The Native Rose Hotel — Restaurant in Sydney

I booked a room for Sunday not realising it didn’t have aircon. It never occurred to me that there were still places that didn’t offer this basic amenity.||On booking.com other rooms indicated that it was shared bathroom. The one I chose through didn’t specifically say this so I made the assumption it was going to be en-suite.||As a third level genius client of booking.com, I was offered what was supposedly a 37% discount. Little did I know that the room wasn’t in fact worth the price I paid for it.||The temperature on Sunday, 4 Feb, was 39c. The room whose windows were directly on Victoria Rd was cooking at 42c. The fan didn’t help as there was hardly any difference between settings 1 and 3.||When the interior of the room reached 45c, I opened the window to let the breeze in which helped lower the heat.||I showered twice to ease my discomfort; went down to the pub twice to asked for a jug of iced water.||By 6pm, I realised I was going to have a medical emergency if I stayed, but having paid a non-refundable amount I stubbornly decided to see if the room will cool down enough to sleep in.||Sadly, the breeze stopped around 8pm, by 9pm I checked out because it was utterly unbearable. But, realistically, even if I could have cooled the room down slightly, sleeping with the windows up would have been a nightmare. Traffic on Victoria Rd goes all night.||Heatstroke was a very real possibility. Had I suffered it, I would only have myself to blame because I knew better.||I reached home from my long commute at 11:30pm, but grateful I made it home alive and I hadn’t turned into a pumpkin.||I hope the management is now aware of the danger posed by their room. The very least they could have done, or could do in the future, is to give their clients a chance to rebook another date in lieu when Sydney isn’t sweltering.||Please do not make the mistake I made. Read what you are booking carefully. Don’t be fooled like me.||The only saving grace about this place was the bartender named Alex. He was sympathetic. He’s the reason I’m not giving this accommodation zero (but that rating is not...

I booked a room for Sunday not realising it didn’t have aircon. It never occurred to me that there were still places that didn’t offer this basic amenity.||On booking.com other rooms indicated that it was shared bathroom. The one I chose through didn’t specifically say this so I made the assumption it was going to be en-suite.||As a third level genius client of booking.com, I was offered what was supposedly a 37% discount. Little did I know that the room wasn’t in fact worth the price I paid for it.||The temperature on Sunday, 4 Feb, was 39c. The room whose windows were directly on Victoria Rd was cooking at 42c. The fan didn’t help as there was hardly any difference between settings 1 and 3.||When the interior of the room reached 45c, I opened the window to let the breeze in which helped lower the heat.||I showered twice to ease my discomfort; went down to the pub twice to asked for a jug of iced water.||By 6pm, I realised I was going to have a medical emergency if I stayed, but having paid a non-refundable amount I stubbornly decided to see if the room will cool down enough to sleep in.||Sadly, the breeze stopped around 8pm, by 9pm I checked out because it was utterly unbearable. But, realistically, even if I could have cooled the room down slightly, sleeping with the windows up would have been a nightmare. Traffic on Victoria Rd goes all night.||Heatstroke was a very real possibility. Had I suffered it, I would only have myself to blame because I knew better.||I reached home from my long commute at 11:30pm, but grateful I made it home alive and I hadn’t turned into a pumpkin.||I hope the management is now aware of the danger posed by their room. The very least they could have done, or could do in the future, is to give their clients a chance to rebook another date in lieu when Sydney isn’t sweltering.||Please do not make the mistake I made. Read what you are booking carefully. Don’t be fooled like me.||The only saving grace about this place was the bartender named Alex. He was sympathetic. He’s the reason I’m not giving this accommodation zero (but that rating is not...

On a busy week day night we arrived at Ruby, highly anticipating a meal of pork ribs as recommended by a friend as being the best in the area. I know believe that anticipation can and so often does set you up with expectations that cant be meet. I did in fact trust my friends opinion, so on this cold winters evening myself and my eager dining companions bar had been preset very high.

First thing you notice when you arrive at the Ruby is a slightly offensive cheese like aroma in the front bar that must be thanks to old carpet and years of beer abuse. The front bar did seem very original, so we quickly bought a couple of drinks and went to secure a table in the restaurant.

The restaurant space is large and has a pretty glass atrium making it a great location for large groups. We were only a table of 2 and after a small wait we rushed to vacate a recently freed up table along the back wall.This place was rocking, with a live one man band serenading the seemingly happy patrons and a kids play area that had a few children enjoying the toys.

We ordered a plate of ribs each as this was our mission, and sat with hands on cutlery and big smiles on faces. The meals arrived quickly despite the busy pub, and we dove straight in. I should have looked before I leaped, as what I got was less than impressive.

The ribs were tasteless and lacked the necessary caramelisation that comes with grilled ribs. They had not been basted and cooked in the sauce, but the sauce rather poured over at the end. On closer inspection the ribs were definitely bought in, probably sous vide which meant that they were tender at least. Ruby hotel IMHO failed to add flavour and excitement by simply reheating and not creating a sauce worthy of a glorious plate of ribs and the label the best ribs in the area.

Sorry Ruby, its a big fail from me on the ribs. Such a shame for this rib...