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8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  7     

There is a great integrity about this place. Wonderful food, knowledgeable staff and lovely setting. We ordered the plantain chips as well as the 5 course banquet which appears to be sensitive to the region's seasons and tastes. This included tempura zucchini flowers, seafood sausage, crispy skin chicken, wagyu beef and tahitian lime tart.

The staff kindly accommodated us with non-chilli options for those in our group with less spicy tastes, and this more than made up for any shortcomings with refilling our drinks and smaller servings. We'll also be looking to seat ourselves on the softer seats next time, but this place will have us coming back for more when we come back.

Jul 24, 2010

7.3 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  8     

Always guaranteed to fill you up every time we have dinner here. This is a good venue for large groups and with the masses of people who come through every day/night they do a good business. The menu has changed in recent times and the larger servings (ie no entree sizes anymore) means that the smaller tables can be pretty cramped when you order more than 2 dishes. All in all, good for a fun, fast and filling time.

Jun 11, 2010

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

Consistent, efficient and always busy. This bustling restaurant is popular for its Shan Tung chicken which is a favourite with us for lunch. So too are the Duck Pancakes and the Garlic Prawns which were extra tasty on our latest visit. A cut above your average chinese restaurant and a much better experience than its former incarnation across the road.

Jun 11, 2010

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  7     

I had expected to find a pretentious place with average food but was really pleasantly surprised to find very friendly and accommodating staff. This is one of the best lunches I've had for a while. The house special oysters were fresh with a sublime passionfruit sorbet. The calamari tender and well seasoned. The house breads and dips well executed and presented. I even enjoyed the french fries with the aioli and fresh tomato sauce. Keep up the great standard! Also another unbeatable people watching venue in the middle of town.

Jun 06, 2010

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  6      Value  7     

We've been here a few times for the eXpress lunch menu. The nice interiors make it a pleasant location for watching passersby in the busy north quarter district. The food here is consistent but the latest service was a bit slow despite all attempts for a quick lunch requested by a designated time. Despite a minor billing error, I'd go back again and this is a welcome addition to the local dining scene.

Jun 06, 2010

8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  7     

There is a great integrity about this place. Wonderful food, knowledgeable staff and lovely setting. We ordered the plantain chips as well as the 5 course banquet which appears to be sensitive to the region's seasons and tastes. This included tempura zucchini flowers, seafood sausage, crispy skin chicken, wagyu beef and tahitian lime tart.

The staff kindly accommodated us with non-chilli options for those in our group with less spicy tastes, and this more than made up for any shortcomings with refilling our drinks and smaller servings. We'll also be looking to seat ourselves on the softer seats next time, but this place will have us coming back for more when we come back.

Jul 24, 2010

7.3 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  8     

Always guaranteed to fill you up every time we have dinner here. This is a good venue for large groups and with the masses of people who come through every day/night they do a good business. The menu has changed in recent times and the larger servings (ie no entree sizes anymore) means that the smaller tables can be pretty cramped when you order more than 2 dishes. All in all, good for a fun, fast and filling time.

Jun 11, 2010

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

Consistent, efficient and always busy. This bustling restaurant is popular for its Shan Tung chicken which is a favourite with us for lunch. So too are the Duck Pancakes and the Garlic Prawns which were extra tasty on our latest visit. A cut above your average chinese restaurant and a much better experience than its former incarnation across the road.

Jun 11, 2010

7.8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  7     

I had expected to find a pretentious place with average food but was really pleasantly surprised to find very friendly and accommodating staff. This is one of the best lunches I've had for a while. The house special oysters were fresh with a sublime passionfruit sorbet. The calamari tender and well seasoned. The house breads and dips well executed and presented. I even enjoyed the french fries with the aioli and fresh tomato sauce. Keep up the great standard! Also another unbeatable people watching venue in the middle of town.

Jun 06, 2010

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  6      Value  7     

We've been here a few times for the eXpress lunch menu. The nice interiors make it a pleasant location for watching passersby in the busy north quarter district. The food here is consistent but the latest service was a bit slow despite all attempts for a quick lunch requested by a designated time. Despite a minor billing error, I'd go back again and this is a welcome addition to the local dining scene.

Jun 06, 2010

6.8 Recommended

Food  6      Ambience  7      Service  7      Value  7     

I was after a shot of globalisation so I dropped by the very handily located Wagamamas on Bunda for a light bite to eat. I enjoy the vibe here and know more or less what to expect. We ordered a taste of a few things including: the sweet potato chips (good allrounder with interesting dip), gyoza (could do with a more plump, fresher taste), san choy bao spring rolls (limp lettuce and sauce which lacked subtlety). Appreciate the concept and friendly staff but could be better with a little less heavy handedness with the food and more subtlety in flavour.

May 31, 2010

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  7     

Boonchu is a family favourite and we keep coming back every time we are up in the northern beaches. The curries in particular are authentic (the Massaman is always good) and the friendly atmosphere makes for a very comfortable night's dining. No matter how full we are, there's never a skerrick left on the plate which is testament to its rich, full flavours without the excessive greasiness that substandard Thai dishes can result in.

May 27, 2010

7.5 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  3     

We came here for lunch on a beautiful Sydney Harbour day. It was everything I expected (if not a bit more once the bill arrived$). Between us we ordered the sashimi, trio of salmon, tasting plate and oysters kilpatrick which was fresh and beautifully presented. The disposable chopsticks were ajar for an otherwise fine experience. Wanting for more oceanic goodness we also had the line caught snapper and the flathead fillets which did not disappoint and spoke volumes of how lucky we are here with our quality of seafood.

May 27, 2010

7 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  6     

Good attempt at quality dining in Canberra. The tapas plate was a reasonable selection and set expectations for the other courses. The pork belly was well executed without setting the world on fire. Service tried hard and these guys know what they're doing, though overall maybe doesn't quite hit it for expectations at this price and for what is represented.

May 27, 2010

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  7     

Iori has always been one of our favourites by Canberra standards. They still set the standard for wagyu beef in this town and I hope this continues. Try the Aya for a taste of what Iori has to offer.

May 27, 2010