NEWMARKET ROOM — Restaurant in Sydney

Having previously enjoyed an outstanding dining experience at Newmarket Restaurant at The William Inglis Hotel six months ago, my return visit last night was a stark departure from the exceptional evening that I previously had here catching up with one of my friends. The disappointment was magnified by the fact that the dishes I had initially raved about, including the Fremantle tentacle, the Mushroom Trio cooked in three delightful ways, the Beef Short Rib, and the Green Chocolate Dome, were noticeably absent from the current menu. None of the dishes that had earned my praise were available, and it was disheartening to see that even the restaurant's website failed to accurately reflect their current offerings.

Our evening began on a lackluster note as the Oysters, both Natural and with Gin Granita, failed to match the exquisite Lime Vodka and Watermelon Granita Oysters I had savored previously. The Scallop appetizer, arriving at 7:15 pm, was merely satisfactory, lacking the wow factor of its predecessors.

The real downturn commenced with an agonizing wait for the arrival of our mains. Despite our persistent inquiries, we were repeatedly assured of "just 5 more minutes," only to be met with further disappointment. The reality was a staggering 50-minute gap between the scallops and the arrival of our mains, leaving us at a table with empty plates and growing frustration.

Moving on to the mains, the Indian Spiced Lamb Rack was a letdown. Despite its description, the lamb lacked seasoning and any discernible "Indian spices." The accompanying pea mousse added no flavor, and a minuscule amount of what might have been chimichurri did little to salvage the dish. Equally disappointing was the medium rare eye fillet, served below warm and almost cold. The compound butter, solid and unyielding, failed to melt on the meat. Upon requesting a correction, the dish returned sans garnishes and sides, with the broccolini missing and a lackluster attempt at re-plating.

Dessert, a Chocolate Dome with mousse, was an overwhelming flavor that deviated from the balanced Green Chocolate Dome I had previously enjoyed. The waiter's comment on the rapid dessert service was a small consolation, tainted by the fact that I had placed the order before the mains, highlighting the overall disjointed and unsatisfactory experience.

Reflecting on my anniversary dinner, it's disheartening to witness the decline in quality and the removal of dishes that initially made Newmarket Restaurant stand out. The absence of these signature dishes, coupled with menu discrepancies, prolonged wait times, and a decline in overall quality, make it challenging to recommend this establishment in its current state. The nostalgia of a memorable dinner was replaced with a below-par experience that failed to live up to expectations. Newmarket Restaurant needs to rediscover the magic that made me rave about this after experiencing an exceptional experience 6...

The restaurant decor & architecture looks stunning. Definitely a high end place that is needed here in the South West. However, our experience was tainted by some poor service. Myself & my wife called in for a last minute dinner on Friday night. Our waiter was very friendly and helpful. My Angus Sirloin was tender, but slightly over cooked. We ordered the Chocolate mousse dessert and a macchiatto. I requested my coffee come out with my dessert. We got our dessert but the coffee took a very long time to make. I could see the barista make it, then rang the bell for service. She then went to do something else and left the coffee sitting there for about 3 minutes. My wife tried to get the attention of another waiter to get out coffee, but she just looked at us and smile and then walked away. The barista then realised the coffee had not been taken out and came back to take my coffee and another one out (not sure why she couldn’t take it out in the first instance). She walked around the whole restaurant & seemed lost. We had to get the attention of the manager to get the barista’s attention for us. We explained that the coffee had been sitting there for a long time before it was finally brought out to us & we had pretty much finish our dessert already. The manager did offer to take the coffee of the bill. But when she came back with the bill & presented it to my wife with a “Yes here you are madame” in a very patronising tone. I really wanted to like this place, but some of the staff seem like they still need more training to bring up their service level to match the decor of...

This restaurant advertised themselves as 'fine dining' but they're far from it. Yes, their prices are a little cheaper than fine dining restaurants, but their quality of food and interior is comparable to a pub.

We reserved online for dinner, but never heard from them. Unfortunately, we were staying at the hotel and had plans to meet there for a birthday, so we couldn't cancel. We called up and made a booking, and their restaurant confirmed this, but when we arrived, they couldn't find our booking.

We should have seen this as a bad sign and walked away instead of wasting approximately $300 on mediocre food and drinks.

Our cocktails were overly sweet and not balanced. The overpriced $32 octopus entrée had ONE tentacle, which was rubbery and chewy. We've never seen such small oysters in a fancy restaurant and they were $6 each!!!

None of the flavours and textures of our dishes went well together. The tender pork with the coarse black rice is a big no. The steak was a cheap cut, and they failed to cook it to our liking. Our prawn pasta dish had an overbearing prawn taste, which wasn't pleasant. The prawn themselves weren't fresh and there was no flesh in them, just shells.

The restaurant also lacked finesse. The bartender served our cocktails, and some spilled onto the table and ran down his hands. He never came back to clean the mess up. The plating looks nice, but they still lacked finesse.

We feel awful about choosing this place to celebrate a birthday. It was just embarrassing. We would've been better off at a cheap pub! They're plenty of improvement needed at...