Ormeggio at The Spit — Restaurant in Sydney

I can understand why a majority of the reviews for this restaurant are positive, as I’ve had a good experience with this restaurant each time that I’ve dined here for the last few years. However, my recent experience with this restaurant (25 May 2024) was one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had with a restaurant and it’s safe to say that I will never be returning again. First, a man who appeared (based on his attire) to be the manager took our order. He did not specify that the non-pasta mains and the side dishes would be arriving later than the pasta mains that we ordered and, in any event, I had made it clear that while I was fine with the oysters coming first with the other entrees to follow, I wanted the mains and side dish to arrive at the same time. However, not only did our pasta mains take an extremely long time to arrive (even our entrees, apart from the oysters, took a long time to arrive), we realised that we had not received our non-pasta mains or side dish even when we were almost finished with our pasta mains. We tried to get the attention of one of the waiters for about 2-3 mins with no success, as nobody was making eye contact with us, and appallingly at one point, we noticed that the man who took our order very obviously saw that we were trying to get his attention (at this point, even by waving our arms) and proceeded to look the other way. We finally managed to get the attention of another waiter, who told us that it is customary for pasta mains to come first, with the non-pasta mains and the side dishes to follow – this had never been the case (and had never been explained to me to be the case) each time that I’d previously dined here. I said that this was not mentioned to us at the time of ordering and that, in any event, I’d asked for the main dishes and the side dish to be served at the same time. After ~20 mins, we were served the rest of our food, all of which were lukewarm. The man who took our order did not at any point apologise for his own misunderstanding/miscommunication and did not make any further contact with us throughout the rest of our meal. This is not at all the quality of service that I would expect from a restaurant that charges the prices it does – the prices which, I presume, are intended to not only cover the meal but also the service that one can expect to receive. Further, we were shocked to see that we had paid ~$40 for water for 5 people (precisely 5 glasses of water with no refills). This was not branded/bottled water – as far as we are aware (based on the explanation provided to us), this was water from the restaurant’s own recently installed in-house tap. It’s unclear how this water (the source of which is unknown – could’ve been unfiltered tap water for all know given there is no way to verify the quality/actual source of the water) could cost $7.50pp. To clarify, we confirmed with the restaurant on 26 May that the cost was per person, which perhaps explains why none of the waiters bothered to refill our water throughout the night. The cost for water is also not stated anywhere on the menu. We were also shocked to see that the price of oysters had risen to $8 per oyster, which is more than what I have paid for oysters at any Sydney restaurant. To be clear, there was nothing special about these oysters – as far as we are aware, these were just freshly shucked oysters with mignonette dressing. For the price charged, the portions were also tiny – my family and I are definitely not over-eaters (FYI I am a 43kg female), however the dinner was not enough for any one of us to feel full. I echo the comments of some of the other reviewers – if this is not daylight robbery, I’m not sure what is. Our experience (incl. the food) was utterly disappointing. I am not sure what has led this restaurant to change so drastically in the past couple of months, however I will definitely not be returning. For the price, you could enjoy tastier food and receive better service elsewhere. We have also provided feedback via the feedback form (the booking is under my...

I visited recently and the Ormeggio 2.0 experience was very disappointing and overpriced, and a far cry from Ormeggio 1.0. I was reluctant to post a bad review of a place I used to love, but our experience was just so sub-standard I feel others need to be warned.

The first thing you need to know about the "Stressless Sunday" is that it isn't a special menu, unlike before. It's the same al-a-carte menu or choice of degustation menus which are $155pp or $225pp respectively, plus a 10% Sunday surcharge. The difference on stressful Sunday is that the restaurant is packed, there is music blaring from speakers situated above every table, and it's $100 minimum spend per person. We asked for the music to be turned down which it was for a few minutes, then turned back up.

The entrees were fine, not particularly memorable, priced at $16 pp for one bite (scallop tartare and blue fin tuna). Similarly the $145 bottle of Riesling was not distinctive and less good than some other wines we had purchased from Ormeggio during their lockdown cellar sales.

Every one of the main courses was left unfinished at our table, all three had major faults, and the presentation of 2/3 was absolutely appalling. This is the first time I can even remember having a complaint about the presentation or having such bad food at such a high-end restaurant in Australia. The crab linguine was a ball of linguine swimming in oil with a few shavings of crab meat. The Murray river cod was swimming in white sauce (to the point you could not even see the fish by the time it had been served at our table). Certain parts were excessively salty and inedible, I suspect the salt crust cooking method is just flawed. The presentation of the $58 blue fin tuna steak would have to be going for some sort of record, it was so bad. The dish was presented on two bread plates, the first one with the fish cut into slices and crumbed, looked like a loaf of bread. The second bread plate was half covered in tartare sauce, with a grilled lemon on the other side. I actually wonder if this was some sort of joke. The tartare sauce tasted like Birch and Waite tartare sauce, but it had so much chilli in it, I could not taste the tuna, so I had it without the sauce. Overall this dish was the least objectionable, just nothing special. Our table also had a side of potatoes, which turned out to be quite greasy potato chips.

None of the above fitted the definition of fine dining by any stretch, and the main courses would have been worthy of complaint at half the price. Another thing which struck me was the total lack of vegetables or accompaniments and the incredibly unhealthy nature of all of the main courses. (There were sides of salad leaves and green vegetables which we didn't order - the green vegetables had chilli and anchovies so would have been unacceptable to some at our table.) I expect there to be at least moderately healthy options available at a restaurant and I don't expect to have to order green vegetables as a side.

After complaining about the main courses (which I almost NEVER do), we were offered complimentary desserts. For 5 people, this consisted of two cake stands, each half filled with a lemon sorbet/meringue dessert (again the presentation boggles the mind). These were apparently valued at $25 each and we were not offered individual plates or serving spoons - unacceptable during a pandemic. They did however manage to serve very good coffee.

Even with the service I could find fault - tables were served out of order and the main courses were not brought together (at least 10 mins between the crab linguine and others) - although I would have overlooked this if the food was excellent.

Basically the management seems to have lost the plot - I find it hard to believe they are the same as before as claimed in the Good Food Guide. The menu needs a total overhaul and I suggest that all dishes be finished in the kitchen - instead of having wait staff fussing and bumbling around at the table with...

Some people run a restaurant because they want to make money ,and the experience is usually quite lacking. Others on the other hand run restaurants because it is in their blood, they live and breathe food and devote every fibre of their being to perfection in the kitchen. Ormeggio at the Spit is the epitome of the latter. This place is serious about food and the dining experience. I have only had one similar gastronomic experience before like Ormeggio, and had to visit Bowral to do so (thanks Biota). We have been here twice now, and have enjoyed the degustation immensely both times.

First recommended is Stress-less Sunday. You don’t know what is on the menu, because they take the stress out of choosing what to eat - the chefs will bring out 6 courses of goodness, and you are told what it is when it arrives at your table. Great for the adventurous foodie (in my opinion, a true foodie is automatically adventurous). As this is a multi-hatted restaurant, you can be assured that what comes out is out of this world.

Now for their 8-course degustation. First up was a trio of appetisers, which comprised of a wonderfully superlight tomato sponge topped with a whipped buffalo mozzarella and a thinly sliced kipfler potato covered in a divine smoked paprika aioli. Wonderful start, showing promise for the night to come. Next was a Biodynamic Veal Tonnato, veal topped with a lusciously creamy sauce adorned with radishes - served in what seems to have been a very small tree trunk. Awesome! I was not looking forward to the next dish - Squid and Mussel Tagliolini, as I don’t do mussels, as for me they are too strong of flavour. What came next was unexpected. Prepared in the bowl set down in front of me was a very well-seasoned plate of seafood-y goodness, bordering on being too salty, but not. It was the taste of the sea in the freshest way possible. This is how I eat mussels now! The fennel helped carry it along, with the salmon roe adding texture. Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Sweet Corn and Hollandaise arrived next, to give us a creamy interlude between different tastes of the sea. Put simply, everyone who hated these little green vegies as a kid will now love them if cooked like this. Beautifully caramelised, perfectly accompanied by the sweet corn and hollandaise to top it off. The next briny dish was served, this time Murray Cod with mushrooms and charcoal leeks with a clam emulsion. Cod was cooked to perfection, with the charcoal leeks lending a depth of flavour. My world then collapsed in on itself and exploded for the next dish arrived. Spit Roast Lamb Agnolotti had arrived at the table. This dish gave me my second food moment where time stood still and everything else faded into insignificance. The flavour encapsulated into that small pasta parcel was short of mind-blowing. This was umami loaded with umami with a side serving of umami for good measure. The addition of parmesan cheese inside the parcel paired exquisitely with the uber slow cooked lamb, and the classic lamb accompaniment flavours of yoghurt and mint were added in just the right measure. This has got to be my favourite savoury dish I have ever had. We then had another dish, Wagyu Beef Cheek with kale, celeriac puree and shaved daikon I think it was, which was very tasty and fresh, but my mind was still reeling from the lamb agnolotti experience. To be fair to this dish, it was placed perfectly in the order of dishes to give relief after the richness of the agnolotti. Our palette cleanser arrived - Blood Orange mousse with Chamomile foam and Lantana Flowers. Very light and fluffy and delicious. Dessert was next, which simply read "Quince - Green Apple - Yoghurt" on the menu. We had low and slow cooked apple, with a quenelle of yoghurt sorbet and quince pearls. A perfect way to end such a night of...