maxoet

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.3 Below Average

Food  1      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  3     

Visited the Restaurant for Sunday lunch. We (two of us) entered the restaurant at about 1230. We were the first customers for the day, the restaurant was empty. The ambience of the place, even when empty, shows a lot of potential, and they are famous for their beers, but I did not have a good feeling regarding their food output (otherwise their restaurant should have been packed).

Anyway, we ordered a pot of mussels ($28.50) between us for entree, and we both ordered the Porterhouse Steak, medium rare, with chips and salad for mains ($30.50). Both the mussels and the Porterhouse steaks are advertised as house specialities!

The mussel pot arrived with chips and mayo, and we lifted the lid of the pot with great anticipation only to be repulsed by the pungent smell. We bravely ate a few but could not go on so I called the waiter and asked him to have a smell. He explained that there was nothing wrong with the mussels, the reason why they had such a pungent smell was because mussels smelled and tasted like that during spawning season.

However, he accepted the fact that we could not possibly stomach them and took them back and wiped them off our bill. Then the Porterhouse steaks arrived, big plate, lots of chips, medium size piece of meat (certainly not porterhouse steak) well to very well done.

We expected a medium rare juicy piece of meat but instead received an overcooked dry piece of tasteless meat. The chips were ok and the salad was all right, so we ate them. We were of course tremendously disappointed, however, we did not complain again.

The only thing that saved the day was the beer. The total bill for 4 beers (two each) an unedible entree and two less than mediocre steaks came to $102.00
Naturally we will never ever visit this place again, but thought it necessary to share our experience with anyone contemplating visiting Epoque. Avoid the food.

Jul 03, 2011

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.5 Average

Food  6      Ambience  4      Service  6      Value  6     

Visited yesterday evening at 7 pm with my wife. It was a very warm/hot evening. Yesterday was our 3rd visit. As usual the whole front (french doors) was wide open. The heat from the street and the tremendous noise from the busy traffic on King Street was incredible. Even though the ceiling fans were moving it was stifling in the restaurant. It felt like we were in a sauna.

I can't understand why the staff cannot see the suffering and agony on customers faces, close the entire front and use the aircon in conjunction with the ceiling fans to create a far more condusive ambience for diners. We ordered three main courses. Choo Chee Prawns was absolutely delicious, the Green Curry was bland and the Crying Tiger a great disappointment, as the scotch fillet was rubbery. Beef fillet would be more appropriate. It was also lacking in flavour. As usual the service was pleasant.

Atom Tai is a nice restaurant, but in our view does not deserve its overall high rating. The food quality is too inconsistent and ambience and comfort are lacking.

Response from Management:
Thank you for visiting us again. Most of the diners we have talked to prefer to have the semi-open air, having the breeze coming through the front door, and also we have tried the air-conditioning with the fan, but when the restaurant is full, it is impossible to have the front door closed. Also, many customers prefer the hustle and bustle of King Street.

On the other hand, there is a back section where it is air-conditioned, which is also considerably much quieter. (On a very busy weekend, it might not be very quiet.) So please feel free to request a table at the back section at the time of the booking if and when you come next time. We are always happy to accommodate customer's request.

We have discussed at our staff meeting that it is best when we know if the customer is not happy with any aspect of the dining experience, and we could do our best to fix it straight away on the spot. We have asked all waiting staff to check with customers to see if everything was good, the overall service/the food. I am sorry if the staff did not ask you and the feedback could not be provided to the kitchen straight away. I will pass on your comments re the dishes to the chef.

Thank you again for your time and effort in providing us with your comment.

Regards,
Atom




======
Thank you for your comment and review. The feel of weekdays and weekends are totally different, weekends are usually very busy, thus the noise level. We also have a back section, that you could try the next time when you come.

We are extremely accommodating as to the seating arrangement. I understand at times it is very noisy, and the level of noise-tolerance varies from people to people. However, please let us know that the noise level on the street is causing too much problem and we will organise alternative seating for you. In that way, we could solve the problem on the spot and create a even more enjoyable dining experience for you.

We take our customer's review very seriously, however, just thought that we did not deserve the "4 out 10" score for Ambience based on a single visit on a Saturday night because of the noise.

Nevertheless, thank you for your time and look forward to seeing you again soon.

Regards,
Atom

Jan 25, 2011

3 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  3      Service  3      Value  3     

My wife and I went for dinner at Isabellas' last Friday. Even though we were tired and hungry, we could not overlook the tremendous shortcomings of this eatery. We ordered the Calamary for two for the entree, that was not too bad, but the two Rib Eye Steaks were a disaster. The "medium" steak was well done, the "medium-rare" was well done in some parts, medium in others and medium rare just along the bone.

The advertised 700g steak consisted of 450g of bone with 250g of tough meat hanging of the bone. The "Red wine sauce" was just some red wine poured over the steaks. The patato chips were fried in old oil and the vegetables were soggy. This eatery completely lacks ambience, is unclean and in desperate need for some maintenance and a decoration upgrade. We will never go back there.

Jul 01, 2009

4.3 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  4      Service  7      Value  3     

Extremely noisy, good service, below average food though. Would not consider this to be a Restaurant, it is more an eatery. Considering the blandness of the dishes they serve, it is also overpriced. The "kitchen staff" in the kitchen must be an average cook. My wife and I were very disappointed, and will certainly never return.

Jul 01, 2009

4 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  3     

Went there for dinner on Saturday 16 August this year. Just my wife and myself. We ordered 2 entrees and 3 Mains.
Ambiance was good, service was good, but the food was terrible to say the least.

Out of the 5 dishes we ordered 3 were absolutely sub-standard. The chargrilled octopus wasn't spiced at all. The prawn dish was just watery prawns (obviously frozen) dipped in flower and served with heaps of onion. The fried rice was another looser, the only thing that could be tasted was the soy sauce. The Restaurant is BYO and we paid $92.00 for the 5 dishes.

Sep 15, 2008

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.3 Below Average

Food  1      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  3     

Visited the Restaurant for Sunday lunch. We (two of us) entered the restaurant at about 1230. We were the first customers for the day, the restaurant was empty. The ambience of the place, even when empty, shows a lot of potential, and they are famous for their beers, but I did not have a good feeling regarding their food output (otherwise their restaurant should have been packed).

Anyway, we ordered a pot of mussels ($28.50) between us for entree, and we both ordered the Porterhouse Steak, medium rare, with chips and salad for mains ($30.50). Both the mussels and the Porterhouse steaks are advertised as house specialities!

The mussel pot arrived with chips and mayo, and we lifted the lid of the pot with great anticipation only to be repulsed by the pungent smell. We bravely ate a few but could not go on so I called the waiter and asked him to have a smell. He explained that there was nothing wrong with the mussels, the reason why they had such a pungent smell was because mussels smelled and tasted like that during spawning season.

However, he accepted the fact that we could not possibly stomach them and took them back and wiped them off our bill. Then the Porterhouse steaks arrived, big plate, lots of chips, medium size piece of meat (certainly not porterhouse steak) well to very well done.

We expected a medium rare juicy piece of meat but instead received an overcooked dry piece of tasteless meat. The chips were ok and the salad was all right, so we ate them. We were of course tremendously disappointed, however, we did not complain again.

The only thing that saved the day was the beer. The total bill for 4 beers (two each) an unedible entree and two less than mediocre steaks came to $102.00
Naturally we will never ever visit this place again, but thought it necessary to share our experience with anyone contemplating visiting Epoque. Avoid the food.

Jul 03, 2011

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.5 Average

Food  6      Ambience  4      Service  6      Value  6     

Visited yesterday evening at 7 pm with my wife. It was a very warm/hot evening. Yesterday was our 3rd visit. As usual the whole front (french doors) was wide open. The heat from the street and the tremendous noise from the busy traffic on King Street was incredible. Even though the ceiling fans were moving it was stifling in the restaurant. It felt like we were in a sauna.

I can't understand why the staff cannot see the suffering and agony on customers faces, close the entire front and use the aircon in conjunction with the ceiling fans to create a far more condusive ambience for diners. We ordered three main courses. Choo Chee Prawns was absolutely delicious, the Green Curry was bland and the Crying Tiger a great disappointment, as the scotch fillet was rubbery. Beef fillet would be more appropriate. It was also lacking in flavour. As usual the service was pleasant.

Atom Tai is a nice restaurant, but in our view does not deserve its overall high rating. The food quality is too inconsistent and ambience and comfort are lacking.

Response from Management:
Thank you for visiting us again. Most of the diners we have talked to prefer to have the semi-open air, having the breeze coming through the front door, and also we have tried the air-conditioning with the fan, but when the restaurant is full, it is impossible to have the front door closed. Also, many customers prefer the hustle and bustle of King Street.

On the other hand, there is a back section where it is air-conditioned, which is also considerably much quieter. (On a very busy weekend, it might not be very quiet.) So please feel free to request a table at the back section at the time of the booking if and when you come next time. We are always happy to accommodate customer's request.

We have discussed at our staff meeting that it is best when we know if the customer is not happy with any aspect of the dining experience, and we could do our best to fix it straight away on the spot. We have asked all waiting staff to check with customers to see if everything was good, the overall service/the food. I am sorry if the staff did not ask you and the feedback could not be provided to the kitchen straight away. I will pass on your comments re the dishes to the chef.

Thank you again for your time and effort in providing us with your comment.

Regards,
Atom




======
Thank you for your comment and review. The feel of weekdays and weekends are totally different, weekends are usually very busy, thus the noise level. We also have a back section, that you could try the next time when you come.

We are extremely accommodating as to the seating arrangement. I understand at times it is very noisy, and the level of noise-tolerance varies from people to people. However, please let us know that the noise level on the street is causing too much problem and we will organise alternative seating for you. In that way, we could solve the problem on the spot and create a even more enjoyable dining experience for you.

We take our customer's review very seriously, however, just thought that we did not deserve the "4 out 10" score for Ambience based on a single visit on a Saturday night because of the noise.

Nevertheless, thank you for your time and look forward to seeing you again soon.

Regards,
Atom

Jan 25, 2011

3 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  3      Service  3      Value  3     

My wife and I went for dinner at Isabellas' last Friday. Even though we were tired and hungry, we could not overlook the tremendous shortcomings of this eatery. We ordered the Calamary for two for the entree, that was not too bad, but the two Rib Eye Steaks were a disaster. The "medium" steak was well done, the "medium-rare" was well done in some parts, medium in others and medium rare just along the bone.

The advertised 700g steak consisted of 450g of bone with 250g of tough meat hanging of the bone. The "Red wine sauce" was just some red wine poured over the steaks. The patato chips were fried in old oil and the vegetables were soggy. This eatery completely lacks ambience, is unclean and in desperate need for some maintenance and a decoration upgrade. We will never go back there.

Jul 01, 2009

4.3 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  4      Service  7      Value  3     

Extremely noisy, good service, below average food though. Would not consider this to be a Restaurant, it is more an eatery. Considering the blandness of the dishes they serve, it is also overpriced. The "kitchen staff" in the kitchen must be an average cook. My wife and I were very disappointed, and will certainly never return.

Jul 01, 2009

4 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  3     

Went there for dinner on Saturday 16 August this year. Just my wife and myself. We ordered 2 entrees and 3 Mains.
Ambiance was good, service was good, but the food was terrible to say the least.

Out of the 5 dishes we ordered 3 were absolutely sub-standard. The chargrilled octopus wasn't spiced at all. The prawn dish was just watery prawns (obviously frozen) dipped in flower and served with heaps of onion. The fried rice was another looser, the only thing that could be tasted was the soy sauce. The Restaurant is BYO and we paid $92.00 for the 5 dishes.

Sep 15, 2008