Pins On Lurline — Restaurant in Sydney

The otherwise mainly stellar reviews for this restaurant are at stark contrast with my experience here, starting at 7.30pm on Friday 20/12/2024 (my birthday dinner). Off to a shaky start with the foaming canister not working as normal for the first course chef selection snack. An hour later at 8.30pm, the scallop entree arrives, it was ok though the "spicy mayo" was unremarkable and an unnecessary element to an otherwise fine dish. Then an hour passed by. There was only one other couple and a family of four seated alongside my husband and I in the dining room. We could tell the kitchen was having issues by the loud and purposeful clanging, possibly only staffed by one loud, belligerent individual who popped out intermittently (not in chef gear). Apologetic wait staff brought out the braised pork belly dish at 9.20pm, which was tough/chewy, again, with very unremarkable side elements (a stray piece of spring onion? A dollop of unseasoned pumpkin puree?). At 9.55pm the lamb dish arrives, overdone, and possibly plated by the wait staff (think plain and unseasoned quinoa with 3 whole grape cherry tomatoes plopped on). At this point, the other couple has already left as the prolonged waiting had agitated them. The 2 young adults in the family have been on their phones and bored out of their minds while their parents pace every now and then. At approximately 10.10pm, the dessert comes out, all I see is a fruit granita, waitress explained there was cheesecake under this (supposed to be a whipped set custard with buttermilk foam and fruit granita). When I ask where the custard is, she sheepishly says they've run out of custard. At this point, we are done and ready to leave. The profusely apologetic FOH waitress tried to appease us by offering to take the additional side of roast potatoes and our one drink, a ginger beer along with 25% off the total bill. This is a joke to me as not only have we been served substandard food all evening but their mismanagement of the service has robbed us of the opportunity to spend the evening elsewhere. Their utter disrespect of our time, knowing we were there to celebrate a special occasion, was the real frustration - if your kitchen is not capable of providing a proper dinner service, why is your management not stepping in to close down for the evening and communicate this to us, so we can make alternative plans? How dare you even try charge us for this joke of an experience? I ended up paying 50% reasoning that we had consumed 4 courses but upon reflection, I greatly regret this - we shouldn't have been charged a dime for this absolute crapper of a dinner service. I don't care if they otherwise provide a good service, your communication and management systems need a gigantic review and improvement to deserve the title of restaurant, let alone FINE DINING. A thorough disappointment on so many levels. To the restaurant: please, do yourselves a favour and spend time at other quality establishments in the area so you are aware of what the standard for acceptable food and service look like...

Restaurant itself is cozy with a home like atmosphere. Staff were very friendly and quick to attend to tables. Ordered the tasting menu with 6 courses. Staff were very diligent about allergies and asked about it to ensure the chef could provide an alternative or alternate ingredients. Didn't take a photo of the menu but it was $90 each, with the dishes listed below.

Starter: Bread with truffle butter Bread was fresh and really tasty. Truffle butter was on the lighter side but still great.

Course 1: Chef's Selection Snack Tasted unique, in a good way. Came out really quickly and was good to have this and the bread both on the table.

Course 2: Scallops served with lemon gel, radish, spiced mayo on an orange and ginger sauce One of the better scallops easily. Came with 3 pieces and the spiced mayo and sauce compliments it almost too well.

Course 3: Slow cooked black garlic & rosemary pork belly, with sweet potato puree, asparagus, gourmet tomatoes, smoked jus. Pork belly was tender and tasty, with the garlic taste not too overpowering. Gourmet tomatoes was just one larger cherry tomato for me, and it was unfortunately too sour.

Course 4: Smoked kangaroo fillet served rare, with pave potato, char-grilled vegetables, spiced tomato relish and an autumn berry jus. Easily best dish of them all, even though all the others were amazing too. Kangaroo indeed served rare, and everything on the plate was pure heaven. Compliments each other perfectly.

Course 5: Set custard, fruit granati, butter milk foam, fresh berries, lime sherbet. The first dessert of the supposed 2. Very light and refreshing, and helped open up my stomach after the heavier dishes. Nice and lemony and easy to digest.

Course 6: White chocolate panna cotta with walnut and almond crumb, peach puree, seasonal fruit & mango sherbet. Heavier dessert however was quite nice and sweet.

Bonus: Petit Fours Chef handed this out as a bonus. Very heavy but very tasty for someone with a sweet tooth.

Side: Roasted chat potatoes Prettt much confit potatoes. I believe staff advised us it was cooked in duck fat. Tasted good and went well with the main meat dishes.

Overall experience was great. Fine dining but they keep it simple and for the average person who isn't Masterchef material, this place will not let you down. Rather than try overcomplicate everything, the simplicity of ingredients and local taste puts it far ahead of other fine dining...

My recent visit to Pins on Lurline left me with mixed feelings, primarily due to a frustrating dining experience. We had chosen this restaurant to host a special meal for a visiting family friend from the UK over the long weekend. While the manager's willingness to accommodate us at the last minute was appreciated, the actual service we encountered was far from satisfactory.

We opted for the 6-course meal and one with a wine pairing, expecting a delightful culinary experience. Unfortunately, the experience quickly soured due to multiple service mishaps. When placing our order, I emphasized my dietary restriction: no red meat, but chicken, pork, and fish were acceptable. Despite this, our first hiccup occurred when the waitress brought two beef cheek dishes to the table, inquiring about gluten-free preferences. Once again, I reiterated my dietary requirement and preference for non-vegetarian options. Nevertheless, the next course arrived as a pumpkin risotto, completely disregarding my request.

As the courses progressed, the errors continued. When everyone received the lamb dish, I was served a chickpea-based alternative, despite once more explaining my dietary restrictions. The waitress's response was far from accommodating, stating that I would have to wait for the fish option if I did not want the chickpea dish. At this point, I just wanted to enjoy a meal without further complications, so I reluctantly accepted the dish that had been incorrectly presented.

Our dissatisfaction extended to the wine pairing service. Throughout the evening, our wine glasses were consistently refilled, even before the corresponding food had been served. It wasn't until we reminded the waitress that we were still awaiting our main course that the wine service slowed down.

To add to the chaos, during dessert, another waitress approached our table, inquiring about the wine pairing as if we hadn't already been receiving it. This mix-up only served to highlight the lack of communication and organization among the staff.

Perhaps the most glaring oversight was the neglect of our basic needs. For the entire 2.5-hour duration of our meal, no one bothered to refill our water glasses, leaving us parched and frustrated.

We had hoped for a special meal with our visiting friend but left feeling let down by the restaurant's...