Suki Modern Asian — Restaurant in Sydney

I really wanted to like Rosa.

The service was quite good. I appreciate that a lot of the staff are quite young and probably working their first hospo jobs, more attentiveness would definitely improve the service experience. We waited quite a while to order a second round of drinks.

The food was ok, there wasn’t really a “Wow! I need to come back again” dish. We ordered the lamb ribs for $36, I don’t think 6 ribs the size of my index finger is really worth this amount. The accompanying salad (80% of the dish) was removed from the table before we’d finished .

My biggest pain point though was the chips and guac. Whilst being seated, as we are handed the menu we were asked “would you like to start with chips and guac?” In which we of course said “sure!”. Now in most US and Mexican restaurants corn chips would be complimentary, guacamole understandably has a small price. After receiving what I hope aren’t Costco family size corn chips, heated and accompanied by a bowl of guacamole, we were stunned to see the combined $16 price tag in the menu! $8 for corn chips! A school size chip packet would have contained more corn chips.

Later in the evening we heard two other tables mentioning chip-gate. Which only further validated my frustrations. It reminds me of restaurants that ask “still or sparkling water” to only find out that the still water you ordered whilst trying to be financially savvy is actually a $10 bottle of aqua pana - jokes on you right? Should have asked for tap.

Anyway, I wanted to really love Rosa. It has a great vibe, friendly staff and a good menu. The price doesn’t match portion size and $8 for corn chips is insane.

Great margs and...

¡Qué vergüenza! ..what a shame! This restaurant has missed a huge opportunity. Beautiful renovation and lovely fresh interior could have been on a beach in La Paz or Rosarito but sadly the food was disappointing and overpriced.

Starting with Margaritas... come on people, who opens a Mexican restaurant without perfecting margaritas ? overly sour, tasteless spicy margarita at $20 a pop ?

Onto the meal. Menu promises a modern Mexican perhaps with a bit of fusion but fails on both. Under seasoned tuna tartare, ceviche floating in oversalted unidentified liquid. Guacamole is more than just mashed Avocado !! Try salt, lime perhaps a shot of Tequila ? also Guacamole with NO corn chips ? those are extra at circa $0.30 per chip (based on a $8 bowl).

It is still time to fix this, the fundamentals aren't bad, but please for the sake of having a decent Mexican restaurant on the northern beaches fix your drinks and your food !

• Update to this review * I was notified by an email from Google that the restaurant had posted a response to my review, which unfortunately seems to now be removed. The first few lines included in the email I received, indicate that not only did they not appreciate the feedback, but were also quite derogatory, suggesting I may get a "side gig doing more amateur reviews" or something else ? I will never know.

The purpose of reviews is to help business owners improve, but that's only if they care to, and are professional enough to accept constructive criticism. In this case it seems not. As I said...

New menu! I was really excited for Suki as Rosa was my favourite restaurant and it did NOT disappoint. I'm going to have to go back asap. The Oysters are a must try- I usually prefer fresh Oysters with no accompaniment other than lemon, but I will be dreaming about these; a smooth coconut and lime sauce with little hits of lime and Chilli and lemongrass. An unbelievable flavour. The tuna tartare was amazing- I prefer the old tuna crudo but this is almost as good- savoury and decadent. My next favourite was the Kingfish Ceviche which had a similar flavour to the oysters but lighter and more vibrant. The green mango added a delicate sweetness and a beautiful balance. The crab on betel leaves was another favourite- (I clearly can't decide between all of these). It was savoury, crisp, fresh and moreish. The spinach dumplings were perfection.

We also tried the salt and pepper tofu and the Pad See Ew. I'm going to have to return just for the Oysters and Pad See Ew because my goodness they were delicious.

Poor Dylan had to listen to me raving about everything. He is such a great waiter and really adds to the lovely relaxed and friendly atmosphere that is so special about this place. He also recommended the lychee mocktail which was phenomenal. It's hard finding places that make good non-alcoholic drinks, but Phoebe makes the world's best mocktails with layers of flavour that make them truly special. I highly recommend Suki for the most delicious food and the best...