swoodward1089

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

I've lived on the Northern Beaches for over 3 years and have eaten regularly at virtually every decent restaurant up here. I've also travelled throughout Sydney in search of the best food. Trust me, if you want a blummin good Asian feed with a menu that is so tempting you will find it hard to choose what you want to order, then go to Dragonfly.

We went on Boxing Day, there was a huge table of 20 next to us, so our hearts sank, thinking the food would take an eternity. No, it didn't. The staff were excellent, the food was imaginative, it was fresh, it was tasty, the serving sizes were good. Faultless. We won't bother going anywhere else again when we want a great Asian feed. Dragonfly is it.

Dec 26, 2011

9 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  9     

Good lord. Cottage Point Inn is one our favourite restaurants in Sydney. Look at all these voucher people complaining, it really looks as if they are a double edged sword. I must say, we did eat here on an afternoon where it was full of voucher customers and I was a bit miffed that we, as regular and loyal Cottage Point visitors, ate pretty much the same food as the others, but paid twice the price.

The portions looked the same size and, naturally, the quality was identical. And I didn't notice any difference with the service we got and the voucher customers (I have availed myself of at least 20 voucher deals, so please don't accuse me of being anti-voucher). All I'm saying is that businesses need to weigh up carefully the pros and cons of voucher deals, by the look of these reviews they seem to attract the more "touchy" and "particular" customer, who, perhaps, aren't used to fine dining.

All I can say is, that having eaten here on at least 10 occasions (and stayed the night at their accommodation), I have never been able to fault the service to either our table or any other I have seen being served. The setting is beyond parallel and the food is always excellent.

Oct 30, 2011

6.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  6     

I want to like the Manly Phoenix more, but I just can't. Despite my misgivings whenever I eat Yum Cha on the Nothern Beaches I come here, naturally because there is no choice, and the food really isn't that bad at all. It's a couple of other things that are disappointing about this branch of the Phoenix chain. As many have mentioned, the service is not tip top, the stalwarts that have been there for years, like the lady maitre d' and the head honcho guy, they really need to learn the art of smiling and making people feel welcome.

Honestly, I must have eaten there at least 20 times in 3 years, I know their faces very well, yet they never acknowledge or even smile at me. And the toilets - Shuddddderrrr! Seriously - go before you come to this place, they would have to be the filthiest toilets I have ever been to in a Western country. If you are going to have the lights up high in the cubicles, then for god's sake, make more of an effort to clean. There was pink gunge around the back of my toilet seat, and it was clear from the stains that the seat of my toilet had Never been wiped. I honestly couldn't sit down on it. And this isn't a one-off.

Every time we go there, the bins are overflowing, there's water splashed everywhere and the place always looks like it needs a good scrub. Just no excuse. Other than that, our meal was lovely today, some unusual dishes that all tasted great. Please lift your game Manly Phoenix and save me the trip into Chinatown.

Oct 09, 2011

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  9     

I know it's a bit call, but our experience 2 weeks ago was truly memorable. It was a gorgeous sunny winter day, so that helped, but nothing can take away from the elegance and superior quality of this restaurant. Can't fault one single aspect of our lunch, it started at 1 pm and didn't finish till 5 pm and we enjoyed every second.

The food was extraordinary, it was innovative without being "trendy" or fussy, just great quality ingredients cooked perfectly. Service was professional and discreet and the sommelier tried very hard to keep us pleased with his selections (one small point is that we would have enjoyed the choice of a premium selection of matching wines, this was our blowout meal for the year, so we wanted to push the boat right out!).

Yes, it's expensive, but we happily paid as it was such a sublime experience. This is the place that memories are made of, if you're looking to impress or to spoil yourselves, come here. We will be back, I just wish I could eat here every week.

Jun 28, 2011

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Well, a full house of 9s. And very much deserved at this top class restaurant. Unfortunately, our table had consumed a few too many margaritas before we arrived, so my memories are a little bit tainted. But what shone through was the impeccable service from Ric, the maitre d', Paul the new sommelier and our wonderful wait team (sorry - no names remembered).

We loved the buzzy outdoor atmosphere, despite being a totally rubbish cold and wet night. The food servings were enormous! Our waitress explained that we might want to order 4 dishes each but we struggled to finish the three huge ones we eventually ended up with. Honestly, it is supposed to be small tapas-style grazing dishes, but they looked pretty full sized to me and SOOOOOO tasty. I really want to return very soon.

The two bottles of wine were superb and I believe we all had a glass of champers each too. The total bill was around $500 for three of us but we left the restaurant totally full and completely tipsy, compared to our $400 bill for two of us at a Rocks Teppanyaki restaurant from which we emerged quite peckish and completely sober!

So, excellent value at Universal, can't wait to return, thank you Christine Mansfield and your excellent team.

Jun 14, 2011

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

I've lived on the Northern Beaches for over 3 years and have eaten regularly at virtually every decent restaurant up here. I've also travelled throughout Sydney in search of the best food. Trust me, if you want a blummin good Asian feed with a menu that is so tempting you will find it hard to choose what you want to order, then go to Dragonfly.

We went on Boxing Day, there was a huge table of 20 next to us, so our hearts sank, thinking the food would take an eternity. No, it didn't. The staff were excellent, the food was imaginative, it was fresh, it was tasty, the serving sizes were good. Faultless. We won't bother going anywhere else again when we want a great Asian feed. Dragonfly is it.

Dec 26, 2011

9 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  9     

Good lord. Cottage Point Inn is one our favourite restaurants in Sydney. Look at all these voucher people complaining, it really looks as if they are a double edged sword. I must say, we did eat here on an afternoon where it was full of voucher customers and I was a bit miffed that we, as regular and loyal Cottage Point visitors, ate pretty much the same food as the others, but paid twice the price.

The portions looked the same size and, naturally, the quality was identical. And I didn't notice any difference with the service we got and the voucher customers (I have availed myself of at least 20 voucher deals, so please don't accuse me of being anti-voucher). All I'm saying is that businesses need to weigh up carefully the pros and cons of voucher deals, by the look of these reviews they seem to attract the more "touchy" and "particular" customer, who, perhaps, aren't used to fine dining.

All I can say is, that having eaten here on at least 10 occasions (and stayed the night at their accommodation), I have never been able to fault the service to either our table or any other I have seen being served. The setting is beyond parallel and the food is always excellent.

Oct 30, 2011

6.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  6      Value  6     

I want to like the Manly Phoenix more, but I just can't. Despite my misgivings whenever I eat Yum Cha on the Nothern Beaches I come here, naturally because there is no choice, and the food really isn't that bad at all. It's a couple of other things that are disappointing about this branch of the Phoenix chain. As many have mentioned, the service is not tip top, the stalwarts that have been there for years, like the lady maitre d' and the head honcho guy, they really need to learn the art of smiling and making people feel welcome.

Honestly, I must have eaten there at least 20 times in 3 years, I know their faces very well, yet they never acknowledge or even smile at me. And the toilets - Shuddddderrrr! Seriously - go before you come to this place, they would have to be the filthiest toilets I have ever been to in a Western country. If you are going to have the lights up high in the cubicles, then for god's sake, make more of an effort to clean. There was pink gunge around the back of my toilet seat, and it was clear from the stains that the seat of my toilet had Never been wiped. I honestly couldn't sit down on it. And this isn't a one-off.

Every time we go there, the bins are overflowing, there's water splashed everywhere and the place always looks like it needs a good scrub. Just no excuse. Other than that, our meal was lovely today, some unusual dishes that all tasted great. Please lift your game Manly Phoenix and save me the trip into Chinatown.

Oct 09, 2011

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  9     

I know it's a bit call, but our experience 2 weeks ago was truly memorable. It was a gorgeous sunny winter day, so that helped, but nothing can take away from the elegance and superior quality of this restaurant. Can't fault one single aspect of our lunch, it started at 1 pm and didn't finish till 5 pm and we enjoyed every second.

The food was extraordinary, it was innovative without being "trendy" or fussy, just great quality ingredients cooked perfectly. Service was professional and discreet and the sommelier tried very hard to keep us pleased with his selections (one small point is that we would have enjoyed the choice of a premium selection of matching wines, this was our blowout meal for the year, so we wanted to push the boat right out!).

Yes, it's expensive, but we happily paid as it was such a sublime experience. This is the place that memories are made of, if you're looking to impress or to spoil yourselves, come here. We will be back, I just wish I could eat here every week.

Jun 28, 2011

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

Well, a full house of 9s. And very much deserved at this top class restaurant. Unfortunately, our table had consumed a few too many margaritas before we arrived, so my memories are a little bit tainted. But what shone through was the impeccable service from Ric, the maitre d', Paul the new sommelier and our wonderful wait team (sorry - no names remembered).

We loved the buzzy outdoor atmosphere, despite being a totally rubbish cold and wet night. The food servings were enormous! Our waitress explained that we might want to order 4 dishes each but we struggled to finish the three huge ones we eventually ended up with. Honestly, it is supposed to be small tapas-style grazing dishes, but they looked pretty full sized to me and SOOOOOO tasty. I really want to return very soon.

The two bottles of wine were superb and I believe we all had a glass of champers each too. The total bill was around $500 for three of us but we left the restaurant totally full and completely tipsy, compared to our $400 bill for two of us at a Rocks Teppanyaki restaurant from which we emerged quite peckish and completely sober!

So, excellent value at Universal, can't wait to return, thank you Christine Mansfield and your excellent team.

Jun 14, 2011

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  8     

Even though I class myself as a bit of a foodie, I had no idea Icebergs was a "posh" restaurant (I've only been back in the country 2 years, so that's my excuse). My 70 year old dad and 4 and 6 year old children had planned to visit the Icebergs club for a swim, then do the sculpture walk and then grab a bite to eat. Dad knew about the Icebergs club and suggested we eat there.

I hate bistros and said we'd eat at the restaurant. I popped in at lunchtime in my cossie and rash vest and asked to book a table - 2 adults, 2 children. Even though they were chockers, she managed to squeeze us in, but she needed the table back by 8.15pm. No probs for us. When we returned at 6pm we were too early to be seated so they said we could have drinks to wait for our table. We sat out on the balcony and had a beautiful afternoon admiring the view and enjoying our drinks.

We then retreated inside when it became too breezy and the waitress kindly showed us to our table early when I mentioned that we would want to be out swiftly because of the young age of the children. The trendy bar and restaurant then began to fill up with people dressed up to the nines, and I realised just how "posh" this place was. Bear in mind - the whole family have been swimming and walking and are dressed as casually as if we were going to the beach. At no stage were we made to feel uncomfortable.

Every waiter/waitress was polite, friendly, accommodating and charming. One waiter even came up to offer a simple children's menu - but luckily my daughters are real foodies and they had already chosen the spaghetti with clams and zucchini flowers. The bread was delicious. We started with a special (which all sounded amazing - it was incredibly hard to choose) of school prawns. Unbelievably tasty and generous portion. Dad had a HUGE steak and I had the fish stew Ancona style. My stew was lovely - shellfish was slightly overcooked, but it always is in those sorts of dishes. Dad's steak was immense and perfectly cooked.

I would prefer cheaper prices and smaller portions, but that's life. Bill came to $242 - for three starters, two main courses, three glasses of wine, one cider and three soft drinks. Not cheap, but truly exceptional service, impressive setting and excellent, imaginative food. Can't wait to return. And thank you Icebergs for not making me feel like a leper for attempting to have a decent meal with my children. 10/10.

Nov 13, 2010

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  10     

What a find! And a suburb restaurant for families. What I liked was that the kid's menu was divided into age groups, so 0-5 got the choice of sandwiches and the kids up to 12 had things like spaghetti bolognaise. It was one of the best spag bols we've had in a while. And the adults were well looked after too, delicious seared duck breast on risotto and ocean trout on fennel salad.

Prices are so reasonable though, I'm sick of paying over $30 for a main course, these were all $21-26. Service tiny bit confused, but well meaning and friendly. Great view, and a little area in front for older kids to play. Highly recommended.

Jul 22, 2010

2.3 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  2      Service  1      Value  3     

I had every intention of defending Cavallino's honour when we went to lunch today for our anniversary. Unfortunately, despite my charitable intentions I have to agree with the poor reviews. This was a very wet Friday lunchtime, only about 6 tables out of 30 were occupied, so a bit of a soggy atmosphere. There only seemed to be one waiter to service the 6 tables, so everything took a bit of time, but I'm always prepared to wait for good food.

Unfortunately, in this case the wait wasn't worth it. My starter of antipasto was delicious but pretty easy considering it consisted of sliced meat and cheese. Hubbie had the malloreddus with tuscan sausage ragu. Too salty by far. My main was the seafood pizza, which needed another 3 minutes in the oven at least, but it was tasty.

But hubbie's mushroom risotto with truffle looked raw the minute it was put in front of him. It was whisked away as soon as we complained, but when I mentioned later to the same waiter that I was surprised the dish had even left the kitchen in that condition, he said it was approved by the chef and may have been a little too "al dente". What! Since when was risotto ever designed to be al dente? all’onda certainly, but never al dente.

So he was either ignorant or trying to baffle me. For that alone I've marked down the service. If the kitchen makes a mistake please don't insult the guests by implying that they don't understand the true intentions of the kitchen. As I said, I could tell the risotto was undercooked as it arrived at the table both the kitchen and the wait staff should have noticed this before it ever reached us. We decided to give dessert and coffee a miss.

This restaurant misses out on so many levels. They could have upsold us on lots of wine, desserts, and extras, but no attempts were made. Plus, of course, the risotto was a disgrace and the pizza was ordinary. Oh, I forgot. We were offered a replacement risotto but as we all know, a decent risotto takes at least 25 minutes to prepare and we couldn't afford to wait. So we ordered the bistecca instead. Oh dear.

The three thin slices were nice and grey from a lack of temperature in the cooking, with a few black stripes from the grill/gtriddle. Not good quality meat with no discernable flavour. This is pretty dismal fare when you consider that good Italian food is simple and delicious if you have the right ingredients and skill to prepare them in the first place.

Jun 04, 2010

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  8     

What a find! Read an excellent review and wanted to try it for ourselves. Ignore the unprepossessing entrance, the inside is cosy and atmospheric. Service very friendly, helpful and informative. I love going to places where the staff, both front of house and in the kitchen are passionate about their food, and Cala Luna is that sort of a place. It's really hard to choose what to order as both the specials and the regular menu are well thought out and sound delicious.

We were delighted with the quality of our prosecco (so often it is disappointing), and it was all uphill from there. I have read comments about small portion sizes and I would disagree. We have very healthy appetites and were amazed at the size of the suckling pig serve, it was so huge we only ate half and the staff obligingly put the rest into a takeaway box. We both then enjoyed a delicious porchetta roll with apple sauce the next day.

We can't wait to return and this time we'll do the degustation with matching wines. Hard to fault but please don't fill the place up, we want to be able to go whenever we like.

Response from Management:
Thanks for taking the time to post a review. I tend to agree that the front of the restaurant does not reflect the overall restaurant. We consistently trying to improve it t make it more welcoming with new tables etc so let us know what you think of improvements as you visit again!
Thanks for the comments with our wines we focus on good quality & value that show regional characteristics. In this case the prosecco is dry to start the meal. You enjoyed everything and that's really great and I will once again applaud the team that make this all possible.
Michel

Jan 28, 2010