Rufio — Restaurant in Melbourne

Where to start? Finding a car park near the restaurant proved to be a Herculean task. The universe seemed to conspire against us, as every nearby spot was occupied or restricted. We circled the area like lost souls, growing more exasperated with each passing minute.

Just when we thought we had discovered a glimmer of hope, a "no parking" sign squashed our dreams like a deflated balloon. The clock was ticking, and our patience was running on fumes.

Eventually, we resorted to parking in a distant galaxy, lightyears away from the restaurant's entrance. Our arctic expedition became a tiresome odyssey, leaving us to trek through the frozen night, wondering if our hunger and frustration would ever find a resolution.

In hindsight, this restaurant should have come with a disclaimer: "For the brave and persistent parker only." If you're planning a visit, be prepared to embark on a parking adventure of cosmic proportions, because the journey from car to table is not for the faint of heart.

Oh, where do I even begin with this dining experience? It felt like we stepped into an Arctic winter wonderland when we were seated. Despite the promise of a heater, it seemed the gas supply had gone on vacation too, leaving us prisoner to the elements. Upon the gas supply not working, they moved us and we were strategically perched by the chef's window, turning our meal into a chaotic symphony of waitresses bellowing orders back and forth.

Our unfortunate waitress seemed to be on her first day of Table Setting 101, requiring backup from another server to remedy the setting of plates and cutlery. And let's not forget her unique approach to taking orders – after jotting down the first person's choice, she looked unimpressed and queried, "is that it?" Not the most encouraging sign for a delightful meal ahead.

Oh, the anticipation of a refreshing cocktail to quench our thirst! Alas, it morphed into a 20-minute expedition, leaving us parched and desperate for the slightest drop of liquid.

The kitchen's creativity knew no bounds when it came to entrees. We didn't receive what we ordered, but our growling stomachs convinced us to feast on the surprise dish anyway.

Mains became mythical creatures, teasing us with their elusive presence. Each passing moment of hunger heightened our desperation, to the point where we might have considered munching on the paper menu for sustenance. But no, the waitress decided it was time to conduct a full-scale investigation into the kitchen mishaps before gracing us with our rightful meals.

Now, I must insist that if a restaurant claims to be Latin, it's vital for the staff to know the difference between a Tamale and an Arepa – and how to pronounce them correctly. Otherwise, it's like attending a language-learning session during dinner.

In summary, our dining experience felt like a misguided adventure through a frosty wasteland, marked by misplaced orders, delays, and a linguistic spectacle. I'd recommend the management invest in some thorough training and a dash of organization before braving another culinary escapade at this...

Great looking restaurant - as you head off the street and go up the stairs it offers a lovely atmosphere

Our female waitress was amazing and worked really hard looking after all the tables but the male waiter stood on top of the stairs looking down on all the tables and even though our whole table was waving at him for attention didn’t see us and turn around and walked away - twice I headed up the stairs to ask him for a drink and he was just standing at the bar - he didn’t seem to want to work and the female waitress was run off her feet and did a fabulous job

I asked for a glass of wine and when it came in think the glass was warm so the wine was not chilled - I asked the male waiter for some ice as explained the wine was not chilled and he wanted to get me another glass which was kind but not necessary as ice was fine - he insisted and I declined I was happy with the ice clearly he wasn’t happy with me having it - the ice came which was great

The food - we took the set menu and it all came out together fairly fast - prefer a little more time to eat and stage the courses - while it was good there was nothing green - no vegetables no salad so it was very heavy and one dish like a dumpling with banana tasted like old socks - The food was a little too “try hard” and really you need a salad or something green to break the complexity of the food….simple food often is better not every dish needs so much happening - while it was good it was all super rich

The dessert was strange - it was like cream on a plate and we were all confused about it not sure what was happening there

This Resturant is really loud - the people near us were extra loud (no ones fault this happens) and with the music turned up it was really hard to hear the waitress - the restaurant wasn’t full so why were were all placed so closely together was unusual. I felt for the waitress who had to keep yelling for us to hear

This is not a cheap restaurant (mind you nothing is) and by 1030 we were almost the last there and felt we had to go - this is disappointing when you eat out and want to catch up...

Where to even begin? That was the worse set menu in Melbourne my partner and I have ever had.

Lamb that was tough and undercooked, chips that aren’t crispy, everything severely under seasoned, beef brisket that tasted warmed up in the microwave and then slapped on a plate to look pretty (mind you this is what was supposed to replace the failed lamb dish).

Oh man, and the flatiron steak? Under seasoned and served with a cold sauce that had the potency and flavour profile of Vegemite times 50. It’s the first steak we’ve never finished and I refuse to believe anybody tasted that steak sauce and thought it was okay to send out. Calamari? Another bland experience but hey, they added squid ink to their aoili to look the part I guess.

We’ve never left a restaurant that charges casual fine dining prices so disappointed.

What seemed like a cute venue to eat a curated menu at online turned into feeling like we were sat in our friends patio with poor lighting as they whipped up food they they’ve never made before.

What looked like pretty plating was really chefs trying to put lipstick on a pig.

The only saving grace was the dessert though our mood was already ruined by that point so not even that got eaten fully.

The waitress with pink hair was kind and apologetic though the manager didn’t have much to say other than they hope we give them another try in the future.

Another try? I’m convinced it’s current rating here on Google is botted after the awful experience we had.

Anyways, avoid at all costs to be honest.

Worse set menu / chef menu...