pitprop

Reviews

Overall 4.8 5

5.6 Average

Food 5 Drinks 5 Ambience 5 Service 6 Value 7

Make what you want of it, the Shannon is currently a building site. I guess when it is finished we will see some new things, a bistro and nightclub and, no doubt more backpackers. It's current vibe isn't that bad, after all it is a community local/student/backpacker hangout. Not that bad and I didn't see any fights, but don't go out your way to find it. The $5 pint of Guinness was fine.

Jun 13, 2007

Our Place on Darling, Balmain

Restaurants, Modern Australian, BYO, Has Cafe, Outdoor Dining

Overall 7.4 118

7.5 Recommended

Food 7 Ambience 8 Service 8 Value 7

Nice place Our Place. That just about sums it up: Everything nice. Nice waitresses, nice decor, nice food, nice menu, nice chefs. My only (mild) complaint woud be the small (and slightly expensive) choice of entree / light meals offered when we visited on Sunday lunch; probably to maximise the customer spend and deter occupying restaurant space during premium service hours.

May 03, 2007

Courthouse Hotel, Newtown

Pubs

Overall 7.1 62

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

2.8 Not Recommended

Food 1 Drinks 1 Ambience 2 Service 8 Value 2

My experiences of the Courthouse have always been from the drinking arena, usually late at night and with blurred recollection. Waking late into a glorious Saturday afternoon I thought I'd give their bistro a go as the Courthouse has such a nice garden to utilise for eating / drinking adventures.

The large chalkboard menu and friendly server made our selection easy and all would have gone well but what was going on in the kitchen? Loud crashing noises, shrieking, laughter and very loud music coming over the pass. Must be creative genius at work and hopefully they know what they are doing in the kitchen. The above average bistro prices must be paying for their kitchen prowess, I hope.

The buzzer rang and my partner went to collect our meals, if that was what you could call them.

She ordered: Chicken Schnitzel Parmigano, chips and salad.

She got: Droopy brown potato sponges, undressed salad massacre all served with extra dirty fryer oil.

He ordered: Crispy skinned salmon fillet with capsicum sauce and lemon risotto.

He got: Overcooked grey pink fish with burnt skin, covered with sauce unknown on a bed of lemon clagg.

To accompany our dreadful "meal" was the cacophony of a large group of toddlers, whose parents had successfully relocated away from their table out of earshot and next to ours. Think of a thousand pissed off Cockatoos, amplified by the largest festival sound system. No wonder their unconcerned parents were looking so happy.

I think I'll stick to my usual Courthouse visiting times: Late at night when there are no children and the bistro is closed. It's better that way.

Mar 06, 2007

Gladstone Hotel, Chippendale

Pubs, Modern Australian

Overall 4.8 8

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

8.4 Highly Recommended

Food 9 Drinks 9 Ambience 8 Service 8 Value 8

The Gladstone has, according to the numerous fliers deposited into my letterbox, been renovated and is under new ownership. Not a bad thing as my last visit there didn't really inspire me to return.

It would appear the new owners haven't fallen for the stereotype of chrome, floorboards and plasma which is quite refreshing for a Sydney pub refurbishment. Ruby glass chandeliers, comfortable leather couches and a wide range of beers are available, alongside a few cheap cocktails which seem to be on permanent promotion price judging by the animated after-office crowd that were gravitating to the bar.

The real delight can be found in the bistro, which seems to be styling itself on a hatted restaurant rather than the usual pub fare. Pressed shoulder of lamb with spiced lentils and caramelised vegetables? Medallions of pork with pumpkin & potato hashcakes?? Both delicious and presented beautifully, served to our table by the chef that cooked them. The refreshing absence of the food buzzer system most bistro's use was duly noted.

This place is the bomb; I only hope it stays that way.

Feb 20, 2007

Annandale Hotel, Annandale

Pubs, Music Venues, Mastercard, Visa

Overall 7 22

1 Not Recommended

Food 1 Drinks 1 Ambience 1 Service 1 Value 1

If you are going to heavily advertise $15 for 3 litres of beer on Australia day make sure you can keep your promise. Six beer towers to dispense the beer offer between 300 people are not enough. If you are going to promote yourselves in the press and on the radio make sure you have the means to deliver. Very disappointing.

Feb 16, 2007

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Member since 2006

Last updated on 1st Jun 2012

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Displaying: 1 - 8 of 8 reviews

Shannon Hotel, Chippendale

Pubs

Overall 4.8 5

5.6 Average

Food 5 Drinks 5 Ambience 5 Service 6 Value 7

Jun 13, 2007

Our Place on Darling, Balmain

Restaurants, Modern Australian, BYO, Has Cafe, Outdoor Dining

Overall 7.4 118

7.5 Recommended

Food 7 Ambience 8 Service 8 Value 7

May 03, 2007

Courthouse Hotel, Newtown

Pubs

Overall 7.1 62

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful

2.8 Not Recommended

Food 1 Drinks 1 Ambience 2 Service 8 Value 2

Mar 06, 2007

Gladstone Hotel, Chippendale

Pubs, Modern Australian

Overall 4.8 8

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

8.4 Highly Recommended

Food 9 Drinks 9 Ambience 8 Service 8 Value 8

Feb 20, 2007

Annandale Hotel, Annandale

Pubs, Music Venues, Mastercard, Visa

Overall 7 22

1 Not Recommended

Food 1 Drinks 1 Ambience 1 Service 1 Value 1

Feb 16, 2007

Retro, Sydney

Cafes, International

Overall 5.1 9

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

7.5 Recommended

Food 7 Ambience 7 Service 8 Value 8

Embedded in the grand facade of the State Theater is Retro - cafe, bar, brasserie etc. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner they seem to be covering all bases including Saturday opening hours catering for hungry retail therapists. Being fully licensed means you can also indulge yourself with a sambuca to accompany your espresso which is taken for granted in the rest of the world but strangely absent in most Sydney cafes. It's small but elegant shop front hiding a true art deco interior, leaded glass mirrors and original plaster moulded ceiling with plain wooden tables and chairs. The recent uninspired refurbishment of the counter and kitchen area has resulted in some out of character stackstone clad walls and a pointless plasma screen providing chewing gum for bored eyeballs. The staffs choice of chillout music provided a good alternative to a more décor appropriate Noel Coward which I had expected to hear in these surroundings.

Breakfast options follow the traditional line with heavy emphasis on eggs: Eggs Benedict, Eggs Florentine, bacon and eggs, open omlette, Spanish omlette and protein omlette; made just with the egg whites. If you like eggs you have found your Sydney mecca. All of the above are reasonably priced with not much above $8, you can also supplement your choice with a whole load of extras which are all priced around the $2 mark.

Prompt service returned my choice of poached eggs, bacon, sauteed button mushrooms and grilled tomatoes with leaf tea amusingly served in a cafeteria instead of a teapot. All were cooked to perfection, the mushrooms a lovely golden brown and cooked in butter, the tomato just right, bacon crisp but not dehydrated and lovely toasted bloomer bread. The eggs were slightly overcooked and not as runny as I would have liked, I suspect mise en place and the chaud font being the culprit there. The French waitress was very helpful all along; providing a newspaper, grinding black pepper onto my breakfast and offering towels when a particularly flustered corporate warrior managed to pour most of his american coffee down my leg. I shall return here to try lunch or maybe even dinner, despite the hazards of coffee wielding office yahoos and the horrific stackstone/plasma TV combination.

May 27, 2006

Strawberry Hills Hotel, Surry Hills

Pubs

Overall 7.7 31

7.5 Recommended

Drinks 7 Ambience 8 Service 7 Value 8

Nice to find a pub that is still interested in giving something more than pokies, average food and an empty wallet. Both times we have been here, there has been quality live jazz and a full house of people really enjoying themselves which adds to any dining experience. The $5 steaks are more than adequate although I wish they would offer chips instead of mash and the ability to choose your sauce rather than the pot luck system of "sauce of the day." The quality of the beef is very good especially when you consider the price and was delivered rare as ordered. One of the better Sydney cheap steak outlets. And free jazz too!

May 22, 2006

Grub & Tucker, Newtown

Cafes, European, French, Romantic and Intimate, Bistro/Brasserie

Overall 6.8 121

2.5 Not Recommended

Food 2 Ambience 3 Service 2 Value 3

We chose Circle 8 for its breakfast: $13.50 for the full breakfast with all the trimmings, coffee and freshly squeezed juice included. Sounds good so far.

Apparently, the cutting edge theory of table service hasn't been adopted in Circle 8. The glassy eyed wait staff had persuaded themselves that we were some sort of optical illusion so were completely ignoring us. A long walk to the back of the cafe to order our breakfast was necessary, followed by another walk back to the uncomfortable bench where we were sat.

Two cups of sloppy cappuccino arrived 10 minutes before the breakfast, followed by our freshly squeezed OJ. The orange juice had an anemic tinge to its colour and tasted like it had been watered down. The coffee had so much cocoa sprinkle on it perhaps hot chocolate would have described it better. Breakfast arrived just in time for the end of our coffee, one bad experience to follow another. The toast was slightly burnt and covered by two massacred poached eggs which were spilling their contents all over the plate. The bacon had previously been some sort of experiment for freeze dried pork, it was so dry that it shattered into tiny pieces as I tried to cut it with my knife. The sausage was equally dry and had a rather unpleasant after taste that even anemic OJ couldn't shift from my pallet.

The staff continued their embargo of our table so another two long walks to their place of hiding was necessary to request water and then to pay. That's three times we've had to leave our seats to perform functions that you can normally complete from the comfort of one's table. Upon returning to her seat, my partner noticed she had been short-changed which seems completely natural when you compare the rest of the Circle 8 experience.

May 22, 2006