Café Lyon — Restaurant in Sydney

Visited for the first time this weekend for dinner, looking for somewhere cosy & intimate locally but yet still offering top-notch cuisine & service in order to escape the flooding Sydney rains for a few hours, and Cafe Lyon did not disappoint.

The menu although not overly extensive still offered something for everyone with a half dozen or so each of both entrées & mains featuring both tried & true French classics and also some modern takes (in addition to several daily specials) and a handful of sinful dessert. We didn't partake in desert ourselves however after what I saw the waiters passing by me with on the way to other diners made me immediately regret this decision.

The service we received was excellent; brisk, attentive and professional without being overbearing or rushed. We arrived at the door behind several other large groups all at once, and while they were being seated we stood for maybe 30 seconds waiting until one of the chefs rushed out from the kitchen in order to greet us and check our booking, enthusiastically chatting to us for a minute or so making some helpful menu recommendations until one of the front of house staff was free to seat us, present us with menus and take our drink order.

Being from a hospitality background myself I was incredibly impressed by this. We didn't mind waiting a few minutes at all as we had obviously arrived with several other groups all at once and had briefly overwhelmed the meet & greeters out front, however the senior back of house staff were keeping an eye out from the open kitchen beyond and jumped in to help out without delay as soon as they saw the need. There's an old saying we used to have in the hospitality game (which was drummed into me as a young man by my managers long ago); "the initial impression you make on your customers in the first 90 seconds of their arrival will usually make of break remainder of the experience for them".

All in all a great experience! Our cocktails were expertly assembled and presented, the wine list was extensive and affordable, the dishes were fresh, flavoursome and beautifully presented and the service (even though the restaurant was fully booked and busy) was second to none. I'm so glad I found this place (quite by accident as my regular haunt several suburbs away was fully booked out that night); we...

I was really looking forward to our meal here & unfortunately was underwhelmed. I emailed them three days before our booking to check what the Spring Menu was (Winter Menu still up on their website) and never received a response. The service was absolutely terrible & definitely not up to standard for a restaurant of this price point. We arrived at 5:55pm for a 6pm booking and were the second diners to arrive. We ordered 2 courses (main and dessert) aswell as two sides (greens & cauliflower gratin). When we ordered, only one of the two paper menus was taken. My partner ordered a beer and it arrived with two strawers! After 45 minutes, I asked one of the waiters how much longer for our food and he gave me a very impolite response of “well your order is in the kitchen!” No apology, no offer to follow up….. Other diners who arrived after us had their meals coming out of the kitchen (entree orders). Our mains arrived around 5 minutes later (55 minutes after we arrived) and were not hot. We ordered the lamb special and barramundi. Other than the temperature of the food, it was very nice and has contributed to the two stars. Our desserts (Pear Tarte in photo & creme brûlée) arrived 5 minutes after we finished our mains! Not sure who is running the kitchen but timing of the food service was extremely poor. Who wants to eat their dessert 5 minutes after finishing their main? The desserts themselves were very nice. After nearly 90 minutes, we had enough of the poor service and were eager to leave. I asked for the bill & one of the waitstaff brought it over. A different staff member then brought over the EFTPOS machine for us to pay and then walked off mid transaction - no “how was your meal?” or “have you had a nice evening?” The other bizarre thing is you don’t have one allocated waitstaff, we had three different people attending to our table throughout the evening. I didn’t hear any staff speaking French and we were welcomed with a “Hi” at the door as opposed to a “Bon Soir” so if you’re expecting a truly authentic French experience, I’d recommend managing your expectations. Based on the service tonight, we won’t be recommending this restaurant or returning. It doesn’t appear the owner responds to reviews so not...

Being French, we usually don't go to French restaurants. So, when my partner invited me to Cafe Lyon, at Lindfield, I was pleasantly surprised.

The location itself is a few hundred meters from the train station, so you can easily drink and be driven by public transport back home. If driving, you can park in the back lanes and there's a public carpark at the back as well.

The restaurant has a lovely atmosphere, like in a French 'bistro'. The service was impeccable and very attentive to our needs.

We enjoyed a delicious 3-course dinner, starting with the entrée on special for my partner, the ceviche, which was fresh and tasty. I had a zucchini flower stuffed with goat cheese. I particularly enjoyed how the chef played with textures: the silkiness of the goat cheese was nicely complemented by the crunchy toasted walnuts.

We opted for two different mains, him choosing the barramundi served with green peas, me the confit duck. The barramundi was perfectly cooked and worked well with the veggie garnish. The duck portion was big, I loved the mustard pear which brilliantly cut the slight saltiness of the duck.

Our desserts were a feast for the eyes – and for our taste buds as well! The pav, that was on special that night, was a modern deconstructed take on the usual pavlova, served with champagne jelly cubes – I need to get that recipe! – , fresh blueberries, fresh mango, mango ice cream and a pistachio brittle that brought some crunch. It was light and divine!

My chocolate mousse was also delicious and with an amazing presentation with a tall tuile. It was served with delicious crystallised petals and spiced cherries and a raspberry sorbet. I loved the contrast between the smooth chocolate mousse and the slightly tart sorbet.

All in all, a great service and delicious food reasonably priced for the quality – and quantity – in the plates. We loved our night out and we will go be back to taste...