A couple of nights ago, a very dear and wonderful friend (Deidre) and I had the opportunity to have a girl’s dinner – just the two of us. We decided we would lash out and treat ourselves to somewhere “nice”. We felt that we work hard, we try to be good people and once in a while…let’s splurge! We were quite happy to “over spend” on dinner. I am not a food critic, but I do think I have a right to a good experience when I am spending a “reasonable amount of money” on dinner.
We chose ARIA in Sydney. Both thinking that Matt Moran seems to be a good guy and be a very respected Chef, by all his public profiles and appearances. We felt comfortable that his restaurant would reflect that standard.
Unfortunately, we were underwhelmed and on the “PCH Nonna” scale, I would only offer two Nonnas. (This is how I rate things – you might remember the previous post).
We arrived approximately 10 minutes prior to our booking time, as we thought a cocktail in the bar would be a good idea. It took 20 minutes before our order was taken, (it did seem others after us were able to order, seven were served before us??) When the cocktails arrived we were pleased with our choices but had only had a couple of sips when we were quickly ushered to our table.
Not the best table in the house, but it was comfortable. When we were attended by our waiter, he was attentive to our requests however; we did feel we had to make requests after seeking his attention, rather than being waited upon. We decided that we were OK to not look at the cost, but rather just chose a wine that appealed to us. At $250 a bottle, we did not expect a bottle of chardonnay to be icy cold chilled - saw the same bottle on a wine list at another establishment a few nights later in Melbourne - $80 cheaper! That is not how “Charddie” is at its best – or have I got that wrong?
We eventually received glasses of water on our table – after we asked for them. This is the most obvious example of the little things that make a difference (they make or break an experience, don’t they?).
We did finally order our meals, after we indicated we were ready to order.
We were both satisfied with our entrée choices. After all when you choose your own order – you have to assume responsibility for what you decided upon. We both enjoyed our mains. Both our desserts definitely pleased us. In this day and age, restaurants are a total experience – it is no longer just about the deliciousness of the food…….or is it?
We thoroughly enjoyed having some rare and precious time to have girl chat and it had been many years since we had had an opportunity to natter away like that. Yes we had a wonderful time being out together, but did leave feeling underwhelmed and a tad like….“we would not bother to go there again”!
DC xx
We chose ARIA in Sydney. Both thinking that Matt Moran seems to be a good guy and be a very respected Chef, by all his public profiles and appearances. We felt comfortable that his restaurant would reflect that standard.
Unfortunately, we were underwhelmed and on the “PCH Nonna” scale, I would only offer two Nonnas. (This is how I rate things – you might remember the previous post).
We arrived approximately 10 minutes prior to our booking time, as we thought a cocktail in the bar would be a good idea. It took 20 minutes before our order was taken, (it did seem others after us were able to order, seven were served before us??) When the cocktails arrived we were pleased with our choices but had only had a couple of sips when we were quickly ushered to our table.
Not the best table in the house, but it was comfortable. When we were attended by our waiter, he was attentive to our requests however; we did feel we had to make requests after seeking his attention, rather than being waited upon. We decided that we were OK to not look at the cost, but rather just chose a wine that appealed to us. At $250 a bottle, we did not expect a bottle of chardonnay to be icy cold chilled - saw the same bottle on a wine list at another establishment a few nights later in Melbourne - $80 cheaper! That is not how “Charddie” is at its best – or have I got that wrong?
We eventually received glasses of water on our table – after we asked for them. This is the most obvious example of the little things that make a difference (they make or break an experience, don’t they?).
We did finally order our meals, after we indicated we were ready to order.
We were both satisfied with our entrée choices. After all when you choose your own order – you have to assume responsibility for what you decided upon. We both enjoyed our mains. Both our desserts definitely pleased us. In this day and age, restaurants are a total experience – it is no longer just about the deliciousness of the food…….or is it?
We thoroughly enjoyed having some rare and precious time to have girl chat and it had been many years since we had had an opportunity to natter away like that. Yes we had a wonderful time being out together, but did leave feeling underwhelmed and a tad like….“we would not bother to go there again”!
DC xx
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