Cafe Sydney, Customs House, Circular Quay

Guest reviewer - Jane

Cafe Sydney, Customs House, Circular Quay
Wednesday 14 December, 2005

I sit next to Steph at work and love to hear of her foodie experiences on a daily (and sometimes on a multiple-times-daily) basis!

Given the festive season and the multitude of opportunities to indulge, here is another review of my fine dining experience last night at one of my faves – Café Sydney. With a view to die for, dark furniture and dim lighting, the ambience hits the mark. Oh, and I’ve never been disappointed by the food or service either!

My friends and I arrived a little late for our 6:30pm booking to be told that they “needed our table back by 8:15pm”. This didn’t make us feel particularly warm and fuzzy and we started the evening on a slightly unhappy note. It did, I’m pleased to say, improve as the evening went on.

The menu is divine and there was much deliberation by us all before we finally settled on our choices. For entrée I chose warm salad of grilled squid with lime aioli, fennel, frizze, pomegranate and citrus dressing. Yes, it was as good as it sounds!

For main I selected the oven roasted snapper with steamed asparagus, lemon, watercress and sauce gribiche. The meal initially arrived sans watercress and sauce and was swiftly swept away by a waiter who had noticed the error. Moments later the meal returned and it was truly delicious. My only gripe was that it was almost swimming in olive oil and I found myself positioning the snapper on the higher ground of the plate rim to avoid the oil.

I’d definitely recommend Café Sydney to anyone looking for a special occasion restaurant, or those looking for somewhere to take (and impress) out-of-towners.

Cafe Sydney - Customs House, L5/31 Alfred Street, Circular Quay - (02) 92518683

http://www.cafesydney.com/