ursusoz

Reviews

Overall 6.9 12

7.5 Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 8 Service 7 Value 7

It's completely outrageous that Raymond's is so close to my home. I have to say that the food is excellent, I usually have the Beef with XO sauce, a lovely burnished taste with great proportions of meat and vegetables. The Lamb pancakes are always a great starter. My real favourite is a simple dish, Chicken with Ginger and Shallot, its a simple dish but so tasty.

I sometimes have the short soup, what I really like is that the dumplings are fresh and made on site. If any criticism and its pretty minor, I wish that some effort would be made with a chinese dessert. Perhaps, some coconut jelly might get a better rating. In all - I would really recommend Raymonds.

Jun 06, 2010

Heritage Belgian Beer Cafe, Sydney

Restaurants, Belgian, Bistro/Brasserie, Has Bar, Licensed

Overall 6.7 151

8 Recommended

Food 7 Ambience 9 Service 8 Value 8

Attended a Christmas Party here on Sunday with a group of mates. The choice of beer on tap is pretty amazing. I ended up having the cheese filled croquets and the belgian bangers and mash for entree and mains. Both were delicious, especially the belgian sausage. For dessert the waffle with blueberries and chocolate sauce was very good, the waffle mixture could have been a little less cake like, but it was hearty fare.

Dec 09, 2007

Hazelhurst Gallery Cafe, Gymea

Cafes, Modern Australian

Overall 6.2 35

3.8 Below Average

Food 3 Ambience 8 Service 2 Value 2

Overpriced menu, unfriendly waiters, but a great venue. Visited the Cafe for Afternoon Tea with some friends. The Coffee was cold in the cups, cake plates still warm from a dishwasher. I found the cakes to be slightly on the stale side, but it may have been due to the high temperature weather on the day. I have been going here for the past couple of years and it has never really been good. Limit your menu choices to a glass of Orange Juice and you will never be disappointed.

Dec 06, 2007

Big Boy Thai Redfern, Redfern

Restaurants, Thai, Serves Takeaway, Menulog Delivery and Pickup

Overall 6.6 20

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

1 Not Recommended

Food 1 Ambience 1 Service 1 Value 1

Used the online delivery service yesterday to order my luncheon banquet for the office. I had used the service the week prior and did not have a problem. Yesterday, no food arrived. Online orderers beware, our hungry office went across the road to Domino's Pizza.

Oct 09, 2007

Katsura, Neutral Bay

Restaurants, Japanese, Good For Groups, Romantic and Intimate, Buffet

Overall 7.3 104

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 8 Service 9 Value 9

Never been to the Katsura BBQ Hall before and completely enjoyed the experience. Arrived for an early dinner and the attention from the staff was really great, including items being explained, chef complimenting you on your Buffet selections, and complimentary door opening when you depart.

My main criticism of the venue is the ventilation and I suspect that some form of hood would be better than the current air-con setup. I dislike having to come home and have a shower because I smell like Bacon.

In terms of the food - we went for the BBQ Buffet - ended up with 15 dishes and left completely full - and for about $50 person including drinks - it wasn't to bad at all.

A visit from an Olympic Swimming Star also provided some added a touch of glamour to the evening.

Oct 05, 2007

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Member since 2004

Last updated on 1st Jun 2012

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Displaying: 1 - 10 of 25 reviews

Raymond's at Northbridge, Northbridge

Restaurants, Chinese, Free Parking

Overall 6.9 12

7.5 Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 8 Service 7 Value 7

Jun 06, 2010

Heritage Belgian Beer Cafe, Sydney

Restaurants, Belgian, Bistro/Brasserie, Has Bar, Licensed

Overall 6.7 151

8 Recommended

Food 7 Ambience 9 Service 8 Value 8

Dec 09, 2007

Hazelhurst Gallery Cafe, Gymea

Cafes, Modern Australian

Overall 6.2 35

3.8 Below Average

Food 3 Ambience 8 Service 2 Value 2

Dec 06, 2007

Big Boy Thai Redfern, Redfern

Restaurants, Thai, Serves Takeaway, Menulog Delivery and Pickup

Overall 6.6 20

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

1 Not Recommended

Food 1 Ambience 1 Service 1 Value 1

Oct 09, 2007

Katsura, Neutral Bay

Restaurants, Japanese, Good For Groups, Romantic and Intimate, Buffet

Overall 7.3 104

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 8 Service 9 Value 9

Oct 05, 2007

Silvas, Petersham

Restaurants, Portuguese, BYO, Licensed

Overall 6.8 69

6.3 Average

Food 8 Ambience 5 Service 4 Value 8

Never left this restaurant feeling empty! BBQ Octopus for entree was delicious, well cooked, amazing sauce, soft, not rubbery, flavoursome. Steak Diane for me - the sauce was less salty than the last visit, which was an added bonus. The Mushrooms on the top were great and the hand cut chips have to be the best in Sydney.

Whole Snapper for my guest, cooked to perfection, well presented, crisp salad on the side and some polenta. Chocolate Mousse and Cheesecake for dessert. Mousse was disappointing, tasted like a packet mousse, the cream on top was definitely a dairy whip. Cheesecake could have been better, although the fresh passionfruit made up for the lack of taste in the cheesecake.

Decor - the hardest seats in Sydney are in this establishment. My poor backside is sore when I leave - I wish they would re-do the interior - the sticky table and hard seats are a real turnoff.

Sep 06, 2007

Tearoom Gunners' Barracks, The, Mosman

Restaurants, Tea Rooms, Modern Australian, Child Friendly, Licensed

Overall 7.9 35

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful

7.3 Recommended

Food 9 Ambience 5 Service 9 Value 6

Recently reviewed in the Sydney Morning Herald, I was delighted to be able to sample a High Tea at the Gunners' Barracks Tearoom. I noted from the plaque at the entrance way that the buildings were not convict built, a nice touch to mention for some reason. Ladies and Gentlemen of the Tearoom - Lesson 1 - always make sure that you warm your china cups. There is nothing worse than getting a delicious pot of Russian Caravan with "stone of death" cold tea cups.

Lesson 2 - the music and the venue should blend harmoniously - being stuck in a corner table with the blare of dull souless dance music might be fun on Oxford Street but this venue crys out for Vivaldi, Haydn, Rameau. The delicious scones do not go down well with the "boom boom boom" happening.

Lesson 3 - the tea should come at the same time with the tray of delicious and well presented samplers. The chef was very kind enough to come out and explain what we were about to eat, delightful touch but the Russian Caravan had somehow got lost on its way from the Kitchen to the table.

Lesson 4 - when you have a sprung timber floor the waiters should not stomp through the establishment as if off to the Parade Ground. Even the chubbiest waiter can make the softest steps should he chose, likewise, the skinny waiter who moved through like a battalion heading to the APEC summit should lighten his steps and allow peace and tranquility to descend upon the superb scones and cream that I enjoyed. Likewise, rattling doors closed loudly do nothing to the amenity of the venue.

Lesson 5 - a good Hostess should always invest in a set of sugar tongs, even my "Guide to hosting a High Tea" states this. A teaspoon with sugar cubes does not really cut it and keep the sugar white for tea, I so detest seeing the dark sugar cubes being served for tea.

Will I be back, you better believe I will, Good Parking, Super Venue (although the carpet needed a vacuum in the foyer), cute waiters, superb food, well worth the trip.

Sep 05, 2007

Jaipur Sweets, Sydney

Cafes, Indian, BYO, Wheelchair Access

Overall 6 106

6 Average

Food 8 Ambience 7 Service 2 Value 7

I have never been to Jaipur before and I am beginning to wonder about the authenticity of a large number of the reviews associated with this establishment as they do not seem to me to live up to the reality of the restaurant. You really have to wonder when the only review undertaken by the author is only this restaurant. Firstly - the food is ok, nothing special but certainly it is very flavoursome and interesting, certainly not a 5 star Indian experience but it does not claim to be.

Service, on the other hand is not good. Being new to this establishment I had no idea of their ordering procedures and basically wanted to be guided in what to purchase. I found the front desk person to be bordering on the apathetic in making suggestions for dinner - complete disinterest. I looked through the brochure with names and titles and was still confused with what to purchase - ending up with a Thali, Mango Lassi and Samosa. The Samosa I had to go back and remind the staff that I had ordered once consuming the Thali.

I could not find the hidden cutlery and serviette areas - just a little bit of help from the cash register might have been handy but being left to fend for yourself is not good. I know I will know where it is next time but so often first impressions on a restaurant are really important. What I liked about this place is the take away from the laneway and the large choice of meals. Once the initial confusion had calmed down I took a careful look at the menu and would be more than tempted to head back for another meal.

Nov 26, 2006

Martha's, Castlecrag

Restaurants, European, Modern Australian, BYO, Restaurant Bookings

Overall 6.3 33

6.5 Recommended

Food 8 Ambience 8 Service 4 Value 6

I only visit Martha for breafast - so I can only really comment on the petit dejuneur menu. I usually have the big breakfast with poached eggs - which is consistently pretty good - one nice treat is to ask for the brioche loaf with your eggs - very tasty indeed. The bacon is sourced from the local gourmet butcher - delicious.

The menu is a bit limited - ohhh for the appearance of some ricotta or sourdough pancakes - I live in hope. The waiters can be a little inconsistent and it is hard to pick when they are going to be attentive or not. It does annoy me when they are so pre-occupied with talking to each other and ignore customers - please note - the Saturday morning staff are well known for doing this...

All in all - Martha's is a pretty nice venue for breakfast - and not too expensive

Nov 22, 2006

Jasmin, Lakemba

Restaurants, Lebanese

Overall 8.2 127

7.5 Recommended

Food 9 Ambience 8 Service 4 Value 9

After reading PhilsLife review I made a pilgrimage out to Lakemba to visit Jasmin. Arriving at around 7pm, we were lucky to beat the dinner rush and place our order for the Mixed Plate. The decor is quite interesting - I couldn't help but wonder whether it was an upmarket McDonald's "Lebanese Style". Lots of Granite and interesting murals and domed lighting to keep the eyes intrigued. I don't know whether the French mural borders complimented the finish on the walls.

Down to the main event - the food. Dinner for two will cost you around $35 that is two mixed plates and a couple of drinks. The meals arrive very quickly and I certainly could not get through my plate. I was most impressed by the quality of the dips and the tenderness of the meats. What really struck me was that I usually go away from a Lebanese restaurant with a swollen tongue due to the high acidic levels and my trip to Jasmin was the first time when this did not happen.

My only criticism is really the staff. Under normal circumstances if a staff member spoke to me the way that they were speaking with other Patrons, I would get up and leave but I think there is a touch of arrogance that Jasmin knows that they are serving fine quality food and that there will be plenty of people that will eat there. I would suggest that they loose the tribal food feeding attitude and watch their profits grow. I'll certainly be back to Jasmin.

May 13, 2006