Read full review
2013-02-18
25 views
I picked this place for a belated Valentine's Day dinner with my guy. I called to make reservations earlier in the same week - initially we wanted 7pm but they were fully booked and only 6pm and 8.30pm were available that evening. So, tip #1: make reservations way ahead of time!I'd heard of the service being legendary here. But somehow, I didn't get that feel immediately because the main counter was pretty far in. There's no one to greet you right at the entrance, which I found kinda weird...Any
I'd heard of the service being legendary here. But somehow, I didn't get that feel immediately because the main counter was pretty far in. There's no one to greet you right at the entrance, which I found kinda weird...
Anyway, the place was super crowded that evening, I thought it was a bit too noisy for a place like that but eh whatever. We got a nice spot in the pop-up function room in the middle of the restaurant, right by the massive windows that show you a pretty view of the CBD area.
Our server for the evening was Kat (Cat?). We found her to be really pleasant, albeit a bit too busy to fully pay attention to us that evening. Like I mentioned, it was seriously super crowded! She brought us our complimentary bread (no pictures too hungry sorry!), (a very large) freshly baked focaccia bread topped with caramelised onions. This came with a side of salted butter. The bread was absolutely phenomenal! I've never tasted anything so darn fluffy before... We gobbled it right up.
I ordered the Beef Wellington which was about $66+. Recognised as Gordon Ramsay's specialty, this was steak about the size of a fist, topped with foie gras and finally wrapped in puff pastry. I was blown away by this dish. It was prepared so well, everything was perfect from the steak to the puff pastry. The combo was too good to be true... but yeah, IT WAS!
My boy ordered the steak ($70+) and a side of fries ($12+). I can't remember exactly which cut of steak he had, but it was the Australian one (always choose the Australian cut!) and it came with 4 different kinds of sauces. Once again, brilliant! Oh, portions for everything (including fries) were toooo big for us - and I eat like a dude - so what do you think? All I can say is: be prepared to overeat!
Verdict?
Disappointing.
The base of the cake was overcooked. It was way too hard for a lava cake and you could tell that it sat in the oven for just a bit too long. This was probably the factor that broke it. I am sad to admit that Max Brenner makes a better choc lava cake for a lower price. I guess they were really busy that night, quality probably went out the window a bit - even for service (not attentive, way too much rushing about, would call for someone 4 times but no response... sigh).
I would return but definitely not during rush hour. And yes, it's the Beef Wellington that stole my heart! <3
Post