The Ascot — Restaurant in Sydney

When we checked in at Rydges we were asked if we wanted to book a table at the Ascot, they assured us that we would need to book so we thought it must be good. we arrived on time and it was about 95% empty. One star for atmosphere. The menus offers a small choice of ordering a two course or three course option. We went for the two course at $65. I went for the fremantle octopus, salmon roe, avocado, chives & tarragon, which arrived about one or two minutes later. It was a pre-prepared chopped, cold dish from the fridge. If I bought it from a service station fridge for $5.00 it would have been fine, but at these prices. The main, wagyu beef scotch fillet MB3+ 250gm, hand cut fat chips, dried tomato, black garlic, beef jus, was just ok. The tomato was definitely dried and the steak was quite tasty, no different to my local pub.

I just felt a bit ripped off. The bill was $200 for two, with 2 beers and a glass of wine. I’m just cranky because we gone to the pub on the ground floor, saved at least $100 and not had that...

I arrived at the Rydges Airport Hotel restaurant at 6 p.m. without a booking and was told they were fully booked. Apparently the only seat available was a table right next to the kitchen, which gave me an intriguing glimpse into the kitchen's workings. The food looked appealing, but unfortunately, the taste didn’t quite live up to the presentation.

When the waitress came to collect the uneaten portion of my meal, she shared how much pressure the staff were under, adding a layer of empathy to my experience. I had mentioned to them at 6pm when I arrived that I wouldn’t be staying long, at 7.10pm, the restaurant was still mostly empty. While the staff were courteous, the overall dining experience left much to be desired. And to add to the experience I was charged $10 for two glasses of tap water. Very disappointed it’s while since I’ve written...

Our bread rolls were barely cooked, were very doughy & cold. We advised the lovely waitress, and she replaced it with an even colder one. We ordered the lamb to share, last time we ate this it was delicious fall apart lamb. Tonight's lamb was very over-cooked, vegetables were cold and had a curry flavour. The potatoes were definitely NOT duck fat potatoes, they were awful. The sticky date pudding dessert was stone cold in the middle & tasted like chai??? The food has most definitely gone down hill. Staff are nice, but don't respond with any substance. They advertise 20% membership discount for food & drinks all through the hotel, but discount does not apply to the menu at The Ascot. Such a tourist trap now, so disappointing. Don't waste your money here - $130 share menu for 2 & it was definitely...