Sunday in Canberra Cafe — Restaurant in District of Gungahlin

Visited Sunday Cafe on Sunday, 31 March 2019. Four of us placed nearby the window for table no 3. Make note that the place was super crowded. The 1st order made (Medium Mocha, Small Mocha, Calamari, Capucino Decaf and Small Capucino). Let say the waiter is named Waiter A.

The wait was a pretty long time. Incident happened. A glass above La Marzocco Coffee Machine broke. It slowed the process down significantly. The anxiety of waiters were pretty apparent.

We made the 2nd order (Brownies and Lamington Cake). The order delivered instantly because both cakes are available from the display. The waiter did a wonderful job. Offering if we would like to have cakes warm enough. We felt their workload. No heating necessary. Note that until this time, no beverages from the 1st order came in to place. After waiting for approx 20 minutes, The Mochas and Capucinos arrived. Wait for another 10 minutes, the Calamary arrived.

I made a 3rd order for only a Nachos. She was a different waiter than our first one. Let say she is Waiter B. Payment made and successfull. I cleaned the table. Making some space for the not yet coming Nachos. Gave the dirty dishes to another waiter (let say Waiter C). We wait for approx 15 minutes for the Nachos to come. Waiter C delivered the Nachos to us. Well something interesting happened. Apparently, the next table to us (table 16) also ordered a Nachos and it hasn't come yet. Waiter A notice what happened in table 16. Waiter A came to my table. In front of my wife and two of my friends, waiter A said, "Excuse me, I don't think you order that one."

I showed my Comm Bank app and transaction record for the Nachos. Waiter A still insisted that those nachos transaction was not recorded in her system. I went to the cashier with Waiter A, where she started to browsed the receipt for the nachos that we ordered. After sometimes, she found out the receipt. Waiter A apologize casually and halfheartedly.

I think the food is acceptable. The wait is somewhat acceptable. Unfortunately, The way the waiter treats the customer makes me lose my appetite. Places might be busy. Spaces might be tight and noisy. However, the way to interact with customer need to be a top priority.

In that later case, Sunday in Canberra felt like a...

Sunday in Canberra was one of the only cafes open for lunch when I visited Canberra on Good Friday. I was immediately welcomed with the homey atmosphere (earth coloured walls, live indoor plants, natural furniture, bits and pieces of decor), smell of coffee and relaxing music (which, by the way, also plays outdoors!). You could tell that every inch of the place was given good thought as even the lavatory area was well-decorated. The staff was very accommodating and happy to serve. I ordered Chai Latte and Katsu Chicken. My drink came first, which was good while I waited for my food. The barista concocted her own version of Chai Latte which tasted unique and very delicious! Before I knew it, my food arrived and served to me no less than the chef herself. I was surprised with the huge plate that was placed in front of me. For $22, you are definitely getting more than what you are paying for. The Chicken Katsu was presented beautifully on the plate: garden salad on the top part of the plate and drizzled with dressing, the chicken katsu was placed on top of a bed of chips. I enjoyed the crispiness of the katsu and liked how it wasn't too thick or too thin. It had just enough sauce that complemented the dish but didn't overpower the actual taste of the meat. Not being a chips person myself, I surprisingly enjoyed the taste and quality of the chips that came with the dish. It had a special flavour that you just couldn't get from anywhere else. And of course the salad part was also a dish of its own and didn't disappoint. Overall, it was a great experience for me at Sunday in Canberra and if there was one thing that I would change, it would probably be the serving size, but to be completely honest, that was only because I felt bad leaving leftovers from a beautifully prepared dish (again, another sign that you are getting more than what you are paying for!). I will definitely recommend this place to others and will visit again when I come back to Canberra in the future! Regards to the amazing chef and the wonderful family...

Really disappointed, we had heard good things and decided to try Sunday based on recommendations, we arrived to a busy, cosy little place and ordered 2 meals 2 coffees and some sides for our 1 year old. Approx $70 - seemed a bit high but expected good things. After 30 mins our child was restless still waiting - I walked him around the block to not disturb other guests and keep him entertained - my partner stayed waiting for the meals. When I came back still no meals the majority of patrons had finished and left. At the 42 minute mark (my phone still showing when we paid for the order) we finally asked where our food was - and the staff then said it looks like the “kitchen lost” our ticket.

We were given a refund and apologised to multiple times which was fine, and the right result, but really disappointing still. We did get the coffees comped but still; with the price, small (and presumably manageable)menu and the amount of staff on (we counted 2 in the kitchen and 5 on the floor) this probably shouldn’t have happened.

When the pass is clear, the person expediting usually checks the floor, 9/10 you get another sale when doing this properly, and you catch these oversights before they happen, but the staff didn’t do this. Comparatively we went to a cafe around the corner (Da’Mingle) which was just as busy, and we ordered and received our meals in 9 minutes - nearly 30% cheaper and it was fantastic. To be honest the difference here really seemed to be the staff who were quick, active and friendly, taking pride in their service!

I’m confident this isn’t an everyday error for the team at Sunday; but nonetheless it’s important the staff know that it happened and maybe this review will lead to a discussion or change in process that means the next people who decide to try this venue won’t experience what we did and might actually want...