Ripples Chowder Bay — Restaurant in Sydney

Service/food quality doesn't justify price paid.

My partner & I came to Ripples for our 1 year anniversary. There was one Italian waiter who was very kind and attentive. The entree's, chips (side) & drinks were good. The service we received up to the point of ordering mains was good.

Aside from this, everything was a bit of a let down.

The sirloin steak was $63.80 & no better than what you might receive for $40 in a pub setting.

We ordered the duck ragu which had duck bone left in it, chunks of duck fat & was otherwise somewhat flavourless. Extremely disappointing for $43.

The service was lackluster after the point of ordering mains. We would have liked to have had a drink with our main meal. We were given back a drinks menu at the point of making our mains order. We weren't able to order another drink until the mains were being delivered, which meant we didn't receive our drink until we were 3/4's of the way through our meal. A bit of a shame.

No one asked how our meal was part way through or upon collecting our plates so we didn't raise the issue regarding the ragu. The waiter who collected our plates attitude made it seemed like he wouldn't have cared less anyway.

My partner & I were sat on the balcony outside. After we'd finished our mains it started to rain. After about 3 minutes of getting rained on we stood up & stood awkwardly under cover for about another 5 minutes. No one came to ask if we'd like to move inside or if they could put one of the umbrellas up.

We ended up moving our things inside ourselves & sitting at another table.

After another 30 minutes or so, no one had come to ask us if we'd like another drink or if they could help us with something.

I wouldn't be bothered leaving this review, but the thing that tipped me over the edge was that there was a 10% weekend surcharge that I couldn't see listed clearly on the menu. I think this is akin to false advertising. They should have separate menus for the weekend if you're charging 10% more than the price listed, no one wants to sit there with a calculator working our how much an item is going to cost - even if it was made more clear.

Overall, this was a disappointing experience. I felt I paid premium prices & received fair less than average meal & service.

With plenty of other amazing restaurants in this price range, I'd recommend...

I’d like to open this review by saying I do like Ripples at Chowder Bay. I’ve been twice before and loved both the food and service.

Today’s review has been prompted by my recent dinner last Saturday (September 28th). I also want to note that on this occasion the service (as it has been previously) was 10/10. The staff here are very busy but always serve with the best attitude and professionalism.

Now, the food. This was the first time I’d attended Ripples for a 50% off dinner night and I will say what was served was 50% less quality than my previous 2 visits. The 50% off menu came with 3 options for entree, 3 main and 2 dessert options.

My partner and I eat quite differently so her entree was a roasted eggplant dish that could only be described as flat in flavour. This entree completely lacked any seasoning and quite literally tasted of nothing. I had the salt and pepper calamari and it was nice although the serving size was small and I received a lot of deep fried pieces that had no calamari in them whatsoever. The elderly lady next to me received a much more generous portion that also looked far better in appearance. Clearly inconsistent servings were coming from the kitchen.

Onto the mains, I had the steak and my partner had the pistachio pasta dish. My steak was small (maybe 100gms), overcooked and tough and my partners pasta, whilst a good portion size, was lacking in any pistachio flavour and really just tasted like pasta and basil pesto. What a shame.

The sides (roasted rosemary potatoes and Waldorf salad) were very lacking. The potatoes had no salt or rosemary and were not cooked enough. The salad was a very simple mixed salad with dressing but definitely not a Waldorf salad by any stretch.

We finished by both getting the Lemon meringue and it was reasonably good although lacked any meringue crunch, like it had been sitting in the fridge for hours.

Overall the dinner experience was very disappointing. It really did feel like you received a “50% off” quality menu which is not what you should get, obviously. If anything this type of promotion should be just that, a promotion to get people in and experience good food and want to come back and pay full price…

In finishing, I’ll go back to Ripples one day but it will be while so I can try to forget last...

A big disappointment! I initially liked the location, decor, and overall vibe of the venue. However, my positive first impression quickly faded when there was no one available to welcome guests, and two of the wait staff were visibly arguing. The table wasn't properly set and the meal itself was a series of letdowns: BEEF TARTARE Jack’s Creek sirloin, cornichons, shallots, egg yolk, soldiers: This dish did not match the description on the menu. The egg yolk appeared to be already mixed in, the cornichons were missing, and it lacked seasoning overall. CALAMARI Salt & pepper Hawkesbury calamari, basil aioli: The calamari was bland, under-seasoned, and the batter lacked crispness. It seemed like it had been sitting on the pass for too long before being served. ORECCHIETTE Spinach fricassée, parmesan, chilli oil, stracciatella: The pasta was chewy, and the dish was overwhelmingly salty. MUSTARD GLAZED PORK COLLAR Popcorn cauliflower, pickled radicchio, mustard green: The pork was very dry, and the red wine jus was overpowering, as if the wine hadn’t been cooked off properly. The pickled radicchio was overly bitter, detracting from the dish entirely. DARK CHOCOLATE TART Fresh raspberries, crème fraiche, blackberry gel, meringue: The tart was the highlight of the meal, but it lacked the fresh raspberries, crème fraiche, and blackberry gel that were promised on the menu. Perhaps the kitchen had run out, but it was disappointing nonetheless. I expressed my dissatisfaction to the wait staff after the main course, and although they offered to remake the dishes, I didn’t see the point in having the same disappointing meal again. The waiter said he would speak to the chef, but he never returned, and we were simply served our desserts. Overall, I felt completely let down by the venue and the meal. The management seemed indifferent to...