Cuvai Bella Vista — Restaurant in Sydney

We went to Cuvai Bella Vista on a Sunday, and the whole experience was smooth from the start. I only booked the table the evening before through WhatsApp, and they were quick to respond and confirm. That alone gave me a good impression because it felt easy and friendly, not complicated at all. From that point till the time we left, the customer service was spot on. The staff were warm, polite, and always around if we needed anything.

Now, onto the food we tried. First up was the Devilled Kottu Parotta with chicken. This dish had a nice kick of spice and flavour. It felt like proper comfort food, the kind of thing that fills you up and makes you want to keep going back for one more bite. I really enjoyed it, and it was probably my favourite from the night.

Next was the Fried Rice with chicken. The rice was fluffy and cooked well, and you could taste the Sri Lankan spices without it being too strong. The veggies mixed in gave it some freshness, and the little side of chilli really made the dish pop if you like spice. This was another dish that worked well and would be a safe choice for anyone.

We also ordered the Mutton Roll. Honestly, this was the only let-down for me. It was fine in taste, but for the price and the portion, it just didn’t feel worth it. The filling was okay, but it didn’t really stand out, and I’ve had better versions elsewhere. It’s not something I’d order again.

For dessert, we tried Creme Caramel and Watallapam. The creme caramel was smooth and light, with a nice sweet flavour. It wasn’t too heavy, which I liked after having a big meal. The watallapam was rich and full of those traditional Sri Lankan flavours from coconut and spices. It’s definitely a dessert for people who enjoy a strong, unique taste, and it felt authentic.

Overall, I would say the food was good, but it didn’t blow me away to the point where I’d be rushing back next week. The kottu and fried rice were winners, the desserts were enjoyable, but the mutton roll left me underwhelmed. On the other hand, the customer service and the way the staff treated us was excellent. They made sure we were comfortable, helped us with suggestions, and were genuinely welcoming, which really made the evening better.

The restaurant itself has a nice setup. It felt clean, organised, and had a relaxed vibe, so it’s definitely a comfortable place to sit down for a meal with friends or family.

I really liked the service and enjoyed most of the food, but I’d probably wait a while before going back again. It’s worth a try if you want to experience Sri Lankan dishes in Bella Vista, but for me it’s not going to be a regular...

I came here for the first time with my husband and parents for dinner via a fantastic EatClub deal. 😃

We ordered: • Galle-Style Black Pork Curry (We asked for Mild) • Spicy Fish Curry (We asked for Mild) • Tempered Potatoes • Fried Fish • 4 x Parathas • 2 x White Rice • Bread Pudding • Brownie • Watalappan • Mango Banana Crumble

What can I say? The curries were to DIE FOR! The black pork curry had a bit of sweetness that I only detected towards the end of our meal that made it very special. The spicy fish had a decent kick to it. This was actually my favourite curry out of the 2! The tempered potatoes and fried fish were also very more-ish! I can see these items being crowd pleasers even amongst the fussiest eaters!

The waitstaff will ask you how spicy you want your curries from Mild, Medium or Extra Hot. We opted for Mild since my Mum can’t eat spicy food.

The parathas were great! My parents LOVED this and enjoyed pairing it with the curries. 😄

It felt like we could have ordered 1 x more curry and maybe one of the rolls too for entree.

The desserts were also very satisfying. The only criticism was the brownie was a little dry and tasted more like a cake rather than the typical dense and chewy texture of a brownie. I prefer a cake anyway over a brownie. Maybe it needs to be renamed to “chocolate cake with nuts” instead of brownie?

The Bread Pudding was very special. It was served warm with vanilla ice-cream on top. Just felt like a big warm hug! 😄

The Watalappan is a Sri Lankan pudding with spices in the mix. It was tasty at first but I felt a bit overwhelmed towards the end but also because I was helping my Mum finish the brownie too.

The Mango Crumble was nice although I don’t generally order crumbles. It looked very similar to the Bread Pudding!

The service was quite attentive and waitstaff were friendly and helpful.

We talked about returning again in the future in order to try other items on the menu! 😁😄

Thank you, EatClub for this experience.

Also thank you to Cuvai Bella Vista for serving up such delicious food!

Definitely need to return again next time and with a different crowd so they also get to share in the joys of the...

I’m an advocate for supporting small businesses and always excited to try out new venues that open. I’m torn writing this review, though I do believe it’s important to share transparent feedback.

We were quite underwhelmed with our experience. Perhaps, with all the social media hype and the advertising our expectations were slightly higher.

There were about 4 tables seated when we arrived - I wouldn’t say that’s busy. There seemed to be a few FOH staff - sufficient for the number of PAX at that point in time.

We were sat down, not even offered water for the table. After some time we had to ask the wait staff for some water. She assumed we had already ordered. We politely advised, no one even asked us for water, let alone anyone asking whether we were ready to order.

The Chicken Roll & Sri Lankan Patties (entree) - mediocre. Are these made fresh in house? They looked and tasted quite similarly to the boxed frozen items you can get at the shops. Unless we were served the wrong item, the Sri Lankan patties were basically just frozen samosa’s.

I was really looking forward to the Prawn Devilled Hotplate - as per the instagram post, it states “warning - not for the faint hearted” - automatically you’d think this dish would be fiery, punchy, spicy, packed with flavour! There was nothing fiery, punchy or spicy about this dish. I get it, everyone has different taste and spice tolerance levels…. However, if you’re going to promise a warning that it’s fiery, give it some fire!!

Venue itself, had a good ambiance, easy to find, plenty of parking. Venue has potential, hopefully they keep making tweaks to improve their service and food and find their point of difference with other venues in the complex.

Perhaps if we return again, we can walk away with a...