melty.dumpling

7.8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  7     

I came here on Christmas day last year for dinner. My partner and I shared the Organic vegetable salad which was really fresh and somewhat invigorating. Each time I had a bite I was boosted with energy. For my main I chose the Pan fried snapper, ragout of seafood. I thought the fish was so tender and the balance of flavours with the seafood made it surprisingly special. My partner had the wagyu which he was raving on about too.

I thought the set up of the tables were great. Seems like the majority of the tables have a side to themselves (a wall or next to the void) which makes it slightly more intimate.

The service was great (for us), but we noticed towards the end of the night when it got busier other tables seemed to be getting the wrong orders. It took us a while to get the bill at the end of the night, even after paying it a waitress came up to our table to give us mains. Obviously this was not ours.

Jan 05, 2012

6.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  6      Value  6     

Came here on Christmas day last year, we sat in the Sussex Entrance side of the restaurant and there were no carts being pushed around. I was disappointed but soon I tasted the benefits of not choosing off the carts.

Each of the dumplings and dishes ordered seemed to be just made and piping hot. The seafood dumplings were good, but not as good as the ones from the fish market. The chicken feet were really good though. Best I've had in a while.

For dessert we had the coconut and red bean, it wasn’t my kind of dessert though. I wish it came with coconut milk. The Silken Tofu was silky and not grainy (like you might find at some other places), the tofu was nice and warm and had just enough syrup. Finally the egg tarts were just baked and the pastry melted in my mouth. I love it when it has been freshly made.

Jan 05, 2012

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  7     

Had the Lamb crumbed with salad and chips. The portions were huge and I thought the food was great. I definitely recommend this place to eat.

Jan 03, 2012

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  8     

Dining here alone one night last year, it was good to see I wasn't the only one.

I had the Brushchetta, the 3 pieces was far too much for one person, but it was nice so I ate it all. The Ocean trout was pan-fried and they deep fried the skin, beneath this was a bed of vegetables and haloumi. I thought the combination was great and by far the best meal I've had at Grafton. I did also order a side of Wedges which I personally would not recommended, the potato wasn't soft (the way I like it) and I could barely taste the seasoning.

Service was as expected for the price of the meal. I was told this was the "fine dining" restaurant, but I thought the prices were reasonable and on the cheap side for this type of restaurant.

Jan 03, 2012

1.5 Not Recommended

Food  1      Value  2     

If you know anything at all about good Thai food - Avoid this place (then again if you live here, you don't really have much of a variety of restaurants to eat at). Granted I can only comment on the delivery take-away. The minimum order was $30 with a $5 delivery fee. The price isn't the issue, if the food was actually decent I'd gladly pay. But when it tastes that atrocious you get "annoyed" to put it kindly.

I had the Panang curry and am still puzzled as to which bit actually resembled Panang curry aside from the name. I order with it, the White Rice which I guess you can't go too wrong with this. The Fish cakes tasted quite artificial, couldn't eat more than one. Finally the Tom Yum soup was the only thing that I thought tasted edible enough.

All up delivered, I spent $37 (for 1 person) and I barely ate it. Expensive and terrible

Jan 03, 2012

7.8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  7     

I came here on Christmas day last year for dinner. My partner and I shared the Organic vegetable salad which was really fresh and somewhat invigorating. Each time I had a bite I was boosted with energy. For my main I chose the Pan fried snapper, ragout of seafood. I thought the fish was so tender and the balance of flavours with the seafood made it surprisingly special. My partner had the wagyu which he was raving on about too.

I thought the set up of the tables were great. Seems like the majority of the tables have a side to themselves (a wall or next to the void) which makes it slightly more intimate.

The service was great (for us), but we noticed towards the end of the night when it got busier other tables seemed to be getting the wrong orders. It took us a while to get the bill at the end of the night, even after paying it a waitress came up to our table to give us mains. Obviously this was not ours.

Jan 05, 2012

6.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  6      Value  6     

Came here on Christmas day last year, we sat in the Sussex Entrance side of the restaurant and there were no carts being pushed around. I was disappointed but soon I tasted the benefits of not choosing off the carts.

Each of the dumplings and dishes ordered seemed to be just made and piping hot. The seafood dumplings were good, but not as good as the ones from the fish market. The chicken feet were really good though. Best I've had in a while.

For dessert we had the coconut and red bean, it wasn’t my kind of dessert though. I wish it came with coconut milk. The Silken Tofu was silky and not grainy (like you might find at some other places), the tofu was nice and warm and had just enough syrup. Finally the egg tarts were just baked and the pastry melted in my mouth. I love it when it has been freshly made.

Jan 05, 2012

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  7     

Had the Lamb crumbed with salad and chips. The portions were huge and I thought the food was great. I definitely recommend this place to eat.

Jan 03, 2012

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  8     

Dining here alone one night last year, it was good to see I wasn't the only one.

I had the Brushchetta, the 3 pieces was far too much for one person, but it was nice so I ate it all. The Ocean trout was pan-fried and they deep fried the skin, beneath this was a bed of vegetables and haloumi. I thought the combination was great and by far the best meal I've had at Grafton. I did also order a side of Wedges which I personally would not recommended, the potato wasn't soft (the way I like it) and I could barely taste the seasoning.

Service was as expected for the price of the meal. I was told this was the "fine dining" restaurant, but I thought the prices were reasonable and on the cheap side for this type of restaurant.

Jan 03, 2012

1.5 Not Recommended

Food  1      Value  2     

If you know anything at all about good Thai food - Avoid this place (then again if you live here, you don't really have much of a variety of restaurants to eat at). Granted I can only comment on the delivery take-away. The minimum order was $30 with a $5 delivery fee. The price isn't the issue, if the food was actually decent I'd gladly pay. But when it tastes that atrocious you get "annoyed" to put it kindly.

I had the Panang curry and am still puzzled as to which bit actually resembled Panang curry aside from the name. I order with it, the White Rice which I guess you can't go too wrong with this. The Fish cakes tasted quite artificial, couldn't eat more than one. Finally the Tom Yum soup was the only thing that I thought tasted edible enough.

All up delivered, I spent $37 (for 1 person) and I barely ate it. Expensive and terrible

Jan 03, 2012

5.3 Average

Food  5      Ambience  6      Service  5      Value  5     

Came to this place last year. It is great for Families, a tad on the loud side so catching up with friends is a little hard once the restaurant gets busy.

Food wise, the steaks were okay. Nothing particularly special (but not bad either). Expect an average experience here.

Jan 03, 2012

5.3 Average

Food  5      Ambience  6      Service  6      Value  4     

Came here last year and this is the 2nd time I have been to this restaurant chain. Not sure why I decided to come here again, but this visit has reminded me of earlier impression of this chain and I will not be visiting this place again.

Now in all honesty the service is okay. For families I can definitely see how this place can appeal because it is very family oriented. For any others, I warn that the food is disappointing for a Steakhouse. The prices are not that cheap either.

Jan 03, 2012

6.3 Average

Food  8      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  7     

Came here at 10:45pm and had the Pork and Preserved Egg congee (delicious with sweet broth), Crispy fried noodles (large portion and appropriately fried). It is cheap and is perfect for late night dinners! It's not a flash restaurant, but you get fed at a late hour. What more do you need?

Dec 22, 2011

3.3 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  2      Service  5      Value  3     

I think the concept may have been lost.

I felt like I was in some hall and they chucked tables there and I was eating in a noisy and awkward place. The decor was very disappointing, looked like something they pieced together one afternoon. The Waitresses and waiters were very friendly. Perhaps, too friendly?

Food was disappointing for everyone. Medium rare was more on the medium/done side. Steak sauce wasn't that great either. At least we all got our food at the same time.

The only reason why we all stayed and sat for longer was because it was my friend's Birthday. Otherwise we would have left asap. My friend who chose the place kept apologising.

The little kiddies (<5) from some other groups seemed to like it. I noticed other kiddies older than that were too busy on an iphone playing games. They offered us a loyalty card to entice us to come back when we left. I just really felt sorry for them.

Dec 20, 2011

6.3 Average

Food  8      Ambience  5      Service  6      Value  6     

The noodles were interesting and different from other Ramen places. It was nice and cooked al dente it seems. It is small, but I was full by the time the dish was finished. I'm pretty small so for anyone else, I'd recommend an upgrade.

I came here a 2nd time, I had the Tonkotsu (again) but found that the soup base wasn't hot enough, and just warm. I suppose you need to eat it quick. I find the Ramen here much more expensive than the ones you get in Sydney.

Dec 20, 2011