Gildas — Restaurant in Sydney

Busting out the best Basque cheesecake ($19) I’ve tried—after a not inconsiderable amount of lockdown sampling—shows chef Lennox Hastie (Firedoor) knows how to wrap up an excellent dining proposition. Gildas unites the Fink Group’s (Bennelong, Quay and Otto) restaurant expertise and Hastie’s culinary vision in a buzzy Surry Hills corner store. While less formal than Firedoor, Gildas isn’t quite casual, but it let let you rock up unannounced to sip sherry and sup on Basque Country snacks. The namesake gilda ($6/each), with its anchovy, green olive and Basque green pepper, is a given to neatly strip the workday from your palate. Also in the pintxos, juicy pickle-topped skate brandade croquetas ($18/2) (that we accidentally managed to double) when we ordered two serves of excellent orange pimento bread served with a generous smear of smoked butter ($8/2 slices). It’s good for mopping up squid ink, which dominates cuttlefish, fennel and beans ($27) tucked under radicchio leaves. It’ll also work on the rock oyster cream underlying tasty retired dairy cow tartare ($28)—not that we ran out of potato chips.

For the sips, we picked the 2021 Serra i Barceló ‘Aucalá’ Garnatxa Blanca ($99) (a white Grenache) after a chat with the floor team who all boasted wine knowledge. Service ranged from friendly and highly personalised to snooty, with one server presenting an analysis of 12 degree Celsius bottle temperature and a bowl of ice cubes to a lady one table over who told him her rosé was served too warm. By the glass the Corucho Roble Garnacha ($18) light jammy and tea leaf tannins stands up to the standout sausage: txistorra ($29). Think of it as chorizo light, coiled over baby blue lentils with piquillo peppers for contrast. Less smoke and more raw yolk made the oyster mushrooms and buckwheat ($25) a bit of a miss for me. And if you decide (at your peril) to ignore my best of Basque cheesecake opener, the ricotta soft serve ($17) splattered with cherry juice at the table, is almost...

I was looking forward to trying this restaurant given the hype and buzz about it but also given that on its first week, it was awarded a 16 out of 20 score by Good Food. The equivalent of 2 chef's hats which for a very casual eatery is unusual. My experience was very disappointing. To put it on par with the likes of Bennelong, Rockpool, Vue de Monde, Tetsuya's, Fred's or LuMi Dining is a travesty and to put it ahead of places such as Hubert, Bistecca or Saint Peter is just plain absurd. The score for this specific restaurant made me lose confidence with the Good Food guide hats rating. The service we experienced was subpar. The waitress serving us had no knowledge of the food and didn't explain the menu or go over any specials for us. We saw plates of food coming out of the kitchen throughout our meal that weren't on the menu and when we asked our waitress what they were, she said they were specials of the day which unfortunately at the time or ordering we were not privy to. The wine list although small was interesting and did justice to the concept and the food. it was the highlight of the place for us. The sommelier didn't interact much with us at all and our waitress had less knowledge of the wine as she did with the food. We picked our wine on a whim and it was stellar. The food was ok. It was something you'd expect in any little bar serving ok food. It is expensive but not atrociously expensive. They are definitely riding the Lennox Netflix wave to maximise on revenue but that's only fair. My poor rating relates to the experience their marketing, their chef and Good Food have sold me prior to going versus the reality of our experience on the night which was nowhere near the experience you should expect from a 2 hats restaurant. Overall, a disappointing experience.

I hope that Good Food will come to their senses and downgrade their rating for that specific venue as it lowered the standards of Australian food...

I recently dined at a restaurant that left me with mixed feelings. While the quality of the food was undeniably excellent, I was disappointed by the portion sizes and overall quantity of the dishes.

Let's start with the positive aspects. The food itself was delicious, prepared with care, and presented beautifully. The flavors were rich, the ingredients were fresh, and the dishes were bursting with culinary expertise. Each bite was a delightful combination of textures and tastes, showcasing the skill of the chefs.

However, the disappointment arose when it came to the quantity of food provided. The portion sizes were notably small, leaving me feeling unsatisfied and wanting more. It seemed as though the emphasis was solely on creating artful plates without considering the hunger and satiation of the customers.

Moreover, the price of the dishes did not align with the portion sizes. Given the premium price tag, I had expected more generous servings. The lack of quantity left me questioning the value for money and considering if it was worth the investment.

While I understand that some restaurants focus on offering smaller, more refined portions, it is crucial to strike a balance between quality and quantity. In this case, the exceptional quality of the food was overshadowed by the insufficient amount served.

In conclusion, if you are looking for a culinary experience that prioritizes quality over quantity, this restaurant might be worth considering. However, if you prefer to leave a dining establishment feeling truly satisfied, both in terms of taste and portion size, you might want to explore other options. It's a shame that the impressive food quality couldn't compensate for the lack of quantity in this particular...