old_black

7.3 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  7     

On a cold winter morning this was the place for me! The heaters were on and the coffee was really excellent. The walnut & raisin toast was not brilliant, but was perfectly acceptable. I don't know what the rest of their food was like, but most of the customers seemed to be regulars, so I suspect they're pretty good.

Jul 19, 2011

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  7      Value  8     

Undoubtedly this is a place to go for ambience. Sit in the outside area and you're looking out over some of the best scenery in Australia. So because people are coming here for the view, you might think they wouldn't have to put in much effort and I would expect, perhaps, mediocre food and definitely high prices.

However, the food I had here was absolutely top drawer. The highlight was probably the chocolate tart, I'd drive all the way from Sydney just for that! Service was the only let down ,not that it wasn't efficient or fast, it just wasn't quite friendly enough to get top marks from me. Price was what I'd expect to pay for this type of venue and food.

Feb 20, 2011

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  6      Service  10      Value  9     

Two of us enjoyed a fabulous meal here with great friendly service. When we walked in I was a little put off by the decor, but the food and service really made up for it. Vegetables were really nicely cooked in my polenta stack, and not too much oil, a commonly failing in roast vegetables. For dessert, the apple-berry crumble was, perhaps, the best I've ever eaten, I ordered a second one!

Feb 20, 2011

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  6     

Ok, it's expensive. No question that everything costs more than similar places. However, you do get far superior food, drink, and service, and this place has an integrity which you won't get at many other places. I don't hesitate to go here when I'm in the area.

Feb 20, 2011

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  9     

Excellent place to eat reasonably priced Japanese food in the city. The restaurant is spacious and carpeted so is not too noisy. I'm no expert on Japanese cuisine so I can't say how authentic the food is, but every dish my party of seven ate was enjoyed. Perhaps, there could be more options for vegetarians. The club does not appear to be wheelchair-accessible, and my 84 year old mother struggled with the stairs.

Oct 19, 2010

7.3 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  7     

On a cold winter morning this was the place for me! The heaters were on and the coffee was really excellent. The walnut & raisin toast was not brilliant, but was perfectly acceptable. I don't know what the rest of their food was like, but most of the customers seemed to be regulars, so I suspect they're pretty good.

Jul 19, 2011

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  7      Value  8     

Undoubtedly this is a place to go for ambience. Sit in the outside area and you're looking out over some of the best scenery in Australia. So because people are coming here for the view, you might think they wouldn't have to put in much effort and I would expect, perhaps, mediocre food and definitely high prices.

However, the food I had here was absolutely top drawer. The highlight was probably the chocolate tart, I'd drive all the way from Sydney just for that! Service was the only let down ,not that it wasn't efficient or fast, it just wasn't quite friendly enough to get top marks from me. Price was what I'd expect to pay for this type of venue and food.

Feb 20, 2011

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  6      Service  10      Value  9     

Two of us enjoyed a fabulous meal here with great friendly service. When we walked in I was a little put off by the decor, but the food and service really made up for it. Vegetables were really nicely cooked in my polenta stack, and not too much oil, a commonly failing in roast vegetables. For dessert, the apple-berry crumble was, perhaps, the best I've ever eaten, I ordered a second one!

Feb 20, 2011

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  6     

Ok, it's expensive. No question that everything costs more than similar places. However, you do get far superior food, drink, and service, and this place has an integrity which you won't get at many other places. I don't hesitate to go here when I'm in the area.

Feb 20, 2011

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  9     

Excellent place to eat reasonably priced Japanese food in the city. The restaurant is spacious and carpeted so is not too noisy. I'm no expert on Japanese cuisine so I can't say how authentic the food is, but every dish my party of seven ate was enjoyed. Perhaps, there could be more options for vegetarians. The club does not appear to be wheelchair-accessible, and my 84 year old mother struggled with the stairs.

Oct 19, 2010

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  8     

I had breakfast here on two occasions on a recent stay in Katoomba, and I wouldn't think of going elsewhere in Leura now. They have a good gluten-free range, and the service was excellent. Coffee was very good too. Further, I'd say 80% of the customers who came in while I was there were regular locals...and that's a very strong recommendation in my opinion.

Nov 01, 2008

6.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  4      Value  6     

Excellent venue for a Sunday lunch. Inside and outside seating gives a good choice to match the weather. A good variety of options on the menu worked well for our mix of meat eaters and vegetarians. Breakfast menu available at lunch time suited our late riser. However, the good potential was spoiled by the lousy service. I booked an outside table to take advantage of the spring weather and to reduce the noise to a tolerable level, but when we arrived we had been placed in the noisiest inside location possible. There were no spare places outside. Service was slow throughout due entirely to the fact that the waiting staff stood chatting among themselves rather than waiting on tables! We won't be back.

Oct 13, 2008

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  10      Value  9     

This is a really excellent place to eat. The food is very high quality and the service when we went was absolutely exceptional. OK, it was a Sunday lunch and there were very few people there, but nonetheless I was really impressed by the staff. He gave good recommendations about food, was friendly and helpful without being fawning and overbearing, and allowed us just the right amount of time to make up our minds. He heard that two of our group were celebrating birthdays so he delivered the (excellent) desserts with sparkler candles! He even gave a free sample dossa to one of our party.

I had the Dossa (beautiful) followed by Subz-paneer Jalfrezi, which was really tasty and just spicy enough. Naans were light and cooked just right. We all had the Kulfi dessert which was a beautiful finish to a great lunch. Price was good, at $40 per person for entree + main + dessert. Availability of soft cushioned seating was good for me. Vegetarians found plenty to choose from on the menu. Hearty recommendation!

Jul 27, 2008

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Someone else said this is the perfect breakfast café; I couldn't agree more! Coffee is excellent (Campos) and food is made fresh on the premises. My banana and walnut bread, served with ricotta-honey-cinnamon was just wonderful.

The staff are happy and friendly, and the doors are open at 7am. There's plenty of variety in seating options too. I plan to come back regularly as long as they keep this standard up.

Jun 26, 2008

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

I love this place! Excellent coffee, I'd come here for the coffee alone. However, the staff are also really friendly, without being fawning. There's a calm assurance in their approach which tells you you're in safe hands. Food was probably overall average for a café, but the fruit-and-nut bread I had isn't seen in many other places, and it was tops. Ambience is also just right for this sort of venue. It is obviously worker-friendly despite being a little "up-market" in terms of the coffee.
I'll definitely be back.

Jun 20, 2008