Host. Dining + Wine Bar — Restaurant in Queensland

We went to Zevs for our anniversary. The waitress who was on that Saturday night was amazing the perfect blend of professionalism and friendliness. The chefs seemed friendly and happy which is always exceptional when you can see employees having fun with what they do and giving off a really relaxed yet upper class vibe. The location is very central in Toowoomba which was quite suitable for the restaurant. Unfortunately we had to book online which limited the information we had on the place as there wasn't a phone booking but if we had booked ahead instead of spontaneity we could have liased through email. We had a last minute minor mustard allergy on the table too which the staff accommodated for very well. So all in all the staff and location were 10 out of 10. For the food we opted for the set menu and there was no waits on any meals. We were the first people in but even so it didn't seem like any other tables had waits either. We started with snacks which set a good mood for the night they were tuna and lamb the latter which had an amazing blend of spices. The Tuna was fresher than we expected to ever find in Toowoomba (being inland). Next we had the next courses which was a celeriac (a nice choice of meal to include) and a salmon miso dish which was well seasoned. Albeit the presentation of these two meals in particular left a bit to the imagination. We also had an amazing sourdough which was as airy as a focaccia. For the main we had a brilliantly cooked beef mushroom and "artichoke" dish. Artichoke being described as artichoke on the menu while I was expecting Globe or Chinese we got what seemed to be Jerusalem Artichoke. Which is an artichoke in name alone, being a sunflower it's the equivalent of asking for fruit and someone giving you a tomato. Although it really wouldn't be a problem for a restaurant that's not hatted. The meat although perfectly cooked was a bit chewy which is more to the fault of the supplier as the chefs can't be expected to taste all the rump they're going to send out. We then had a palet cleanser described on the menu as passionfruit yuzu and verjuice. The description was a bit vague I wasn't sure to expect a drink or food, but It came out as a frozen meal with what seemed like granita and a parfait type thing with a small szechuan meringue. All in all it was nice but may have exceedingly benefited from more than one meringue. Finally the leatherwood honey icecream with strawberries was the absolute standout on the menu it seemed so perfectly crafted and all the flavours blended exceptionally. It was so well done that if it didn't come out last it would have left everything else feeling lacklustre in comparison. It is hard to overstate how good this dessert was. All in all it was an enjoyable night that I would recommend people who live in Toowoomba to try. The only real negative which is preventative of a 5 star review is the price tag of 120 per person it didn't feel like it lived up to that when you consider that places like St peters (Sydney), Aloft (Hobart) Tipo 00 (Melbourne) do the same thing ranging from 60 to 90 per person and Gauge, and formally Arc Dining in (Brisbane) do very similar fine dining for 75 set menu per person for 2 people you could drive down and still have money spare. I do however recognise that Toowoomba is far behind in any dining elegance and that Zevs is good for the culture of the community and I'm sure that they struggle to get any semblance of decent ingredients in stock. It still just seemed a bit high in consideration of Australian standards.

Edit: the wines/spirits we had were good and the wine menu was very well rounded. Most were only available by the bottle and assumably the most popular by the glass. They also had a wine pairing with the menu...

We sat down for 20 minutes before being approached for a drink. There were 2 other tables so not like they were busy. Asked the waitress what the pairing wines were and was told there is a sparkling, white and red ... seriously... a 2 year old could tell me that. She then proceeded to say they change daily - so again, we asked what they were "today" (for example some of us like chardonnay or chablis and others cant stand it, which would make us decide if we want to spend the extra money $70 or so pp on pairing wines, which wasn't cheap btw). She said she didnt know what they were - sorry but that's your job to know!! If they change daily - get in here at the start of your shift and learn what they are. When a restaurant wants a $240.00 food deposit one would expect the staff to be great at their jobs. Sorry but the waitress had no personality and no clue. We left. We eat out for a dining experience and the wait staff can make or break this! We walked in to another restaurant down the road who bent over backwards to cater for us and when they ran out of the wine we were drinking (expensive wine) they offered to go to a bottleshop and find more - that's the experience. They bent over backwards and they were well rewarded with a huge bill paid for and great tips left! Host - you missed out. Train your staff! Go to Georges Bank and see what young Hedley does - now there's a fantastic host! (We dined at Georges Bank the next night but I can not rave enough about that young kid) FANTASTIC SARCASTIC RUDE REPLY TO MY REVIEW BY THE OWNER - WHO DIDNT EVEN ACTUALLY PERSONALLY MEET ME ... at all !! I have read another review that was similar to mine. If you are going to check out all my reviews you will see there are also several positive - that's what reviews are for - the negative and the positive ... and you will see I give praise where it is due! I would never attempt to go back to your over-rated under-delivered restaurant again. Have dined in Toowoomba a fair bit and there are far classier places to spend up big at! Train your staff properly! I see from past reviews you dont take constructive criticism very well - I see you picked out 2 of my bad reviews as opposed to most of my good ones (hilarious). I dont see anything wrong with asking what wines are available - especially when they are so expensive. How can you suggest an attempt to charge when not a thing got to our lips! BTW this review is in reply to an email you sent out to me asking us to review yr restaurant. Maybe another area your business needs to look in to with regards to how...

Enough said - the response to my review. Btw, the only approach from the owners was to clear the plates. No abuse on our part. And I don't click

Hi Elspeth Petrie,

Kyle Zevenbergen, Zev's Bistro responded to your review made on Sun 24 Mar 2019 at 5.42 pm:

Elspeth, Usually I would start my reply by thanking you for your review, sadly in this case I will not. Whilst I appreciate your courtesy in mentioning that our food is ‘excellent’ , you lacked being courteous towards our dedicated hospitality professionals & restaurant owner on the evening you dined with us. You & your dining companions were by far, some of the most demanding & rude customers we have had in our restaurant for a number of years. The senior male diner was obnoxious and condescending to our female hospitality professional, leaving her rattled and unwilling to provide service to your table for the rest of the evening. One of the restaurant owners proceeded to tend to your table more than adequately, the owners advances to engage at your table were ignored by all, I’ll also mention, at times you & your dining companions found it acceptable to click your fingers for staff when you had demands. Subsequently, we won’t let your bias & defamatory review (including the 1* reviews you also left on google) sully our online presence, but, will continue to thank the rest of our genuine customers and their positive reviews, speak volumes for the unique experience offered consistently at Zev’s Bistro. I will also add, when you attend a ‘casual high end’ restaurant & decide to BYO wine, it is not appropriate to use a crumpled plastic chemist warehouse bag to bring your cheap wine along in. Kyle Zevenbergen Chef/Owner Zevs Bistro

This was your review:

Reviewed by Elspeth Petrie1How likely are you to refer a friend or a colleague?

5/10

2How do you rate us on the following key criteria?Food/Drinks7/10Service2/10Atmosphere6/10Value6/10 3 Please add any general comments or feedback

The food was excellent but the waitress had attitude plus! Two people ordered two entrees each, asking for one as entree and one as the main meal, but still entree sized. Everything came out at the same time and when we complained, the waitress denied that we had asked for the dishes to be served separately. She pretty much decided to have an...