mico_m

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

6.2 Average

Food  5      Drinks  5      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  6     

Food is not that great here at all. Pizza is doughy. Steak was cheap, overcooked, and served only with chips. (not even a lettuce leaf) hard to justify going here for a steak when you can walk to the strawberry hills for a really well cooked, great quality $5 steak, which comes with chips/mash and rocket.

Hard to justify coming here for a pizza. Walk up the road to Zeno's and get one of the best pizza's you will ever eat. That said, a great local pub. Staff are generally very friendly, beers are pretty cheap, atmos is cool. Great for summer, if you can get a seat outside. Great for bands. Open mic on monday is cool too.

Nov 24, 2008

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

6 Average

Food  5      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  6     

Had a pretty average Piccolo latte here on the weekend. Not necessarily bad,
but not very flavorful and a had flat finish. Have not tried the food yet, but the menu looks nice, the prices are very good, but would not go back for a coffee.

Nov 17, 2008

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  8     

I have been to the Falconer a few times now, once for a main meal, other times just for a drink. The passionate staff are excited to be serving you, and will happily guide you to one of the booths that line this thin, cozy and vibe cafe/restaurant.

The wine list is sensational. Beans wisely sourced from an ex-Campos staff member and solid barista's also make coffee great for first thing in the morning or as an accompaniment to your dessert tasting platter. Essentially if you go all out and order an entree, main, and dessert with wine, it works out about $80 a head, and considering the standard of the food, this really is fairly good value.

I'ts very new, so the Falconer are still finding their feet. My friends soup was very salty on one occasion, and when I ordered the Fish of the day, it was delicious but the side salad was quite overpowering. This is a great cafe/restaurant though, and is open all day, till late. The music is always great, they play vinyl all the time.
Check it out!

Oct 07, 2008

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

6.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  6     

The boathouse is a stunning restaurant, and I was really looking forward to eating here. It was a freezing night and the roaring fire inside was a welcome aspect of the restaurant. Luckily, our table was right next to the fire. I wouldn't want to have been on the other side of the room, it would have been cold. Great in summer.
Carpet wouldn't hurt. If anything, it would make it more comfy and pleasant to look out onto Blackwattle bay.

It was my dads birthday, and when we booked, the guy on the phone asked if it was a special occasion, and hinted that they would prepare something by saying "oh great, we'll see what happens on the night", unfortunately, nothing of the sort took place over the evening. This didn't bother us too much, but was a little irritating. Why hint at a birthday surprise if you are not going to deliver one. A lot of restaurants forget that its often the little things that really completes a sensational restaurant experience.

That aside, we had a fantastic night at the boathouse. The waiter was really nice, providing warm attentive service. I don't want to be a fun police but the waiters occasionally stood together and chatted by the fire which was slightly annoying, but could also be seen as adding to the friendly relaxed environment in the restaurant, as long as they are doing their job this didn't bother me and there's nothing worse than fun police waiters.

The amuse bouche was quite possibly the best thingI have ever eaten, ever. I seem to remember it being some kind of cheese thing. 10/10. We ordered mixed oysters which were out of this world. The vinaigrette provided was slightly overpowering, and the incredible freshness of the oysters essentially meant that they could speak for themselves in their flavour. The vinegarette was a little unnecessary and strong, but was still pretty good.

The oysters were served with fantastic thinly sliced rye bread and crusty, rustic white bread, delicious. The area for cutting the bread is starkly visible when you walk in. Maybe unnecessarily open, as the restaurant itself is glass and very open.
My brother had a crab entree which was supreme.

We ordered two snapper pies between four and a lamb saddle for the mains, as well as a mixed leaf and cress salad, which was great. The snapper pie was great, rustic, simple, delicious. I found the potato mash a touch on the dry side, but was still lovely.

The lamb saddle was great, but left me feeling a little strange, maybe too much oil or something. A delicious, simple souffle rounded off the evening. Delicious. The wine was absolutley fantastic, and the cocktails were fresh and absolutely sensational. $570 for four people isn't cheap but its not outrageous.

Sep 30, 2008

6.3 Average

Food  6      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  6     

I was really looking forward to checking this place out, and was lucky enough to score a table on Saturday night at the last minute, after Billy Kwong told us our table would be ready in an hour and a half. No thanks Kylie.

We found in tucked away on Holt St and were immediately seated. It's a great little space but really is very crammed. Four or five times I bumped into a waiter or someone else just sitting down, and moving my arms as you do in a restaurant. This is actually potentially dangerous, eg being bumped with a fork in your mouth.

The waiter was very friendly and knowledgeable about wine, he recommended my mum a nice, subtle summery wine which she loved. It was also only a $9 glass! We ordered an entree of mixed Crostini which was great. The broad bean was absolutely sensational while the others were good but weren't as perfect as the broad bean. We were ready for our mains, and they had been ordered at the same time as the entree.

We sat comfortably drinking our wine, and waited and waited, and waited. It must have been 45 minutes until I said to one of the waiters, not the nice guy that served us but a different one, to check on our food. He walked off and made absolutely no effort to do so and instead hang around and served another table. I was really, really annoyed by this. Finally we saw our food emerge in the hands of a waiter who then proceeded to walk past us and out the door. Then back inside to converse with another staff member, and finally over to our table.

I had risotto with squid which was quite good - tasty, moorish, but nothing extraordinary. My mum had a pork lasagne which was nice enough. Both dishes were essentially simple blocks of flavour, with not much depth. They were however, very fresh and extremely good considering the prices. The rocket and parmesan salad was amazing - 10/10. With a smidge less salt it would have been sheer perfection, fresh, crisp leaves, bursting with flavour, with freshly shaved parmesan and a slightly sweet dressing made this maybe the best salad I have ever had. It went through a distinct three stages of flavour, first sour, then peppery, then a sweet clean finish. Sensational. The desert was delicious, but was essentially good quality choc chip ice cream. The rhubarb was nice though.

I plan to return to Vini in the future to try something else. Don't get the risotto; it's good but not amazing. A nice little place.

Sep 30, 2008

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

6.2 Average

Food  5      Drinks  5      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  6     

Food is not that great here at all. Pizza is doughy. Steak was cheap, overcooked, and served only with chips. (not even a lettuce leaf) hard to justify going here for a steak when you can walk to the strawberry hills for a really well cooked, great quality $5 steak, which comes with chips/mash and rocket.

Hard to justify coming here for a pizza. Walk up the road to Zeno's and get one of the best pizza's you will ever eat. That said, a great local pub. Staff are generally very friendly, beers are pretty cheap, atmos is cool. Great for summer, if you can get a seat outside. Great for bands. Open mic on monday is cool too.

Nov 24, 2008

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

6 Average

Food  5      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  6     

Had a pretty average Piccolo latte here on the weekend. Not necessarily bad,
but not very flavorful and a had flat finish. Have not tried the food yet, but the menu looks nice, the prices are very good, but would not go back for a coffee.

Nov 17, 2008

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  8     

I have been to the Falconer a few times now, once for a main meal, other times just for a drink. The passionate staff are excited to be serving you, and will happily guide you to one of the booths that line this thin, cozy and vibe cafe/restaurant.

The wine list is sensational. Beans wisely sourced from an ex-Campos staff member and solid barista's also make coffee great for first thing in the morning or as an accompaniment to your dessert tasting platter. Essentially if you go all out and order an entree, main, and dessert with wine, it works out about $80 a head, and considering the standard of the food, this really is fairly good value.

I'ts very new, so the Falconer are still finding their feet. My friends soup was very salty on one occasion, and when I ordered the Fish of the day, it was delicious but the side salad was quite overpowering. This is a great cafe/restaurant though, and is open all day, till late. The music is always great, they play vinyl all the time.
Check it out!

Oct 07, 2008

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

6.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  6     

The boathouse is a stunning restaurant, and I was really looking forward to eating here. It was a freezing night and the roaring fire inside was a welcome aspect of the restaurant. Luckily, our table was right next to the fire. I wouldn't want to have been on the other side of the room, it would have been cold. Great in summer.
Carpet wouldn't hurt. If anything, it would make it more comfy and pleasant to look out onto Blackwattle bay.

It was my dads birthday, and when we booked, the guy on the phone asked if it was a special occasion, and hinted that they would prepare something by saying "oh great, we'll see what happens on the night", unfortunately, nothing of the sort took place over the evening. This didn't bother us too much, but was a little irritating. Why hint at a birthday surprise if you are not going to deliver one. A lot of restaurants forget that its often the little things that really completes a sensational restaurant experience.

That aside, we had a fantastic night at the boathouse. The waiter was really nice, providing warm attentive service. I don't want to be a fun police but the waiters occasionally stood together and chatted by the fire which was slightly annoying, but could also be seen as adding to the friendly relaxed environment in the restaurant, as long as they are doing their job this didn't bother me and there's nothing worse than fun police waiters.

The amuse bouche was quite possibly the best thingI have ever eaten, ever. I seem to remember it being some kind of cheese thing. 10/10. We ordered mixed oysters which were out of this world. The vinaigrette provided was slightly overpowering, and the incredible freshness of the oysters essentially meant that they could speak for themselves in their flavour. The vinegarette was a little unnecessary and strong, but was still pretty good.

The oysters were served with fantastic thinly sliced rye bread and crusty, rustic white bread, delicious. The area for cutting the bread is starkly visible when you walk in. Maybe unnecessarily open, as the restaurant itself is glass and very open.
My brother had a crab entree which was supreme.

We ordered two snapper pies between four and a lamb saddle for the mains, as well as a mixed leaf and cress salad, which was great. The snapper pie was great, rustic, simple, delicious. I found the potato mash a touch on the dry side, but was still lovely.

The lamb saddle was great, but left me feeling a little strange, maybe too much oil or something. A delicious, simple souffle rounded off the evening. Delicious. The wine was absolutley fantastic, and the cocktails were fresh and absolutely sensational. $570 for four people isn't cheap but its not outrageous.

Sep 30, 2008

6.3 Average

Food  6      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  6     

I was really looking forward to checking this place out, and was lucky enough to score a table on Saturday night at the last minute, after Billy Kwong told us our table would be ready in an hour and a half. No thanks Kylie.

We found in tucked away on Holt St and were immediately seated. It's a great little space but really is very crammed. Four or five times I bumped into a waiter or someone else just sitting down, and moving my arms as you do in a restaurant. This is actually potentially dangerous, eg being bumped with a fork in your mouth.

The waiter was very friendly and knowledgeable about wine, he recommended my mum a nice, subtle summery wine which she loved. It was also only a $9 glass! We ordered an entree of mixed Crostini which was great. The broad bean was absolutely sensational while the others were good but weren't as perfect as the broad bean. We were ready for our mains, and they had been ordered at the same time as the entree.

We sat comfortably drinking our wine, and waited and waited, and waited. It must have been 45 minutes until I said to one of the waiters, not the nice guy that served us but a different one, to check on our food. He walked off and made absolutely no effort to do so and instead hang around and served another table. I was really, really annoyed by this. Finally we saw our food emerge in the hands of a waiter who then proceeded to walk past us and out the door. Then back inside to converse with another staff member, and finally over to our table.

I had risotto with squid which was quite good - tasty, moorish, but nothing extraordinary. My mum had a pork lasagne which was nice enough. Both dishes were essentially simple blocks of flavour, with not much depth. They were however, very fresh and extremely good considering the prices. The rocket and parmesan salad was amazing - 10/10. With a smidge less salt it would have been sheer perfection, fresh, crisp leaves, bursting with flavour, with freshly shaved parmesan and a slightly sweet dressing made this maybe the best salad I have ever had. It went through a distinct three stages of flavour, first sour, then peppery, then a sweet clean finish. Sensational. The desert was delicious, but was essentially good quality choc chip ice cream. The rhubarb was nice though.

I plan to return to Vini in the future to try something else. Don't get the risotto; it's good but not amazing. A nice little place.

Sep 30, 2008

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  8     

I have been going to Forsyth's for years now, and my dad goes every single day. The coffee is sensational. Bold, robust, and deep. The service is all about family and community. It’s a great coffee shop that gives kids a go, and trains them up as baristas.

This also can occasionally mean a lull in consistency. Every now and then you might get a dud, but the fact that it varies with every cup, means it’s always a surprise when you go there. The depth of the blends means you get led on an amazingly tasty coffee adventure with every cup.

The owner, Rob Forsyth is a real character, and a World Barista Judge and Chairman. He will be happy to tell you all about his recent trip to Iceland or Tokyo to judge barista championships if you ask him. He is also the brains behind the new ring toss out the front of the shop, which, if won three times in a row earns you free coffee for a week. It's this kind of thing that makes Forsyth's special. Combined with some of Sydney's best coffee, you really can’t go wrong. Let alone the extensive wall of fantastic blends in store to take home freshly ground, or as is. If you like relaxed, family vibe with sensational coffee, then swing by Forsyth's and enjoy.

Sep 29, 2008

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  6     

As a trained Barista, I enjoy watching these guys at work. Campos is like a theatre. The baristas click and clack, do little twirls on their tip-toes and serve up solid coffee. The good thing about campos is its consistency. Every time I have been there I have had a pretty good coffee.

What I have never understood though, is why the HELL the baristas never flush the group head??? anyone who knows about coffee machines will understand what I mean, and how bloody important it is to good coffee.

For those who don't, its the part the ground coffee is locked into to produce the shot. Every shot, little bits of coffee get stuck up there and theres nothing worse that old coffee. It comes through in every shot and adds an unwelcome bitterness to the coffee at Campos. Not flushing the group head also causes hot water to accumulate in the group head, and burns the top of the ground coffee before the water comes through.

In addition, the Campos blend has a small amount of Robusta bean in the blend, which adds more bitterness. All this combined makes a Picollo latte (signature coffee) at Campos great on the first sip, then quickly drop away to a flat finish. That said, the coffee is very, very consistent. The milk is always excellent.

If you like solid coffee, don't mind waiting a while, and enjoy an audio/visual theatrical display while your cup gets nudged along a lengthy que of cups, then check out Campos.

Sep 29, 2008