Rubyos Restaurant & Cocktail Bar — Restaurant in Sydney

Rubyos is situated at the Northern end of Newtowns bustling King Street. The venue is light and open and even with the dining room at full capacity with a very large birthday group the ambiance was pleasant and my dining partner and I were able to maintain conversation with little difficulty due to noise.

Tables are set to reflect a fine dining experience with cloth napkins and tablecloths but the service is more relaxed and casual. This is not a bad thing as many people are put off by the stuffiness of formal dining. All the wait staff were friendly and accomodating which matched the overall theme of a more casual approach. The service was not as attentive and polished as you would expect from a fine dining restaurant but still pleasant and welcoming.

We decided to opt for the Celebration Banquet which showcases some of the most popular dishes form the al a cart menu.

The banquet started with a Kir Royal cocktail which is a champagne based drink with cream de cassis for a touch of sweetness. The added glacé cherry was a nice touch.

The food selections arrived a short time later and the pace of the service was very good. The meal never felt rushed and we spent a good two hours moving through the meal. Another observation on the service was that instead of our server delivering tasting notes for each dish we were provided with a small laminated card with the descriptions of each course printed. Courses are served to share between diners which seems to be the trend for banquet style meals at the moment.

I would normally give a detailed description of each dish but there is a photo with the menu attached to the review. What I can say is that each course was tasty and easy to eat. Flavours were nice and the ingredients fresh. It was on the whole an enjoyable meal that represented reasonable value for money. But, was this a fine dining meal that was refined and innovative... not really. It’s just good, tasty food.

In conclusion Rubyos is a great spot for a casual dinner with friends or a group birthday party but not quite there for a special occasion or a spoil yourself gastronomic foodie adventure.

Definitely worth...

Asian/Australian CONFUSION

I ate here on Tuesday with my GF for the first time after seeing all the great reviews on Google/Zomato and what a disappointment it was!

This place is by far the worst restaurant I have ever ate in and I'm convinced the reviews must be fake, well some of them at least?!

When entering the restaurant the Decor looks great but that's where the GREAT stops........ The waiter looked like he would rather be anywhere else on the planet than serving us, and if I could guess I would say he is the owner.

We mentioned we were Vegetarians and he suggested the Vegetarian Banquet which is everything but a banquet. The ole saying you get what you pay for usually applies to most places except this establishment.

First we had the Guacamole Crostini which was avocado on the smallest bit of bread known to man or woman.

Second was the Sweet potato salad which had been drowned in Balsamic vinegar and suffocated with cinnamon to really kick you whilst you are down.

Third up was the Green Zucchini rolls which to me were completely lost.

Fourth was the Curried Arancini which tasted like a tiny, old rubber dog ball which had been deep fried.

Fifth was the Halloumi with Watermelon, the Halloumi was 1 inch by 1 inch and we were unlucky enough to have two of these miniature pieces of cheese which tasted like they had been marinated in a barrel of salt.

Sixth was the Sweet potato cakes which were also deep fried and tasted of nothing.

Seventh were Chat potatoes which if I could guess were cooked two days before me and my GF got there and deep fried again so that we could eat them not cold.

Last and not least was the Tofu which was the star of the night but still very average.

We were not given a new plate with any of the dishes so we got to taste the last dish with the new one every time which made things even more confusing.

After paying and leaving very quickly I felt like the owner should have been wearing a striped jumper and a robbers mask!!! I will certainly not be returning to this shambles of a place. Do yourself a favour and give this place a wide berth and save...

As I embarked on my culinary journey of the somewhat enigmatic but undoubtably intriguing Contemporary Australian cuisine that Rubyos had to offer I was both cautious and anxious. Adjacent to the bustling, pumping lights of the urbanising Newtown backdrop, Rubyos offered a sanction from the monotomy of daily living - galvanising an adventure of epic proportions. Sampling some of the premier delights Rubyos had to offer by endulging in the ‘provincial plates’ set menu I was encountered with an array of flavours and tastes that would challenge me both psychologically and physically to the brink of my existence. Commencing with the aptly named Velvet duck liver parfait I was immediately satisfied. The texture caressed my tongue whilst the onion relish provided an interesting but welcomed juxtaposition. Followed by exquisite soy poached chicken breast I felt transcendent beyond natural experience, endowing me with a sense of life purpose and drive. Indeed I felt as if the natural earth flavours of the soy and daikon spoke to something so innately personal within me. Flash fried calamari followed, and excuse my joviality but I was sadden that it was over in a Flash! The potent combination of flavours slapped me in the face like a freight train whilst simultaneously embracing me like a soft goose hair pillow. The real star of the show followed - the classic haloumi with a playful twist. Watermelon integrated into the dish was unexpected but certainly not unwelcomed. Three new morsels of culinary innovation were brought next to finish this adventure. The flavours and textures of lemon pepper chicken, chat potatoes and roasted lamb rump playfully flirted with each other, providing me with a indescribable feeling of warmth and delight I haven’t felt in years! For years to come I will be cherish the memory of my Rubyos adventure. At the beginning I felt if I was in a hypothetical cocoon hibernating until I could be relinquished from my bounds by an experience beyond dreams, emerging as a culinary omnipotent butterfly. Thank you...