Olio — Restaurant in Sydney

Went here to celebrate valentines day with my Wife. It may have been the worst meal we’ve ever had together.

They clearly overbooked the restaurant and/or there were issues with delayed arrivals caused by the traffic, either way - the service was poor and the food was straight up disgusting.

It seems like (based on earlier reviews) they were trying a new menu, which absolutely did not work in the slightest. Sicilian-asian fusion does not work, or maybe it does but they certainly did not make it work.

First up was two tiny oysters and a crab dough ball which was 99% dough and 1% crab from a can.

The following dish was the worst, an egg flan with raw mackerel placed on top by a chef that i saw wiping his nose and then placing the raw fish on dishes with no gloves.

Most surprisingly was how poor the gnocchi dish was, something a Sicilian should be proud of - it was just gnocchi with a can of tomatoes, no flavour, no seasoning, just disappointment.

Prior to our visit, i was excited to try the swordfish, as i’ve not had it in a while. Unfortunately it was bland and the texture indicated it had been overcooked and underseasoned.

We never saw a drinks menu during our whole night, as apparently they had run out of drinks menu’s… we had to just beg our waiter to bring us any bottle of wine, which fortunately he did.

The dessert was a weird fishy tasting matcha panna cotta which i’ll probably have nightmares about for as long as i remember it.

There was also supposed to be a petite fours at the end of the meal, but they didn’t bother to give us it. Probably a blessing in disguise.

My main regret is not asking to speak to a manager or chef to relay how poor the whole experience was, but judging from the near-full plates being returned to the kitchen and multiple people leaving before they got through the full courses - they hopefully got the message.

I did speak with several other diners there who all had the same bad experience.

FYI- This meal was $138 pp. An absolute joke.

Thankfully my wife and I have a great sense of humour so were able to enjoy ourselves, but we saw many other people who did not find it...

Picked the ‘Degustation Menu’ total cost $115; Actual Price Paid $115 for two people, booked through the First Table.

Dish 1: Snacks Arancini and tart. Good crunchy texture and a strong aroma. Dish 2: Capasanta Scallop confit, Celeriac Cream, Pickled Celery and Liquorice Scallop had a really soft texture. The taste of the celery and liquorice is mild and helps enhance the flavour. Dish 3: Gnocchetti Sicilian Pork Sausages, chestnuts and Pomegranate Really lovely aroma and probably the most filling part of the menu. The addition of the pomegranate combines the salty sausage with some nice sweetness. Dish 4: Spada (Swordfish in Spanish and Italian) Black Garlic Coated Chargrilled Swordfish Loin Can definitely taste the chargrilled aroma of the Swordfish Loin but the garlic is quite mild and could have been stronger in the dish. Chewy texture was very nice. Serving size was very small, as the photo will demonstrate a cube. Dish 5: Wagyu Charred Rib Cap MBS+ Highly quality meat, melts in the mouth and very soft texture The addition of the Witlof provides an interesting combination; however, try not to eat the Witlof by itself because it is really bitter. Olio Citrus Ganache, Salted Caramel, Olio’ EVOO Gelato, Frozen Basil Merengue Very sweet and a good amount of sourness. Make sure to eat all the layers together for the best taste for sweet and sour. Petit Four Very sweet and quite similar in taste to the Olio

General Customer Service At the start when the restaurant was not very busy, the staff were very bubbly and informative about each dish that was served to us. However, as the restaurant became more busy, the staff would serve the food without saying anything and walked off, there were also some delays of food service. Good service was nice but many of the staff seemed quite...

Lino Sauro, Olio, Kensigton, Sydney

It is always great to catch up with chefs that one has known for many years!

Lino, who headed Gattopardo in Singapore, has always been one of my favourite Italian Chefs, of Sicilian Background one knows immediately his affinity to great seafood, although I always loved his Pasta Dishes!

So we made it a point to have our only Dinner (during this trip) at a Restaurant at Olio, Kensington!

It’s such a lovely place, and although it rained (a rarity during our trip) it gave this evening a somehow romantic feel!

Sharing a bottle of 2018, Satien, Franciarcota, the evening started truly on a Hi!

After the ubiquitous Amuse Bouche, Oyster with caviar. We were treated to a wonderful Tuna Tartar in a super light pastry shell! Yummy

As we did sharing the first course consisted of a King Fish Carpaccio with amazing Olive Oil and Pomegranate, as well as a superb Beef Carpaccio which was superbly delightful!

What impressed us was the use of earthenware, as it gave us a real classical Italian feel & experience!

Next we enjoyed some Pasta, myself the excellent Truffle laced version while the boss had a wonderful squid ink celebration, very light, very flavourful , very gratifying!

As my lady was starting to fill up by now, we did the Swordfish with Broccolini as a share as well, perfectly cooked and seasoned, loved the nutty brown butter!

The main was a most perfectly cooked beef, flavourful and tender, a great sauce and some Topinambur, or as it is also known Jerusalem Artichoke!

A perfect ending to a great meal, excellent service and most professional hospitality!

Thank you Lino & Team! 🙏🏻

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