Bóveda — Restaurant in Wollongong City Council

We had an incredibly satisfying and enjoyable evening at Bóveda. The entire dining experience right from when we walked in to when we left was impressive. We were greeted promptly at the entrance with a smile by our waitress Isabella/Izzy when we entered and were ushered to our table. I couldn’t stop admiring the ambience, which started making us feel relaxed and welcome. The front desk had this grand elegantly looking melted candle. The interior was tastefully lit up with warm yellow lighting and the tables were spaced comfortably around the floor that created a cosy environment yet with ample privacy between tables. The chairs were comfortable and the serviette was made of a soft gentle cloth material. The bar was tastefully decorated with bottles of spirits and the entire place looked neat and tidy. It was clear that the establishment takes pride in their appearance, and it definitely added a special touch to the enjoyment of the evening. Upon being seated I advised Izzy that we had booked through FirstTable and she was kind enough to provide a recommendation on which meal option is popular with FirstTable diners. She pointed us to the 2 $69/pp and $89/pp Feed Me menus and said that would both be good value for money as essentially one guest would be dining free, plus it has a generous amount of food. We opted to go for the $69 FeedMe option, and also ordered the Margarita Tasting Flight. The Margarita Tasting Flight came out promptly, in a tray with pretty glasses of 4 flavours of margaritas: Classic Margarita, Watermelon Margarita, Passionfruit Margarita and Mango Margarita. The glass tips were generously coated with high quality salt. Each margarita was tasteful, with just the right quantity of tequila. The food was a culinary feast that showcased the restaurant’s art in curating the best of Mexican-inspired cuisine. Each dish was carefully constructed with a care, technique and flavour. The first entrée was a Black Bean dip with nacho chips and a wedge of lemon. Simple but satisfying. This was complemented by two Ceviche Tostadas. The fish was fresh and hearty. Shortly thereafter we were presented with the Corn Ribs coated in this creamy delicious sauce, and 2 x pulled pork tacos. The tacos were again hearty and full of flavour. We requested for a bit of a break before the next course came out, to which Izzy was more than happy to accommodate. A generous break later she returned to our table to ask if we were ready to resume our meal. The last 3 dishes were the superstars of the set menu. The Parilla Grilled Chicken was crispy yet moist, and was topped with a zesty fresh green chimichurri-like paste. The potatoes were freshly fried, complemented with a white dip, and the cucumbers were fresh, zesty and presented on a bed of white dip. Each dish awakened our taste buds in a completely different way and had bold flavours and presentation.

When we were done Izzy again came to check up on us to see if we wanted any more drinks etc. She invited us to the bar when we were ready (no rush) and she had already applied the FirstTable discount to our bill. Whilst paying I had a small chat with the gentleman who processed our bill. He introduced himself as Andrew and one of the owners. I conveyed my thanks to him for a lovely evening. He was very friendly and chilled out too. A special mention again to Isabella for the incredible service, which made our visit so comfortable and much more memorable.

In summary, a great place for either a romantic dinner for 2, or a night out...

Visitors to the area, the two of us booked an early (6.30) wintertime Saturday night dinner after being impressed with the online menu. The food was very good, being a sophisticated take on Mexican cuisine, if not particularly great value - exemplified by $12 each for three nicely-spiced plump, but certainly not jumbo, barbecued prawns. Nevertheless, there were some lovely flavours and attention to detail. I particularly liked the spicy, I assume house-made, corn chips which came with the nachos, itself an exotic and enjoyable take on beef tartare. Throughout the meal, staff were attentive, courteous and helpful, and a big plus. But outweighing all that is the fact that this would be the noisiest eating establishment of any sort I've ever experienced. When we first entered, we were met with a wall of sound, or more accurately noise. That should have been a warning to us, and I hope for the staff's sake that this isn't a consistent state of affairs. We were placed incongruously dead centre in the restaurant, like a cork dropped mid-ocean, between two very long tables of large and extremely loud groups on either side of the restaurant, competing to shout the loudest amongst themselves. The space is quite bare and reflective, so that exacerbated the problem. It desperately needs noise attenuation measures. One group eventually left, to our great relief, only to be almost immediately replaced by another, some of whom did their greeting embraces more or less in our faces as if we weren't there. Meanwhile, there was Disco Stu at the front of the restaurant, spinning electro-dance numbers just to add to the cacophony. Is it a restaurant or a night-club, especially at 6.30 in the evening? Or a function centre? Eventually, it became so overbearing that we decided to 'cut our losses' and leave before any thought of dessert. Perhaps we were unlucky to strike so many large groups on one night or perhaps Boveda needs to decide what sort of experience it's offering, because 'fine dining' shouldn't be a matter of endurance. Nor would I have thought that both simultaneously and serially serving several large groups of 10-20 people would be especially conducive to achieving that aim. Maybe the lesson is to avoid Saturday nights or at least ascertain whether there are going to be large groups present, in which case I'd advise you to eat somewhere, anywhere, else. All in all, it turned into quite an unpleasant experience for which the quality of the food couldn't compensate. In saying that, the owner did reduce our (not inconsiderable) bill to compensate for the poor experience, so that was...

(3.5 stars) Necking a long, cold Estrella Damm lager ($12) or a Tommy’s margarita ($22) after a morning of sun, salt, sand and sea at the nearby Austinmer beach feels like living the good life. Chuck in a couple of cheeky mezcal—Del Maguey Vida ($17) and Derrumbes Michoacan Ensamble ($21)—and it feels like a party. Raucous laughter from groups of ladies who brunch with bottomless margaritas ($99-$129/head) adds to the effect.

While there are set menus, we chose our own adventure starting with Shark Bay scallops ($31/3) served on the shell wth miso, pepper agrodolce (an Italian ‘sour-sweet’ sauce) and pickled kohlrabi. They were cooked nicely (just set) if a little sweet for my palate. Next up, stracciatella ($25) is a delicious bowl of creamy cheese topped with fresh cherry juice (cereza fresca), thin slivers of red papaya, and pearls of popped quinoa but confusingly, there was nothing to put it on anywhere on the menu. My heart for a tostada or corn chips inclusion (at the price). Beef crudo tostada ($27) is priced like it’s to share, but really, with fermented mushrooms, smoked crema and chunky-cut raw beef precariously balanced on a single tostada that easily shatters, it eats best as one per person. Its flavours suit the aformentioned Del Maguey Vida—basically your gateway to liking mezcal—vegetative and softly smoky with a hint of fire at the rear. In terms of tacos, chilorio pork tacos ($9/each) made on shredded pork shoulder with avocado, coriander and pickles felt generous and tasty, if chilli-light. I was bored before I got through the adobo chicken tacos ($9/each) for much the same reason: good quality ingredients but not enough going on.

Bóveda ain’t for those seeking a quiet meal. It’s a large echoey space, with a DJ booth at one end that speaks of louder things. However if you’re up for lively, the tacos here are good quality and the mezcal and tequila lists are considerable. My only niggle was the price: it feels expensive for what it is (they also add a 10% surcharge...