mikerv

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  6      Value  7     

We went here for a mid-week lunch and found it a very pleasant experience. The seafood risotto was a good size, laden with prawns and calamari and topped with two crab claws and two mussels in the shell.

The outlook is lovely and we saw the Spit bridge open and close. There is also a little sandy area for kids to play alongside the restaurant. We did not have wine and did not pay any attention to the prices, but the main courses were around $27.

I was surprised at the negative reviews on this page, but we were there at a very quiet time. The service wasn't exactly speedy but we were in no hurry.

Sep 01, 2011

7.3 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  7     

We went here for lunch on a Travelzoo deal which included three courses at $79.00 for two.

The choices we were given were celeriac soup with mushrooms or smoked salmon with red cabbage and a citrus dressing (we had one of each), then fish or a very filling braised brisket of beef with mash and spinach (which we both had) and a set dessert.

However, something had gone wrong with the dessert and they let us order off the regular menu, and we both got creme brulee which was served flaming and accompanied by a little jellied fruit thing with a small meringue (described as pavlova in the menu). A tiny canape and a bread roll each were included.

A glass of white wine was $11.00, and my light beer and cup of coffee were $6.00 each. The setting is spectacular and the food quality is good, but it is very pricey to order off the a la carte menu.

Jul 04, 2011

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

I went here in a group of 15 for lunch and, on booking, I was told it would be quicker to order the group menu consisting of shared entree and main course platters. However, not everybody wanted these and we decided to accept the longer wait and order a la carte.

Some of us chose a duck special and the one waitress on duty advised it took 40 minutes to prepare, but it was worth waiting for. A person who ordered the drunken mussels as an entree said they were delicious and everyone raved about the sausages, schnitzel, pork knuckle and beef stroganoff, all of which came in generous servings. The dessert menu was rather limited, but the warm apple strudel was excellent.

The restaurant is situated in an arcade and it is necessary to get a key in order to use the rest rooms, which weren't far away at all. The atmosphere is casual and pleasant, and although it is not a big place, it didn't seem cluttered for our large group, and even with a few other tables occupied we were able to move around.

Some people ordered two courses, some only one and, with the fairly modest amount of drinks purchased (it is also BYO wine) and some teas and coffees, the bill averaged under $40 per head.

Jul 03, 2011

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

We went here on a very cold night and the management had the courtesy to phone before and advise that the heating wasn't working. We decided to brave it, and it was quite drafty, being basically a deck with clear plastic blinds which were flapping in the wind.

I had the $39 set menu of two courses. My peppered calamari entree with a tangy salad was really good, and followed by fish and chips. Choosing your own entree and main costs $54.

We did not have dessert as they weren't serving anything hot. We could not have chosen a worse night and would like to go back in daylight and better conditions.

May 12, 2011

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

6.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  4      Value  8     

Looking at all the rave reviews, I wondered if anyone had been here in a large group and had an experience like ours. We went for lunch in a group of 12 and had requested the private room. When we arrived our table was set up in the main dining area as they claimed our request was not in their book. The private room was empty and they were not very busy, so I assume they thought it easier on themselves to seat us with everyone else.

When the waiter had taken 4 of our 12 orders, he dashed off to the kitchen, and these meals arrived 20 minutes before the next 4, then 2 more appeared a while later, then one and finally another one. The food was very good, when we got it, and inexpensive at under $20.00 per main course and up to about $9.00 for desserts. Drinks were your typical, inflated restaurant prices.

There is an outdoor dining area off the street also. As one of the ladies pointed out, only the gentlemen's toilet had a sign on it. I would go back there again, but only in a small group, which apparently they are more capable of handling.

Mar 28, 2010

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  6      Value  7     

We went here for a mid-week lunch and found it a very pleasant experience. The seafood risotto was a good size, laden with prawns and calamari and topped with two crab claws and two mussels in the shell.

The outlook is lovely and we saw the Spit bridge open and close. There is also a little sandy area for kids to play alongside the restaurant. We did not have wine and did not pay any attention to the prices, but the main courses were around $27.

I was surprised at the negative reviews on this page, but we were there at a very quiet time. The service wasn't exactly speedy but we were in no hurry.

Sep 01, 2011

7.3 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  7     

We went here for lunch on a Travelzoo deal which included three courses at $79.00 for two.

The choices we were given were celeriac soup with mushrooms or smoked salmon with red cabbage and a citrus dressing (we had one of each), then fish or a very filling braised brisket of beef with mash and spinach (which we both had) and a set dessert.

However, something had gone wrong with the dessert and they let us order off the regular menu, and we both got creme brulee which was served flaming and accompanied by a little jellied fruit thing with a small meringue (described as pavlova in the menu). A tiny canape and a bread roll each were included.

A glass of white wine was $11.00, and my light beer and cup of coffee were $6.00 each. The setting is spectacular and the food quality is good, but it is very pricey to order off the a la carte menu.

Jul 04, 2011

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

I went here in a group of 15 for lunch and, on booking, I was told it would be quicker to order the group menu consisting of shared entree and main course platters. However, not everybody wanted these and we decided to accept the longer wait and order a la carte.

Some of us chose a duck special and the one waitress on duty advised it took 40 minutes to prepare, but it was worth waiting for. A person who ordered the drunken mussels as an entree said they were delicious and everyone raved about the sausages, schnitzel, pork knuckle and beef stroganoff, all of which came in generous servings. The dessert menu was rather limited, but the warm apple strudel was excellent.

The restaurant is situated in an arcade and it is necessary to get a key in order to use the rest rooms, which weren't far away at all. The atmosphere is casual and pleasant, and although it is not a big place, it didn't seem cluttered for our large group, and even with a few other tables occupied we were able to move around.

Some people ordered two courses, some only one and, with the fairly modest amount of drinks purchased (it is also BYO wine) and some teas and coffees, the bill averaged under $40 per head.

Jul 03, 2011

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

We went here on a very cold night and the management had the courtesy to phone before and advise that the heating wasn't working. We decided to brave it, and it was quite drafty, being basically a deck with clear plastic blinds which were flapping in the wind.

I had the $39 set menu of two courses. My peppered calamari entree with a tangy salad was really good, and followed by fish and chips. Choosing your own entree and main costs $54.

We did not have dessert as they weren't serving anything hot. We could not have chosen a worse night and would like to go back in daylight and better conditions.

May 12, 2011

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

6.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  4      Value  8     

Looking at all the rave reviews, I wondered if anyone had been here in a large group and had an experience like ours. We went for lunch in a group of 12 and had requested the private room. When we arrived our table was set up in the main dining area as they claimed our request was not in their book. The private room was empty and they were not very busy, so I assume they thought it easier on themselves to seat us with everyone else.

When the waiter had taken 4 of our 12 orders, he dashed off to the kitchen, and these meals arrived 20 minutes before the next 4, then 2 more appeared a while later, then one and finally another one. The food was very good, when we got it, and inexpensive at under $20.00 per main course and up to about $9.00 for desserts. Drinks were your typical, inflated restaurant prices.

There is an outdoor dining area off the street also. As one of the ladies pointed out, only the gentlemen's toilet had a sign on it. I would go back there again, but only in a small group, which apparently they are more capable of handling.

Mar 28, 2010

6.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  5      Service  7      Value  7     

Six of us dined here and shared three entree platters, had a main course, bread, salad and tea and coffee, amounting to $55 per head. The $3 per head corkage was a bit much when one person only drank water. The food was very good but it is a noisy place, having a tiled floor and and being relatively bare. The service was quite good, and a waiter followed us up the street to return a wine carry bag which one of us left behind.

Feb 15, 2010

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  6      Service  7      Value  7     

Being a large establishment on the ground floor of an office building, this place has the feel of eating in a big hotel. It was practically deserted the night were there, and probably relies more on the lunch trade due to its location in the Parramatta CBD.

They had a promotional price of $39 for two courses on selected items but, with one drink each, bread and vegetables, we finished up paying $60 each which included a tip. Although the service was adequate, the food was nothing to rave about. My main course of veal, salad and potatoes looked and tasted like something out of a club bistro.

Feb 09, 2010

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  9     

We had a lovely time here and I chose rice paper rolls with duck, followed by veal with king prawns, potato mash and bok choy in a lovely sauce and then a macadamia pudding off the specials board. The service was friendly and none of the main courses, including a barbecued seafood plate, were over $30.00. Licenced and BYO.

Jan 14, 2010

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

6.8 Recommended

Food  8      Drinks  8      Ambience  5      Service  6      Value  7     

The food and the location are the winners here. It has good pub food, with a pleasant rural outlook from the back deck. However this place is desperately in need of a facelift which, according to a Herald review, will eventually happen.

A large group of us booked a private section for a Saturday lunch. None of us had been there before and we were put in a run-down room adorned with dart boards and a pool table. Strangely, it had hot pink art deco curtains with walls to match, so the renovations may have started, but they hardly complemented the wood panelling dotted with the marks of bad dart shots.

You order off a blackboard and pay at the counter, and meals get brought to your table, and you get your own drinks from the bar. The day we were there they had one person in the kitchen and one manager/waitress to deliver the meals. They were far from at full capacity and the service did seem slow, and getting coffee served on the deck after lunch also took ages as another large group was still getting food orders.

All of our group enjoyed our meals which included salt and pepper calamari, fish and chips, steaks, pork chops and gourmet sausages, and my steak sandwich had the nicest steak I've tasted in ages along with a beetroot and onion jam on Turkish bread.

The staff, I suppose, did a good job considering there were so few of them, and the chef did pay us a visit to ask if we enjoyed our meals.

Oct 24, 2009

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  7     

I went here for the first time last night and waited in a sitting room with an open fire for my companion to arrive. The waiter hung up our coats and took us to a table by a window which would have had a very pleasant view of the park and river in daylight.

There was a large function in another room but we heard no noise coming from there. This is a very popular venue for weddings and business functions as there is ample off street parking and it is in very pretty setting.

The food was very good and there were no extra charges for bread rolls or side dishes. The main courses did not need any accompaniments but the waiter did bring freshly cooked beans. Entrees are around the $20.00 mark, mains average $36.00 and desserts $16.00. We only ordered one glass of wine each and paid around $10.00 a glass. My friend had brought wine but they do not allow BYO.

The waiter was excellent and we overheard his suggestions of entrees to an adjoining table, after they told him which mains they had selected. When we were leaving he asked us to wait by the open fire in the front room while he fetched our coats.

Aug 19, 2009