Clam Bar — Restaurant in Sydney

I visited Clam Bar for dinner last week, initially impressed by the good ambiance. We started with anchovy toasts, which were unexpectedly divine, along with oysters and grilled calamari, both of which were enjoyable. However, the experience took a steep decline from there.

For main course, we ordered the restaurant’s best steak “Ribe Eye”, priced at $165 per cut, and their signature Vodka macaroni. The steak was requested medium but arrived medium-rare and stone-cold, as if it had been resting for hours. Additionally, the meat quality was poor, riddled with silverskin—an oddity for such a premium-priced cut. The Vodka macaroni, a signature dish, was underwhelming and nothing extraordinary.

Dessert was equally disappointing. The $22 banana sundae was essentially a heap of whipped cream on top of a banana gelato and cut up banana bread at the bottom—something I could have easily prepared at home.

The worst part of the evening came towards the end. After ordering a few drinks to unwind after dinner, the waiter abruptly placed the bill on our table, asking us to pay and leave because management needed the table. This happened despite us having the table for less than two hours, and no prior warning about a time limit. Adding insult to injury, the restaurant was largely empty, with two-thirds of the tables unoccupied.

As someone who has frequented this establishment for clients’ lunches and had positive experiences, this visit was a significant letdown. Such treatment, particularly at a restaurant positioning itself as a fine dining establishment, is unacceptable. This experience has ensured that I will not be returning, nor will I recommend it to others.

Sydney’s dining scene is competitive, and it’s no wonder some establishments don’t last—poor customer service and prioritizing profit over patron satisfaction drive customers away. Clam Bar has lost my trust and...

My wife and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary here last night and I have to say dining at the clam bar was an amazing experience.

The staff were very knowledgeable and were happy to explain the dishes and advise us of what would be safe for my wife to consume as she is heavily pregnant. The staff went above and beyond to ensure we had a great time, they regularly topped our drinks up and checked in to see if there was anything else we required.

My wife had a strawberry/watermelon mock tail which was advised by our waiter and she loved it, I had the zombie cocktail which was honestly one of the nicest cocktails I’ve ever had (so good I had two through out the night)

For a starter we shared the scallop dish and I have to say it blew our minds (I’m not normally a huge seafood eater) it was so tasty, I can’t honestly describe how amazing it was.

For mains I got the lamb and my wife got the spaghetti.

The lamb was so tender and flavourful I could have cried it was that good. My wife was extremely happy with her spaghetti aswell.

We got the corn dish as a side to share and to me it sounded a little strange on the menu but I thought let’s try it as it was mentioned by the waiter as a popular side. The corn dish was incredible it had such a beautiful aroma from the moment it was placed on our table and the taste more then matched (we both looked at each other stunned as we consumed our first bite) I’d say it’s an absolute must if you dine here.

For dessert we ordered the key lime pie which was again out of this world and we had a complimentary fromage ice cream Sunday which was also delicious.

I honestly can’t stress how much we enjoyed our night here, everything came out fairly quickly considering how busy they were, the staff and the food were amazing. I hope the clam bar never changes, it’s...

We had dinner at this popular restaurant during our Vivid staycation. I know it is popular because the only booking we can get is either 5:15 or 9:30pm and a time limit for next seating as well. The first impression is great. Cosy space with themed decor. Even at 5:15, the room is already half full and it fills up very steadily. The food is indeed very good. Tasty and delivers exactly what is said on the menu. Service is very professional. You know the staff have been working in the industry for some time. They know their trade. They are tested when the room is full. It is an intricate dance. The ambiance is very cosy and it does take mood lighting to the extreme. This is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is moody and you are transported to a different space. However, it also lost some minor points as well. First of all, it is so dark that you can't see what you are eating. Sure, you can tell you are eating fish or pasta but when my companion digs into her mushroom entree, she couldn't tell what she was eating until I showed her the enhanced photo of the dish on my phone. Ditto, I'm sure my scallops entree was burnt on top but everything was just "black". Both dishes were tasty but it is counterintuitive to the adage "you eat with your eyes". Other issue is the noise level in the restaurant steadily rose as the night wore on. There is literally a buzz. Towards the end, I had to raise my voice to make sure the wait staff understands my order. It makes it hard to have a romantic conversation across the table. Finally, the value question is a bit complex. We had 3 courses (1 shared dessert) and very moderate drinking. It came to just over $150pp. For me, that's on the boundary between reasonable and wow. It was worth it but I'd be happier if the issue with the lighting and noise level...