nerdag

6.2 Average

Quality  6      Food  6      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  6     

This place looks promising when you arrive, but only partially delivers. It's got a classy, old school charm to it, but that's about where it ends.

Ultimately, it's pretty much fancy pub grub. The menu is uninteresting, and the food is reasonable, but nothing to write home about. Drinks are fairly priced, with a limited, but nice selection of wines on offer.

It can get busy at times, and you are left with the feeling that the place could do with a few extra staff. Nevertheless, it's clear that it's a popular place with locals, so worth consideration if you find yourself in north Canberra and want to avoid the perpetual chaos of nearby Dickson.

Feb 25, 2012

6 Average

Food  7      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  7     

This is a typical suburban BBQ pork/duck place. Cheap food, great to eat most of the time, and variable service. Nice if you want a cheap, tasty Chinese meal, but not so great if you are after a classy dining experience.

Feb 25, 2012

7.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  6     

This ia a decent, fancy restaurant, in what is otherwise a fairly bohemian part of town. Menu is fairly standard, and the food always done well. It's small, intimate, and great for a romantic night out. The only caveat is if you get an outdoor seat on a cold night, in which case the barriers don't work all that well.

Service is great, food is decent, but nothing spectacular. Staff are quite attentive, and professional the times we have been here, although friends say it can be a bit hit and miss. The only negative is that prices are on the high side, but it is very much a case of you get what you pay for here.

Dec 28, 2011

8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  8     

Great little Japanese restaurant which is very easy to miss, being opposite a railway station. The food is authentic, very fresh, and hard to beat. It can get quite busy in here at peak times, and there is occasionally a queue, which makes things a bit tight given the small size of the place.

Cost is a bit on high side compared to other Japanese eateries in this part of town, but certainly not exorbitant. The quality of the food more than makes up for the slightly higher price.

Highlights on the menu include the various unagi (eel) dishes, various sushis and sashimi, and the delectable karaage chicken. This place is a favourite of ours, and we frequently stop by here when we are in this part of town. Highly recommended.

Dec 28, 2011

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  8     

A group of us went here some weeks ago for a celebratory dinner (which we were greeted with by a complimentary bottle of champagne), and had the degustation menu. The food is spectacular, with the salmon "cooked at precisly 55 deg" and desserts a highlight. The food is interesting, varied, blends the flavours excellently, is well presented, and importantly, they actually give you a decent serving.

Service is fantastic. The waitstaff are knowledgeable, helpful, and professional. The only let down with this place is that it is a bit small, and that means that if its busy, you can often struggle to hear the others in your group because all the conversations in the restaurant echo off the walls.

Other than that, it's a great place for a special occasion or a fancy night out. Highly recommended.

Dec 28, 2011

6.2 Average

Quality  6      Food  6      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  6     

This place looks promising when you arrive, but only partially delivers. It's got a classy, old school charm to it, but that's about where it ends.

Ultimately, it's pretty much fancy pub grub. The menu is uninteresting, and the food is reasonable, but nothing to write home about. Drinks are fairly priced, with a limited, but nice selection of wines on offer.

It can get busy at times, and you are left with the feeling that the place could do with a few extra staff. Nevertheless, it's clear that it's a popular place with locals, so worth consideration if you find yourself in north Canberra and want to avoid the perpetual chaos of nearby Dickson.

Feb 25, 2012

6 Average

Food  7      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  7     

This is a typical suburban BBQ pork/duck place. Cheap food, great to eat most of the time, and variable service. Nice if you want a cheap, tasty Chinese meal, but not so great if you are after a classy dining experience.

Feb 25, 2012

7.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  6     

This ia a decent, fancy restaurant, in what is otherwise a fairly bohemian part of town. Menu is fairly standard, and the food always done well. It's small, intimate, and great for a romantic night out. The only caveat is if you get an outdoor seat on a cold night, in which case the barriers don't work all that well.

Service is great, food is decent, but nothing spectacular. Staff are quite attentive, and professional the times we have been here, although friends say it can be a bit hit and miss. The only negative is that prices are on the high side, but it is very much a case of you get what you pay for here.

Dec 28, 2011

8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  8     

Great little Japanese restaurant which is very easy to miss, being opposite a railway station. The food is authentic, very fresh, and hard to beat. It can get quite busy in here at peak times, and there is occasionally a queue, which makes things a bit tight given the small size of the place.

Cost is a bit on high side compared to other Japanese eateries in this part of town, but certainly not exorbitant. The quality of the food more than makes up for the slightly higher price.

Highlights on the menu include the various unagi (eel) dishes, various sushis and sashimi, and the delectable karaage chicken. This place is a favourite of ours, and we frequently stop by here when we are in this part of town. Highly recommended.

Dec 28, 2011

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  8     

A group of us went here some weeks ago for a celebratory dinner (which we were greeted with by a complimentary bottle of champagne), and had the degustation menu. The food is spectacular, with the salmon "cooked at precisly 55 deg" and desserts a highlight. The food is interesting, varied, blends the flavours excellently, is well presented, and importantly, they actually give you a decent serving.

Service is fantastic. The waitstaff are knowledgeable, helpful, and professional. The only let down with this place is that it is a bit small, and that means that if its busy, you can often struggle to hear the others in your group because all the conversations in the restaurant echo off the walls.

Other than that, it's a great place for a special occasion or a fancy night out. Highly recommended.

Dec 28, 2011

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  8     

A real gem! Authentic Vietnamese food, great service, great atmosphere.

Most of the time the food is spot on, but there is the odd occasion where the dish isn't up to its usual standard. The hosts, however, are lovely, attentive, and will do their utmost to make sure you are looked after, and have a great time.

This is the sort of service that you usually get in far more expensive restaurants, and refreshing to see in a suburban Vietnamese eatery.

Prices are a little higher than average for this part of town, but well worth it in my opinion. We'll be back again!

Nov 29, 2011

3.5 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  4      Service  4      Value  2     

This place has just gotten worse in recent years, and is more or less trading on its historically good name. The innovative menu of old is gone and the food is more or less common fare. Service is rubbish, most of the wait staff give you a hard time for daring to ask to be served. Prices aren't cheap, and the food certainly doesn't justify the asking price.

Quite frankly, I won't be going back. There are plenty of places around here that have far better food and better value for money.

Nov 27, 2011

6 Average

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  5      Value  5     

They make good breakfasts here, if a little small in size. Prices are a bit on the high side for what they are, but the food and coffees are some of the better ones that you can get in this part of Sydney.

Service is a bit rigid and left a bit to be desired, they won't do anything at your table other than bring food out and take away empty plates. If you want anything, you have to join the queue at the counter, even if you've already ordered and paid.

Apart from the service issues, it's certainly worth a try.

Nov 27, 2011

4.3 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  6      Service  3      Value  3     

I've been here a few times in recent weeks for brekkies/lunches with friends.

The concept is nice, but, unfortunately, the food and coffee don't match. The menu is rather limited, and whatever you order, is essentially is a bit of toast with a bit of your chosen meat or topping. The sizes are barely large enough to qualify as an entree, but they cost just under $20. A basic meal here easily costs $25 a head for a small meal and coffee.

The service leaves a lot to be desired, with wait staff having an interrogatory style, and unable to explain most of the menu, wherever you have questions.

As much as I wanted to like this place, I won't be back. There are far better eateries in this part of town, especially for what you pay.

Nov 27, 2011

6.3 Average

Food  9      Ambience  4      Service  5      Value  7     

Habibs has some of the best chicken in town, but I think it's a bit of a one-trick pony. Habib's relies on this (and its garlic sauce) for its reputation, and they don't really do anything else all that well.

The roast chicken servings are excellent, as are the pickled vegetables. They haven't been as generous with the garlic sauce lately, perhaps as a strategy to get you to spend on their (reasonably priced) jars that they sell for take away. If you're after barbequed chicken, this place is definitely worth a shot.

Nov 27, 2011