nordom

7.3 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  8     

My partner and I visited on a Thursday night for a quiet celebration. We ordered the banquet and found it to be filling and satisfying. The value for the banquet is pretty good.

Of the highlights, the prawn and fish balls were very good, the kingfish sashimi came with a very interesting combination of dressings, the eggplant (while very rich, would be a bit too much for one person as a main) had a tasty sauce, and the seared tuna was delicious. It was a pity that many of the tuna pieces were cooked through as the seared pieces had a much more satisfying combination of textures.

The rice cakes were slightly burned, and the miso soup and salad were, perhaps, slightly uninspired. The sushi was fresh but the rice was maybe not sticky enough so promptly fell apart once dipped in the wasabi soy.

For dessert, the green tea creme brulee was an absolute hit for my partner, creamy and not too sweet, but with a crackly sugar top. My lounge coffee dessert cocktail really packed a punch but was all the better for it, a great alternative to an after dinner coffee.

Service was a little bit too fast in some parts and a bit slow in others. Some attention to timing would have been beneficial. I would call the decor appropriate, nothing special but no real issues. I personally like a bit more space to the neighbouring diners but that's the way it's set up.

For two the night came up to $120, given a full stomach after a banquet menu I was happy with this and was pleased with trying some new flavours. I'd really like to come back for cocktails and sake in the bar, it looks like a great place to have an intimate few drinks with friends and experiment with some different drinks.

Oct 23, 2009

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Drinks  7      Ambience  7      Service  5      Value  8     

I have come here a couple times now and have found the value to be pretty good. Steaks are ok, about what you'd expect for the price (most meals are from $9.95 to about $18). Chicken schnitzel was a bit of a disappointment, I've had better for the same price and it's really not that hard to do a good schnitzel with a decent amount of fries.

My partner had a risotto special, asian style, an unusual combination with beef, prawns, asian greens and an asian inspired flavour. This was tasty and filling but very salty. The one dish to write home about is the shepherd's pie, served in a dish with a cheesy top and good quality meat inside, a filling and delicious meal which I was very impressed with. A few fries on the side with a typical little leafy salad. Good value for money, I'll be back for this.

The bar upstairs looks quite cosy and has a few cheap drinks specials. The ground level is quite nice and open, though the downstairs bistro seems a bit dingy so we much preferred to eat on the ground level. On one visit we had some issues ordering cocktails, with a little confusion about "Mirabelle" being the bar upstairs and bar staff not really being familiar with the drinks list. I think best to stick to the tap beers and shepherd's pie!

Aug 23, 2009

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  8     

We visited Angelo's for a 6 pm first session on a Saturday (we were politely advised when booking that there were two seatings so we would need to finish by 8 pm).

The restaurant is also a takeaway but this area was off to the side of the entrance so did not really affect the dining experience. While the dining area and tables are not very spacious, the atmosphere is warm and the decor is nice without being flashy.

To accompany the complimentary dinner rolls and olives we ordered Portugalia prawns and garlic mushrooms to share as entrees. The 7 sizeable prawns were served with a tasty garlicky sauce with just a touch of sourness and the large bowl of mushrooms with a slighly spicy garlic sauce were delicious, I could have eaten these all night.

One of the mains chosen by two guests was a slow roasted lamb shoulder which was tasty and beautifully cooked, in a soupy sauce with whole potatoes. The only disappointment was that the potatoes did not really absorb the flavour of the dish. Espetada was a large hanging skewer of marinated beef, cooked to perfection medium rare as requested, although with a slightly uninspired choice of sides being salad, chips or rice.

The beef was very tender and comparable to a good steak. Pork medallions with prawns was also tasty and tender, again with an uninspiring side of fries. A garden salad to share was ok without being great (when is a garden salad ever?) and enough on the side for four of us.

The cheapest red wine on the menu was a good accompaniment and certainly not a bad choice at $27 for a bottle. We could only fit in two desserts, being a creme caramel, firmer than most would know it and with just a hint of citrus flavour, custardy and not too sweet, and vanilla ice cream with Mars Bar sauce, the thick chocolatey warm sauce served in a side pot was plentiful and wickedly indulgent.
If you like McDonalds chocolate fudge sundaes, you will love this!

The service was attentive and friendly, no sign of the issues that some previous reviewers have identified. I couldn't fault the service team especially considering they don't have a lot of space to manoeuvre in. All up just over $200 for four people, I felt this was reasonable value considering we had 2 entrees, 2 desserts and a few drinks. You could certainly do a lot worse for this much.

A very pleasant experience and not a bad place to go if you want to shell out for a nice meal!

Aug 23, 2009

7.3 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  8     

My partner and I visited on a Thursday night for a quiet celebration. We ordered the banquet and found it to be filling and satisfying. The value for the banquet is pretty good.

Of the highlights, the prawn and fish balls were very good, the kingfish sashimi came with a very interesting combination of dressings, the eggplant (while very rich, would be a bit too much for one person as a main) had a tasty sauce, and the seared tuna was delicious. It was a pity that many of the tuna pieces were cooked through as the seared pieces had a much more satisfying combination of textures.

The rice cakes were slightly burned, and the miso soup and salad were, perhaps, slightly uninspired. The sushi was fresh but the rice was maybe not sticky enough so promptly fell apart once dipped in the wasabi soy.

For dessert, the green tea creme brulee was an absolute hit for my partner, creamy and not too sweet, but with a crackly sugar top. My lounge coffee dessert cocktail really packed a punch but was all the better for it, a great alternative to an after dinner coffee.

Service was a little bit too fast in some parts and a bit slow in others. Some attention to timing would have been beneficial. I would call the decor appropriate, nothing special but no real issues. I personally like a bit more space to the neighbouring diners but that's the way it's set up.

For two the night came up to $120, given a full stomach after a banquet menu I was happy with this and was pleased with trying some new flavours. I'd really like to come back for cocktails and sake in the bar, it looks like a great place to have an intimate few drinks with friends and experiment with some different drinks.

Oct 23, 2009

6.8 Recommended

Food  7      Drinks  7      Ambience  7      Service  5      Value  8     

I have come here a couple times now and have found the value to be pretty good. Steaks are ok, about what you'd expect for the price (most meals are from $9.95 to about $18). Chicken schnitzel was a bit of a disappointment, I've had better for the same price and it's really not that hard to do a good schnitzel with a decent amount of fries.

My partner had a risotto special, asian style, an unusual combination with beef, prawns, asian greens and an asian inspired flavour. This was tasty and filling but very salty. The one dish to write home about is the shepherd's pie, served in a dish with a cheesy top and good quality meat inside, a filling and delicious meal which I was very impressed with. A few fries on the side with a typical little leafy salad. Good value for money, I'll be back for this.

The bar upstairs looks quite cosy and has a few cheap drinks specials. The ground level is quite nice and open, though the downstairs bistro seems a bit dingy so we much preferred to eat on the ground level. On one visit we had some issues ordering cocktails, with a little confusion about "Mirabelle" being the bar upstairs and bar staff not really being familiar with the drinks list. I think best to stick to the tap beers and shepherd's pie!

Aug 23, 2009

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  8     

We visited Angelo's for a 6 pm first session on a Saturday (we were politely advised when booking that there were two seatings so we would need to finish by 8 pm).

The restaurant is also a takeaway but this area was off to the side of the entrance so did not really affect the dining experience. While the dining area and tables are not very spacious, the atmosphere is warm and the decor is nice without being flashy.

To accompany the complimentary dinner rolls and olives we ordered Portugalia prawns and garlic mushrooms to share as entrees. The 7 sizeable prawns were served with a tasty garlicky sauce with just a touch of sourness and the large bowl of mushrooms with a slighly spicy garlic sauce were delicious, I could have eaten these all night.

One of the mains chosen by two guests was a slow roasted lamb shoulder which was tasty and beautifully cooked, in a soupy sauce with whole potatoes. The only disappointment was that the potatoes did not really absorb the flavour of the dish. Espetada was a large hanging skewer of marinated beef, cooked to perfection medium rare as requested, although with a slightly uninspired choice of sides being salad, chips or rice.

The beef was very tender and comparable to a good steak. Pork medallions with prawns was also tasty and tender, again with an uninspiring side of fries. A garden salad to share was ok without being great (when is a garden salad ever?) and enough on the side for four of us.

The cheapest red wine on the menu was a good accompaniment and certainly not a bad choice at $27 for a bottle. We could only fit in two desserts, being a creme caramel, firmer than most would know it and with just a hint of citrus flavour, custardy and not too sweet, and vanilla ice cream with Mars Bar sauce, the thick chocolatey warm sauce served in a side pot was plentiful and wickedly indulgent.
If you like McDonalds chocolate fudge sundaes, you will love this!

The service was attentive and friendly, no sign of the issues that some previous reviewers have identified. I couldn't fault the service team especially considering they don't have a lot of space to manoeuvre in. All up just over $200 for four people, I felt this was reasonable value considering we had 2 entrees, 2 desserts and a few drinks. You could certainly do a lot worse for this much.

A very pleasant experience and not a bad place to go if you want to shell out for a nice meal!

Aug 23, 2009