prices are about 20% higher than what I usually pay for breakfast and add $4 an hour parking, it's not going to be a value breakfast option.

They were understaffed for such a big place, so service was pretty hard to get.
Take your visitors to Sydney and enjoy the fabulous views.

Aug 22, 2011

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  10     

The.best.sandwiches.Ever. I discovered this place walking past and seeing a big queue out the door - I thought it must be good, and it is. The bread is beautiful - thick and fresh. There's an incredible array of options for fillings and the ingredients are of the highest quality. The rice paper rolls and the salads are also fantastic. The staff are efficient and friendly. Tommy behind the counter knows everyone's name. Don't be put off by the queue - there is great ordering system here and they get through orders really quickly.

Aug 19, 2011