Taren Point Bowling Club — Restaurant in Sydney

Rating on food & helpfulness of kitchen team.

I went to The Taren Point Bowling club for lunch yesterday. As a vegan, a bowlo/sports club obviously isn’t my go-to choice for food but I was there for work & there’s always a basic option like a burger or salad to choose from at these types of places & I’m happy with that 😊.

There were several vegetarian menu items but I couldn’t tell if there was egg/dairy in most of them by the descriptions so I asked the FOH team member to assist me (obviously with these being allergens you’d expect a chef to know). The FOH team member wasn’t sure but was keen to help & zipped out to the kitchen and was back within about 10 seconds (register is next to kitchen). I don’t think that’s an exaggeration. Now, I’m not going to say the BOH staff put NO time/effort/care in, but what I will say is zero support was provided by the BOH team - The FOH team member informed that I could not eat at the bowlo- there were zero options for me. I was refused service.

I was pretty taken back as obviously this isn’t right. Surely some of the vegetarian curries etc have no egg & cheese & surely chips, side salad & side veg are suitable (maybe I’m wrong, maybe this bowlo is doing something crazy different with their cooking of these types of basic/plain options but without help I can’t tell).

I explained that cross-contamination isn’t an issue & I told the FOH staff member that this response from the BOH team honestly isn’t really okay. This was bold of me & very uncomfortable to do but it would be worse to make a scene at my work function by not eating. Leaving wouldn’t be a socially viable option.

The FOH team member obviously understood and rushed back to the kitchen and again came back within about 10 seconds. The BOH team said I could have fried rice without egg. This option isn’t one of the veg menu items (so obviously isn’t vegan), it has 2 types of meat in it, so I declined it. At this stage I accepted they probably just didn’t want to help me. Maybe I’m wrong, maybe they’ve been briefed not to help with dietary requests.

It looked like I was causing a scene by now but I persisted to ask for help and requested the avo salad without cheese (punting that the dressing would be suitable but not being able to 100% tell without help).

The FOH team member was kind, obviously wanted help (but wasn’t provided the support to do so) and was apologetic despite none of this being his fault or problem. My problem here also isn’t the lack of options to support various diets. I don’t expect that especially at a sports club in Taren Point. My problem here is the lack of help and skills by the BOH team for a foundational request, which comes across as a lack of care or training. The inability (& perhaps disinterest) to suggest basic solutions makes customers be relentless, which is an uncomfortable feeling. In 11 years of being veg I’ve actually never had that. Usually chefs are enthusiastic to tell you what you can eat & helpful in explaining which veg options are suitable & yes, sometimes you just get a basic chips & garden salad but that’s okay too!

I wonder how often this happens with various dietary questions here & people just leave because they can’t get support & don’t want to speak out because it is embarrassing and bold to do so after being told that they are not able to eat anything on the menu.

In the future I hope that support is provided to BOH team to then be able to support FOH team to be able to help customers with food ingredient enquiries.

As for the actual quality of the avocado salad, it’s uninventive & plain as expected when I ordered it based on the description so I’m not too focussed or worried about this part of the review. It’s a bag of 4 leaf mix with a few pieces of chunky tomato, onion, avo & I chose the Italian dressing (I’m guessing it was something like praise Italian dressing) + it usually comes topped with cheese. I ate the veg on the top and left the plain greens (I do LOVE veg, just prepped a bit more creatively). Would be cool to have some fun...

Today I had lunch at the Taren Point Bowling Club Bistro, and unfortunately, I walked away with a bad taste — not just from the food, but from the attitude and conduct of the kitchen’s Landlady.

This review isn’t written out of spite, but out of genuine disappointment and disgust for the food we received and the shocking behaviour of someone in charge.

My 11-year-old daughter ordered the grilled chicken and avocado burger ($15.50 for members). When she picked it up, the burger fell apart. I tried to help rebuild it and was immediately concerned by the chicken — thin, over-seared slices of breast, completely dried out and almost impossible to cut through. “Cremated” would be the best description. One bite in and my daughter couldn’t chew it. She gave up.

I politely returned the burger to the kitchen. A young man offered to replace it. I asked him to ensure the chicken wasn’t overcooked. He replied that the chicken is pre-cooked before service and they can’t guarantee tenderness. Pre-cooked chicken breast for a burger? Really?

Eventually, he returned to the table and said my daughter could choose something else. She had a hard time deciding, and I suggested using a schnitzel instead — just half — on a burger bun to ensure it was cooked fresh and not dry. He refused, saying that was “too difficult” for them to do. Unreal.

My daughter settled for a kids cheeseburger ($9.00). By this point, my meal was cold. My elderly mother, trying to help, went to place the order and was met with resistance from the Landlady, who refused to refund the difference. She accepted it without argument and returned to her watery King Prawn Omelette, which has apparently been reviewed poorly by others too.

Afterward, I calmly asked the young man about the refund difference. That’s when the Landlady stormed over. She barked at me, saying it was my fault, her food is always good, and nobody else complains. She was aggressive, dismissive, and frankly belligerent. I’m a qualified chef myself — I know the difference between a bad cook-up and a bad attitude, and this was both.

She eventually refunded $6.00 instead of the full $6.50. I didn’t argue — I could see she needed to “win” something in the end. That 50 cents must have been worth more to her than keeping a family of three as returning customers.

To be fair, not all the food looked bad — some plates nearby looked and smelled great. But it only takes one burnt dish and one rude response to sour the whole experience. And this Landlady’s tongue is sharper than her knives. It’s a shame, because this bistro has potential — but I won’t be returning while it’s run like this.

Taren Point Bowling Club Bistro? More like...

Food was ok, quite nice. 500g T Bone, $30 for members, $32 for non members. Ordered the steak medium rare, it was probably slightly cooked more than I would have liked, a little closer to medium but certainly still delicious and evenly cooked. The steak was slightly less than I would have expected for 500g but I'm probably imagining a huge 500g when the T Bone portion takes around 80g+

Chips were plentiful and the salad came in smallish dish but had a generous amount of dressing and was virtually overflowing the salad dish, no complaints on the salad amount

Temperature of the steak was ok, not overly hot which meant that it was rested for a while, as it should be. Mushroom sauce was a generous amount, I used it in my steak (partially) and on my chips. The amount of mushroom in the sauce was plentiful, certainly no skimping

For $32 it was a good meal. I still consider $32 for a steak expensive but to be fair, it was a T Bone, with chips and salad and a sauce, you'd pay maybe $35 at other places for a rump steak, not a T Bone, so I can't complain

I had the same thing last time I was there and it was disappointing and I nearly didn't order the same thing but on this occasion they have redeemed themselves to the point when the next time I go I will most likely order the same thing

Other dinners with me ordered other means. Roast of the day for $15, which was so much the person only just managed to eat it all (they are not a big eater anyhow). Caesar salad which comes with strips of meat and crunchy bread slices, quite filling (this person normally orders a steak but the last 2 visits has ordered the Caesar salad).

Someone ordered a pizza and couldn't eat it all, they too don't eat a lot but the pizza was really filled with meat, excellent value and cooked great. It arrived after all the other meals by about 10 mins, that aspect could have been a bit better as they were left waiting while the rest of us ate

Well be back. The staff are friendly, especially the bar staff, they add a lot to...