Vatel Restaurant — Restaurant in Sydney

Dinner last night was a disappointment. The standard of food and service has dropped significantly since we last dined at Vatel. Our party chose to spend our Saturday evening meal at this venue on my recommendation and after travelling a fair distance my expectations were dissatisfied. Our biggest issue is with the head waiter and some aspects of the food. The head waiter lacks warmth and professionalism. We entered the restaurant as the only patrons at the time yet he approached our table in a manner very much like a demand to take our order while we were getting settled and discussing the menu. We were predominantly service by a younger, nice and attentive waiter throughout our meal yet when it was time for payment the head waiter appeared, stood at our table and waited while we gathered up our notes. When the bill folder was handed to him, he proceeded to open it at our table and count the money. I was surprised to receive this 'service' from a 'fine-dining' establishment. To top it off, he miscounted the amount thinking we had left a $20 tip (we had actually left a $10 tip) and it was at this point that he became warm, smiled and finally showed concern for our meal and experience by asking whether we enjoyed it and to have a lovely evening. I had an awful taste in my mouth by that time; I believe it to be bile. The food was a bit of a mixed affair. While some things were well executed, other dishes failed to impress. The scallop ravioli was delicate and divine but my tasteless beef tenderloin was at the same time overdone and in other sections bleeding. The burgundy snails were nicely presented but the crabmeat in the blue-swimmer spaghettini lacked sweetness and tasted almost canned as it was dry and watery. The tart for dessert was delicious but the crepe was burnt and some parts almost black. There are many other restaurants in Sydney that offer delicious French cuisine at a more...

After dining there last night and now reading the absolutely appalling response my colleague received I believe it would be more than appropriate to provide some further points since apparently the extremely condescending service that we received in store carries across to how they take on feedback. From the moment we walked in we were served with extreme reluctance as if by choosing to dine there and provide this clearly small business with our business was an inconvenience. As previously stated we were all ID’d multiple times I can understand that this is a precaution the business must take especially since some of us including myself are quite young (19) however the two individuals that had approximately 3 drinks over the course of 1-2 hours are in their mid to late 20’s (27 & 29) on top of this my other colleague (21) would not be served another single drink after having 1 over the course of 1-2 hours. The way they spoke to us was extremely condescending we were not ‘young people looking for a night out’ as they so rudely stated in their response to my colleague we were having a work dinner which was made clear over the phone when making our reservation they also had no issue critiquing our food choices as a few of us had similar orders which the old woman was clearly unimpressed to hear. I would not recommend wasting your time or money here you will be miserable due to these ageist...

I have limited experiences in French Restaurants (this is my roughy my 6th) so what better way to review this place with a French person to Vatel!

Duck liver parfait, there is no place where this doesn't taste good and this is the same here. The bread is sweet but shouldnt be so crunchy

Burgundy snails,the way they cooked it was perfect,the texture is just right but there wasn't enough garlic in it as there is hardly any flavour from the snails themselves

My friend blue swimmer crab,he told me it's just average,nothing special but he liked our other mains

Hot pot calamari,for me it was ok but to the other 3 people they were really impressed. The calamari was not rubbery and I did like the tomato based stock/sauce

Duck "a l'orange" was the best main of the night. The potato gratin was a excellent compliment to the taste of the duck,it enhanced it to flavour explosions in my mouth! So so good!

Dessert wise we had the Vatels crepe suzette . Another must try dish,all the ingredients meshed into one sweet mouthful of joy!

Service was friendly and attentive

The Ambience is that of a modern high class restaurant

Prices are what you would expect from any French restaurant,on the pricer side

My French friend felt it was authentic

They have tues-Friday specials,will definitely be back for this

A great...