Bistro Livi — Restaurant in Murwillumbah

I kept thinking about a review for this restaurant and found myself considering the service, the décor, the mood, which were all excellent. I had a good night at Livi, but it wasn’t because of the food. The food was good, but it wasn’t great. Reviews of restaurants shouldn’t be about the waitstaff, the wine glasses or lighting. Here are my thoughts on what actually matters.

What I realised was that the chefs here did not seem to have actually eaten an entire meal, rather than individual plates. The experience isn’t curated, and so we, the hoi polloi, are left bereft of a good experience that is within grasp. The best plate I had was the anchovies with, I think, pickled aniseed cabbage. Nice ingrediants well presents. However, if I didn’t have the bread course on hand, I would have missed out on a glorious combination of anchovy oil with olive oil – scrumptious. By the time the pippies and beans arrived, there was no bread left, and so the sauce which the meal swam in was wasted; there was no pasta or vehicle to soak it up. If you go to Belgium and eat moule et frite, the wonder is that chips are not just great on their own, but that they are a vehicle for the white wine sauce. But this isn’t considered here. It’s a kind of weird take on shared tapas, I guess. Then there is the crab omelette with chilli oil. It’s such a strange plate that I think they think is a standout, but the incredible delicate nature of the crab omelette is like a scalpel next to the bomb that is the chilli oil—all the gentle flavours are lost.

This is a tough review, but I do hope the cooks actually sit down and eat an entire sitting, as we the punters do, and make great what is...

We were greeted by the very friendly owner, were taken to our very small round table, and 3 of us sat on the perimeter bench seat whilst our 4th sat on a chair. The small table issue was solved by not bringing all entrees at the same time. My mullet roe mousse was held back until the eggplant entree and iberico ham plates were finished and could be removed to make room for my very tasteless mouse. I tried it with the accompanying cucumber and could taste no fish taste. On its own, there was the faintest hint but not with the radish or the carrot sticks. The normally exquisite iberico ham, what little there was of it, was awash in an overpowering olive oil coating. The half fillet of coral trout was served on a spoonful of corn something that went well with it. One of our party couldn't have the corn, and her trout was dry. My pipis with chorizo were fairly tasteless and a little rubbery, and the remaining broth was surprisingly nondescript. The curry butter that the bugs came in was delicious but absolutely killed the sweet, delicate flavour of the bug. We also had the leaf salad, which consisted solely of whole cos lettuce leaves with a dressing. The cherry sorbet was delicious. As was the chocolate cake. Our table only had 2 glasses of wine and 2 grappas, so the $440 bill was very much on the expensive side, especially considering the size of the helpings and the lack of any...

The restaurant impresses with its well-organized ambiance and exceptional service. The wine selection is truly remarkable, catering to a wide range of palates and elevating the dining experience. However, the food leaves something to be desired. While the presentation is appealing, the dishes felt overpriced for their quality. The flavors lacked balance, leaning too heavily on simplicity, and the menu didn’t showcase much creativity. Many of the options seemed easy to prepare, falling short of the innovative flair one would expect at this price point. Overall, it’s a great spot for wine enthusiasts, but the food could use more thought...