Jounieh Walsh Bay — Restaurant in Sydney

Ok, so this review is not all about the off fish we sent back or that they kindly comped (free) the whole bill. This review is about everything else... but the fish was emblematic. Lovely welcome, and then it all got as weird as a 94 year old pole dancer. The felafel plate came well after the table near us received theirs. I'm certain that both were cooked at the same time, as ours was tepid warm. Felafel don't come out of the fryer lukewarm. Does it matter? You bet. No self-respecting felafel place in Sydney or Beirut pre prepares felafel, whether fine or street dining. They were dry but otherwise quite interesting. The eggplant were just, just cooked and similarly warm. The whole dish fell flat but probably satisfies if straight out of the kitchen. I should have asked the other table how theirs was. As for the fish, we ate the felafel that came at the same time and waited for someone to meal check us. The owner passed us three times, the affable waitress too. Finally, with time limited, I approached the waitress, who made all the right noises, and we ordered hummus and cauliflower, both of which were generally fine. No awards, no complaints. The bread, however, was baked Saturday. Maybe their bakery doesn't bake Sunday. At regular prices, that's no big deal. But at this level, it must be fresh every day. How does off fish make it to the table? It has to emerge from the fridge, not examined (it would have reeked), or looked at but not cared about, go to the chef at the pass who either doesn't notice the stench or doesn't care, passes it to the front of house expediter, who either doesn't notice or doesn't care who passes it to the waiter, who either doesn't notice or is too afraid of the expediter to speak (doubt that). That's a world of not caring. The owner is notified as is the expediter. The waitress is great, but with 5 tables there, you'd expect the owner to come say hi? It's all fine, and we leave with genuinely friendly goodbyes and genuine care. I would have happily paid for what we ate and preferred to be grateful for whatever free dessert they think would impress us enough to return. So, my conclusion is that the place is full of good meaning, light on rigour, and short of a chef with tight control of his brigade. If he wasn't there at this time, he needs to get to the bottom of the systems failures...If he was there, he shouldn't be. Should you go? Well, I'm not advising that you shouldn't. Ventuno is a class above this place, but it's probably...

I was given a RedBalloon as a birthday gift for this restaurant. First we started off with the dips & bread - the baba ghanouj was delicious, labne was creamy & the hummus was hummus. Next we had a whole battered and fried cauliflower head. It was drizzled with tahini sauce and almonds. The outer shell was tasty as it was fried but at the end of the day it's just a cauliflower. Next we had 2 small lamb sambousek. These were very tasty but too small. Then came the chicken skewers which were yummy but the veg cooked between the meat was either overcooked or still hard despite being charred. The potatoes were OK, my partner didn't like them. For dessert we had to share a crème brulee. This is usually my favourite dessert but this particular one had orange incorporated and for me was inedible. Why ruin a great classic? For a pricey restaurant in a beautiful location we expected a lot more. The setting was nice, the staff were good and the view was nice. The voucher did not include drinks - we had to pay for those separately. And to share a dessert is tight! (The voucher cost $170!) Overall I would not recommend this place. You get much better food and larger portions in Greenacre or Bankstown for a quarter of the cost. This was certainly not a 'feast' as the voucher suggested. We left unsatisfied and...

I was very disappointed with my experience at Jounieh Restaurant. For the price we paid, the portions were extremely small and far from what you would expect from a Lebanese banquet. We ordered the banquet for two and received a tiny hummus, a baba ghanouj, and just two pieces of sambusek (one per person). The “Lebanese bread” was simply cut pieces placed on a plate with nothing special about it. The lamb shoulder was decent, but overall the food quality was below average. The fattoush had none of the authentic flavor you would expect, and as someone familiar with Lebanese cuisine, I can confidently say this place does not represent Lebanese food or generosity.

The service was equally disappointing. Staff could be heard arguing, and while we were dining, two of them were moving and fixing tables right beside us, making it hard to enjoy our meal. The overall setup : tables, chairs, and décor, also felt less than average.

We spent $140 for two people and left feeling unsatisfied and let down. Unfortunately, this was a very poor experience, and I would not recommend this restaurant or return...