This is an interesting place because, despite the fact that’s about 40km from the Syd CBD, in Glenhaven, on the Sat night that we dined, the first day of summer, it was packed. The restaurant has its own car park at the front, and it was so full that we struggled to find a spot. I guess the conclusion one can draw, is that there isn’t much in the way of other restaurants or entertainment in this part of the world. But, having said that, it’s also not hard to see why this place is popular with locals and visitors from other parts of Sydney as well. Because from the moment we walked in, we were made to feel welcome by the friendly maitre and I knew straight-away that we were in good hands. As late bookers, we were given a table outside on the terrace. Although it was under cover, it was still a tad chilly especially for the ladies in the group, and none of us had brought jumpers. Seeing our dilemma, within a few minutes, the maitre d had brought out a couple of warm jackets for us to borrow, so that solved the problem then and there. What a nice touch that was I thought.
There were plenty of staff on duty to attend to our every need. And they were all professional, experienced and attentive. but never overbearing or obsequious. Our table waiter even shook our hands in a gesture of thank you as we were about to leave. Just stunning to have service like that. And even though there was quite a long wait between the entrees and the mains, I’m talking here of about 40 minutes or so, we did receive regular updates from our waiter and I guess I can forgive them for this because the place was so busy and not only that, but there were a few large groups too, apparently celebrating birthdays, retirements etc. In a way I’m glad that we sat outside, because it was calm and relaxed, whereas inside, it was quite frenetic and noisy.
There were five in our group and we shared two serves of mixed bruschetta for an entree ($17 each). That was nice enough; each serve comprising six pieces, with three different kinds of toppings. I liked the prosciutto, but didn’t care much for the chickpeas. We were also brought out a large platter of crusty bread. No butter, just oil, which is not my favourite way to moisten bread. For mains, I choose the “gnudi di ricotta” or ricotta dumplings, with cherry tomatoes in a pesto sauce ($30), my wife and her sister both went for the tuna steaks, or “filetto di tonno”, in the vernacular ($40), whilst the other two in our little group choose the “spag di mare” ($38) and a “scaloppine di vitello” ($37) which is veal in white wine sauce. For desserts we shared a couple of hazelnut gelatos ($5 a serve) and a choc and pear cake ($18). To wash it down, a bottle of Scalzi Estate Shiraz ($50), plus a few glasses of sparkling white wine for the ladies. The food was of a high standard and everyone enjoyed their meals. My ricotta dumplings were smooth and creamy, accompanied by plumb, ripe tomatoes, soaked in a refreshing pesto sauce and topped with parmesan. My wife’s tuna steak had to sent back for further cooking, as it was too raw for her, but the staff handled that quickly and efficiently and the finished product was to her liking. Serving sizes were just right and the presentation was impressive on stylish crockery, and I especially liked the black stone serving board that the bruschetta was brought out on.
The whole evening went smoothly for us and we had a pleasant time, enjoying million dollar views from our alfresco table. That’s quite a rarity for a Syd restaurant: Being able to sit outside like that in stunning surrounds while enjoying top quality food. Even the lengthy wait for the main courses was bearable in such a setting.
The toilets are inside, and as one would expect from a smart and well run place, they’re modern, clean and well provisioned, with ample cubicles for the ladies and the gents.
Of course this is a pricey place, but we came armed with our Ent Book card, which gave us a generous $50 discount and kept the price down to $282 for five, and that included two shared serves of bruschetta, five mains, desserts, a bottle of wine and three other alcoholic drinks. Generally, not the kind of place we’d dine at without a voucher, but still, full marks to management and staff for being able to pull in the crowds at such a out-of-the-way location. They run a tight ship here, characterised by outstanding service, fresh and tasty food and a comfortable and homely ambience.
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