keithfriedie

9 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  7     

We went to Sugaroom on a Ouffer voucher. Despite being rather difficult to find (around the corner once you get to bottom of Harris st) we were warmly welcomed on a rather miserable night.

The set menu had a tea smoked salmon starter but they also offered an (off menu) onion tart as an option, which was delicious! The salmon starter was light and fresh.

Mains gave the option between a fillet of beef and gnocchi dish and a fish (breem) dish. Both were superb. We weren't expecting much from the fish but it was a rather pleasant surprise.

Desserts were a chocolate creme brulee with marshmallows and raspberries. And a passionfruit pavlova of sorts. Both again were real tasty! On the vouchers were a bottle of wine between 2 too.

Overall, an absolutely delicious meal, in a great and beautiful location right on the water (despite it being a rather miserable night we went on), with excellent and very attentive service. My only concern would be the prices of their full price/a la carte menu (based on their prices on their website). The portions were generous and really scrumptious but did seem a little overpriced.

All up though, Highly Recommended!

May 26, 2012

7.3 Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  5      Service  7      Value  7     

In terms of location (inside the quay grand hotel), decor, fitting etc it was very average...

But the food was absolutely delicious. We went on a travelzoo voucher which entitled us to a starter, main and dessert each.

Starters-
* the quail was good (in particular the pie that came along with it)
* pork belly with apples 3 ways- tasty!
* scallops with black pudding were slightly small but also nice

Mains-
* the veal was a standout! beautiful veal tenderloins with gnocci and veal ragout. absolutely phenomenal!!
* the beef was good quality but was outshone by the veal.
* the duck & lamb were also both excellent

In general, all their sauced dishes were outstanding. The chef really does have a talent with his sauces.

Dessert-
* Lavender Creme Brulee with honey ice cream- winner!!!!
* Chocolate cake was excellent too and beautifully presented
* as was the pana cotta- slightly unorthodoxly presented in little squares but still equally delicious

All up the food itself was the only thing really worth going for... but if you're after some very delicious food, decent portions and beautfiul presentation then I'd recommend!

Apr 23, 2012

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  7     

We went on a travelzoo voucher. 6 course latin-american degustation menu. There were plenty unique and interesting flavour combinations. Their extended menu also looks incredible, especially for the more adventurous.

The 3 standouts on the degustation were: the king prawns, well cooked and spicy but cooled by cucumber and a few drops of minted yoghurt. The 48-hr braised alpaca shoulder, tres leches cake (this was amazing!). I literally had to stop my brother from licking the plate clean.

Service was very friendly.

Apr 16, 2012

7.8 Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  4     

The food at art lounge was exceptional! We used an ouffer voucher which entitled us to:
-a tapas tasting platter of lamb meatballs, salt and pepper squid with aioli and zesty lemon, king fish escabeche with toasted brioche and caramelised fennel, a tasting spoon of tomato and mozzarella salsa and prosciutto. Honestly everything was really delicious, in particular the escabeche and the squid were just sublime.

- choice of mains. We went for the steak- This I would have to say was the softest, most tender steak I've ever eaten. However, it was undersized (probs around 200g) and if I was paying full price ($28) I may not have enjoyed it as much considering its value. The dauphinoise/gratin potatoes that accompanied it were also extremely tasty but again slightly small.

- a shared dessert - we had the creme brulee. I'm a huge creme brulee fan and I really did enjoy this one. A great completion to a superb meal.

The service was friendly. The decor and ambience was very slick and impressive. But the food (except perhaps for its value- at full price) was a real standout. Very well presented and absolutely scrumptious.

Oct 06, 2011

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

I've actually been down to Bondi Pizza several times but never reviewed it. When I just logged on to do so I was actually blown away by how low the review scores were because I'm actually a big fan and advocate for Bondi Pizza.

I've found their food to be consistently good and am yet to have a bad experience with the service (rudeness) mentioned in other reviews.

My recommendations are the chicken pancetta or steak or spinach pancetta or lamb pizzas. I've had all of these on numerous occasions and can vouch for them. I'm also an enormous fan of their desserts. Their famous chocolate brownie swirls, their rocky road dessert and their choc banana dessert are all quality! and very very good value. They can be shared between 2-3.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend Bondi Pizza. I've gone many times and will continue to go and I suggest you try it too and make up your mind because I (and the independent dining parties I've been with each time) have all always enjoyed our meal very much.

Jul 28, 2011

9 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  7     

We went to Sugaroom on a Ouffer voucher. Despite being rather difficult to find (around the corner once you get to bottom of Harris st) we were warmly welcomed on a rather miserable night.

The set menu had a tea smoked salmon starter but they also offered an (off menu) onion tart as an option, which was delicious! The salmon starter was light and fresh.

Mains gave the option between a fillet of beef and gnocchi dish and a fish (breem) dish. Both were superb. We weren't expecting much from the fish but it was a rather pleasant surprise.

Desserts were a chocolate creme brulee with marshmallows and raspberries. And a passionfruit pavlova of sorts. Both again were real tasty! On the vouchers were a bottle of wine between 2 too.

Overall, an absolutely delicious meal, in a great and beautiful location right on the water (despite it being a rather miserable night we went on), with excellent and very attentive service. My only concern would be the prices of their full price/a la carte menu (based on their prices on their website). The portions were generous and really scrumptious but did seem a little overpriced.

All up though, Highly Recommended!

May 26, 2012

7.3 Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  5      Service  7      Value  7     

In terms of location (inside the quay grand hotel), decor, fitting etc it was very average...

But the food was absolutely delicious. We went on a travelzoo voucher which entitled us to a starter, main and dessert each.

Starters-
* the quail was good (in particular the pie that came along with it)
* pork belly with apples 3 ways- tasty!
* scallops with black pudding were slightly small but also nice

Mains-
* the veal was a standout! beautiful veal tenderloins with gnocci and veal ragout. absolutely phenomenal!!
* the beef was good quality but was outshone by the veal.
* the duck & lamb were also both excellent

In general, all their sauced dishes were outstanding. The chef really does have a talent with his sauces.

Dessert-
* Lavender Creme Brulee with honey ice cream- winner!!!!
* Chocolate cake was excellent too and beautifully presented
* as was the pana cotta- slightly unorthodoxly presented in little squares but still equally delicious

All up the food itself was the only thing really worth going for... but if you're after some very delicious food, decent portions and beautfiul presentation then I'd recommend!

Apr 23, 2012

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  7     

We went on a travelzoo voucher. 6 course latin-american degustation menu. There were plenty unique and interesting flavour combinations. Their extended menu also looks incredible, especially for the more adventurous.

The 3 standouts on the degustation were: the king prawns, well cooked and spicy but cooled by cucumber and a few drops of minted yoghurt. The 48-hr braised alpaca shoulder, tres leches cake (this was amazing!). I literally had to stop my brother from licking the plate clean.

Service was very friendly.

Apr 16, 2012

7.8 Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  4     

The food at art lounge was exceptional! We used an ouffer voucher which entitled us to:
-a tapas tasting platter of lamb meatballs, salt and pepper squid with aioli and zesty lemon, king fish escabeche with toasted brioche and caramelised fennel, a tasting spoon of tomato and mozzarella salsa and prosciutto. Honestly everything was really delicious, in particular the escabeche and the squid were just sublime.

- choice of mains. We went for the steak- This I would have to say was the softest, most tender steak I've ever eaten. However, it was undersized (probs around 200g) and if I was paying full price ($28) I may not have enjoyed it as much considering its value. The dauphinoise/gratin potatoes that accompanied it were also extremely tasty but again slightly small.

- a shared dessert - we had the creme brulee. I'm a huge creme brulee fan and I really did enjoy this one. A great completion to a superb meal.

The service was friendly. The decor and ambience was very slick and impressive. But the food (except perhaps for its value- at full price) was a real standout. Very well presented and absolutely scrumptious.

Oct 06, 2011

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

I've actually been down to Bondi Pizza several times but never reviewed it. When I just logged on to do so I was actually blown away by how low the review scores were because I'm actually a big fan and advocate for Bondi Pizza.

I've found their food to be consistently good and am yet to have a bad experience with the service (rudeness) mentioned in other reviews.

My recommendations are the chicken pancetta or steak or spinach pancetta or lamb pizzas. I've had all of these on numerous occasions and can vouch for them. I'm also an enormous fan of their desserts. Their famous chocolate brownie swirls, their rocky road dessert and their choc banana dessert are all quality! and very very good value. They can be shared between 2-3.

Overall, I'd definitely recommend Bondi Pizza. I've gone many times and will continue to go and I suggest you try it too and make up your mind because I (and the independent dining parties I've been with each time) have all always enjoyed our meal very much.

Jul 28, 2011

7.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  9      Value  8     

We went for lunch using a "jumponit voucher" which included a 3 course meal each (for my girlfriend and I) and a bottle of (house) wine.

Starters:
- Lamb brains- as neither of us had ever tried them before. Pleasantly surprised, they were actually really delicious. Worth a try!
- Salt and pepper prawns and calamari- decent with a good aioli
Mains:
- Veal osso bucco- was hearty and enjoyable but nothing exceptional
- duck breast w/ cherries and walnuts- delicious dish but was a little bit cold
Desserts:
- Creme Brulee
- Lemon tart
Both were well cooked and enjoyable.

All the food was pretty well presented. The service was great. Pleasant dining experience and would recommend going!

Jul 28, 2011

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  9     

We had the degustation menu which was very delicious and great value at $69 (for the 5-course menu). The portions could've been slightly bigger but were incredibly tasty. The wines are also well matched! The main of fillet and foie gras ravioli was phenomenal! The dessert was good but not great.

Ordered a la carte: The pumpkin, spinach, sage butter ravioli was also exceptional! As was the creme brulee!

Feb 04, 2011