Zack's — Restaurant in Queensland

Start with the bad news: Table was super shakey, like it was placed right on a fault line, but San Diego this ain't so shakey table a little disconcerting. A very contemporary approach to the 'classic' creme brulee. A classic brulee should have some decent height (to really SINK your spoon into) and a super crisp CRACK on top. Call me picky but crack this did not. A super thin layer of caramelised sugar (colloquially known as the crack-head) meant there was no SNAP and therefore no theatre to this dessert. Call me a thespian but I love me some theatre. A creme brulee should be a first class dessert. Deep, creamy, velvety and silky smooth. This dessert had no leg room, and a crying baby on board - a truly economy class dessert. Flavours were good. Cold dessert was served on a warmed plate. Weird.

Positives: all the entrees were great. Standout was the crumbed camembert. My goodness. All mains were good. Quality is best described as better than a good pub but just below a good restaurant. The spring rolls were truly enormous. Enormous. As a starter these were more than I can handle, though perhaps this is my own fault having had a late Sunday lunch. Steaks were all good. Not great but good. The calamari is delicious and not to be overlooked. Not oft am I inclined to order seafood in a town so far from the coast - freshness is key - but this was truly a delight to consume. Perfectly cooked and with just the right seasoning made for an all-round pleasant mouthful. Chips are great. Too many places try to make chips fancy. These were simple but done well - a valuable lesson to be learned here. Other pubs take note. Roast pumpkin pine nut salad with added chicken was good. Chicken was SUCCULENT. Generous portioning, perhaps TOO generous. Sundried tomatoes seemed redundant, they didn't add anything to the dish. If you're looking for a light salad, this might'nt be for you. It's good value but quite heavy going.

Service was good. nothing beyond what you'd expect, save for one waiter who had excellent volume when bringing dishes out - props to him. Nothing worse than not being able to hear when they're trying to match a plate to a name.

Separate queues for food and drinks was unclear and a little confusing. Might be worth signing this? Overall, negatives are really just minor points so 4 stars...

What's on the label: "Affordable family dining at Zack's Restaurant & Bar - this modern and stylish restaurant serves quality meals in a friendly, relaxing environment."

What you actually get: An overpriced and underwhelming dining experience in an overcrowded, uncomfortable environment.

Zack's was a disappointing experience from start to finish. With too many tables crowded into an open-plan dining space, the environment was too hot, too loud, and far from relaxing.

The meals, whilst not totally unreasonable in price, were disappointing for what was delivered - overcooked steaks, forgotten condiments and desert orders, undocumented menu changes that were allergen risks, slow to arrive meals and low quality sides. Table service is not offered, leading to long and unpleasant waits to order.

Their drink selection was limited, and the cocktails were underwhelming interpretations of classics.

The staff was also too overburdened to notice antisocial customer behavior, and members of our party were subject to harassment.

It's saving graces are that it's modern and clean - I'd recommend going during off-peak hours if you want a decent experience, else avoid it...

Stayed in the hotel next door, and this was the closest venue to have a meal. The meals were ordinary, to say the least, I ate there three times over the course of five days and was not really impressed. The first night was BBQ pork Ribs. Bit dry and grissely. The second night was Satay Chicken and Spring rolls. The rolls were okay, but the satay sauce came straight out of a Masterfoods bottle, no taste at all. Third night, Salt and Pepper Calimari. Couldn't taste any pepper or salt, very bland and tastless. Also, the barstaff should pay more attention to who comes up to the bar for service first. But I guess you can't compete with the regulars. The bar manager failed to advise me that it was happy hour and gladly served me a schooner when I could have enjoyed a pint of beer for the same price. All in all, I was underwhelmed. Most likely, be looking for somewhere else to dine...