First stop after landing in Sydney. This was only 5 min from the place we were staying and our…read morelocal friend recommended it. Amazing service- not a lot of brunch options but overall it was good food. The only other minor thing is we ordered hot totties and they tasted a bit subpar - in their defence though, they didn't really know what that was. If you are in Bondi, this restaurant is worth checking out.

Great atmosphere and friendly staff. Plates vary as small shared and large shared plates. Cocktails…read moreare delicious, so good luck choosing one. We got the daily pizza which had bbq sauce, chicken, brisket and onions. Usually I wouldn't love bbq on a pizza but I was blown away. Great place to check out if you love beautiful decor, small plates and great cocktails right off the beach.

Delightful spot on Manly beach. It's very pretty inside, with ceiling to floor windows showcasing a…read morespectacular view of the ocean. I highly recommend their affogato!

It's been a while, &, thankfully, it's long since closed, for (now, well-advanced) renovation…read more Cynical, arrogant, condescending, disinterested, lacklustre service, at best, complemented by inferior food, mitigated only by a worldclass view. Ironically stuffy, given the uncapitalised-upon fresh air on tap at the beachfront. Grubby. Tired. The Pantry is dead. Long live whatever takes its place.

Situated halfway between (south) Manly and Shelly Beach the Bower Restaurant is a nice modern…read morerestaurant/cafe that serves amazing coffee and great food. We sampled their Banana Pancakes and Corn pikelets. The Banana Pancakes came with maple syrup, fresh pieces of banana, strawberries, blueberries and best of all crispy bacon. If you haven't had crispy bacon with some maple syrup you haven't lived. The corn pikelets came with smoked salmon, Cherry tomatoes and red onion. A very tasty savoury dish. The stand out however was their coffee. I can't really explain how much I liked it; from the first blissful slip to the sad final drop. I ordered a second one immediately. After finishing that one I thought about asking for a takeaway to accompany my walk back to Manly - but that seemed too excessive even for me. If you are in Manly the walk to Shelly beach is great and stopping in at The Bower is worth the time. Remember; must have a coffee.

Between Manly Beach and Shelly Beach is Fairy Bower - Sydney's answer to the Mediterranean. Famed…read morefor its marine park, Fairy Bower (or 'The Bower' as locals call it) is paradise on a sunny day. Fairy Bower is also home to the Bower Restaurant. The restaurant is beach chic - you'll want to slip into your swimming cozzie after your fine dining experience. The cuisine is 'Modern Australian' with a focus on seafood for the lunch menu. If you want a taste of the Bower Restaurant but the ocean is calling your name then pop around the side to the newly opened kiosk. Order yourself a take away 'battered fish, chips, salad and aioli' ($15). If you perch yourself close by a waiter will bring it over, complete with napkin and silver cutlery. This is experience is one of the best in Sydney and a must try.

Beautiful restaurant, interesting & stunningly presented food. Great location, watch out for…read morespiders. Be warned though, NO HIGHCHAIRS & only 2 menu options for kids. Not a child oriented restaurant. Understandable for the location. Best menu item was Asparagus first course.

There was a special at Cottage Point Inn right before a friend from the States was coming to visit…read moreso I snatched up the opportunity to show her the beautiful Hawkesbury River FOOD Our deal involved a main, dessert and glass of wine. On arrival we were served a complimentary pumpkin soup served in the cutest little cup. This was followed by the salmon with squid ink pasta main and ended with the largest souffle I've ever seen. I'm not the biggest fan of cooked salmon but I thought this one was done rather well. Whilst the first few bites of the souffle were enjoyable by the time I hit the middle it was a bit of a sugar overdose and I wasn't able to finish it off. http://www.yelp.com.au/biz_photos/XZyS0e-K6TT7IySh1Wid-Q?select=Y4dedCHGvQNQj6CHJ0fVlg http://www.yelp.com.au/biz_photos/XZyS0e-K6TT7IySh1Wid-Q?select=fzN749_pd5KukxMp1rKe_Q http://www.yelp.com.au/biz_photos/XZyS0e-K6TT7IySh1Wid-Q?select=ZdB96RhOwH77r6tjXJbm1g SERVICE The place was very busy for a Thursday lunch but the waitstaff all seem very experienced at handling a full restaurant. VERDICT The food was decent but the biggest draw card about this place is definitely the view as you are sitting right alongside the Hawkesbury River. There's not much at Cottage Point and so it's a very quaint and peaceful area perfect for sitting back with a glass of wine, enjoying the scenery and relaxing. There is also minimal mobile phone reception so you definitely feel like you've escaped from Sydney even though it's less than an hour away from the CBD.

I came across Mama's Buoi by chance when I was doing some last minute research looking for…read moreVietnamese restaurants for our recent trip to Sydney. After reading countless blog reviews, I was determined to try Mama's Buoi out! I must say it was quite a mission finding the restaurant, it is located on Devonshire Street in Surry Hills, so we assumed it would not be a long walk, but it actually took over an hour to get there from the CBD! But it was totally worth it - so happy to have found this gem! Mama's Buoi serves Vietnamese home-style dishes ranging from Vietnamese grills, hot pots, soups, summer rolls and salads. They also serve beers, cocktails and a range of T2 teas (the lemon and ginger flavour is soothing and delicious). From the menu, we ordered the Goi cuon rice paper rolls with prawn and pork ($8 for two rolls, cut in half), the Lemongrass pork/pork spring rolls vermicelli noodle salad bowl ($14), the Coconut tamarind curry ($14) and the BBQ chicken slaw (also $14). The rice paper rolls were yummy, but the nuoc mam dipping sauce on the side was the highlight! My sister had the coconut tamarind curry and she said it was very spicy, but had a wonderful flavour. The lemongrass pork vermicelli was almost perfect, but lacking sauce (ended up putting the rice paper rolls sauce on top!). Finally, the BBQ chicken slaw - succulent chicken with a fresh and and delicious slaw, accompanied by the most amazing rice crisps! All the dishes were fantastic and we all agreed that this was due to the fact that all the spices and herbs were perfectly balanced and everything tasted so fresh! As for the layout and décor, well it is very cool and modern. Loved the stand out giant mural at the back of the restaurant saying "Con co thuong me khong?" translating to "Do you love Mama?". The fit out is wonderfully bright, the menus are pretty and best of all, the kitchen is open, so you can watch the chefs do their thing (the smells are heavenly!). Overall, dining at Mama's Buoi was a great experience - friendly staff, fresh and delicious food and nice atmosphere... now just gotta start planning my next trip over!

A higher end vietnamese restaurant. We came here on a saturday night at around 5.30pm and it was…read moreempty (probably the calm before the storm). We tried fried spring roll, chicken curry and duck curry. Food was definitely overpriced (especially for the spring rolls! $9 for two spring rolls?!), but it was good. It's not memorable but it's decent. I will definitely order the duck curry again. Overall a great place to have a great meal with your family and friends but dont expect authentic Vietnamese food!

Very nice lunch in the bar side seating. Outstanding appetizer and entree, first raw tuna with…read moredicon and red radish, green apple tossed with a light red wine vinaigrette and fresh herbs - nice portion for two if you share well :). Entree was the fish of the day - John Dory - perfect preparation with crisp skin and moist fillet with herb chimichurri.

Chiswick's 'Summer Collective Menu' was the perfect lunch…read more Mains: Whole Roasted Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas, Kipfler Potatoes and Tarragon & Moran Family Lamb Shoulder topped with Chermoula and served with Eggplant and Pomegranate was the perfect lunch. Dessert: Chocolate hazelnut mousse with raspberries and marble chocolate & Lemon and basil sorbet with blueberries and shards of meringue. Chiswick restaurant grounds was a perfect backdrop for a summer wedding. The rustic, elegant charm was a continual theme in the dining room and food. This was the first wedding I went to where I absolutely loved the food, it was rustic, country kitchen chic, bountiful and delicious. Matt Moran has definitely lived up to his world renowned culinary excellence here at Chiswick.

I went there tonight food great and prices fair we had a great time service exceptional i can…read morehighly recommend this place

Went here today as they had a $10 lunch special. I ordered the Pad Thai not the best I've had but…read moreok. Nice ambience, friendly staff, only annoying thing was minimum $20 on eftpos so had to go and get money out! Would come back and try something else next time.

My aunt took me here and told me this place is really popular. I agreed to it for family…read moreobligations sake. It's located in the center of a really cute garden so the view is nice when things are in full bloom. We were able to get a table right away and sat in the corner of the cafe. CHAI This drink was disappointing. It was way too sweet for my liking. I didn't taste much chai because the sugar was overpowering. The consistency was smooth, but flavor needs more work. STRAWBERRY MILKSHAKE This milkshake was way too sweet and not the fruity strawberry sweetness, but sugar sweetness. I had one taste and I just left it for my cousin to finish. I didn't like it at all. MUSHROOMS ON TOASTED SOURDOUGH- poached eggs and house made hollandaise sauce My aunt ordered this for me and told me it was very popular. Honestly, this dish was a disappointment. I liked the flavor of the earthy mushroom and the meaty texture of it, but with the eggs, and the hollandaise sauce, everything was pretty bland. I needed more flavor and I wasn't getting it. The sourdough was crisp and added some texture to the dish, but other than that this dish was a let down and very lackluster. HARVEST BIG BREAKFAST- bacon, baked tomato, roasted mushrooms, beef sausages, roast potatoes, wilted baby spinach, and eggs This dish was a bit better than the first. I liked the different textures on this dish and the roast potatoes really complemented the meats on the dish. The egg was poached so it made things creamy and runny when you cut into it. The sausage was meaty and flavorful and the mushroom was earthy, which complemented the acidic tomato. The bacon was a let down because I like my bacon fatty and this was not the case, it was more of a chewy texture than a crispy one. Sorry-not-sorry, but american bacon is the best there is. Overall, everything was at the most okay, but most was not to my liking. There needs to be more spice and flavor to these dishes. I left hungry and very disappointed.

Amid the flora at the Bonnyrigg Garden Centre, you can find Cafe Harvest. This spot is a regular…read morespot for me on weekends. My top breakfast/brunch picks would be; 1) Cafe Harvest French Toast: stacks of thick, fluffy Brioche French Toast, soaked in Syrup and topped with fresh creamy Ricotta Cheese, Mixed Berry Compote and sprinkled with Toasted Almond Flakes 2) Pesto Sourdough with Field Mushrooms & Goats Cheese. Cafe Harvest offers a good variety and food & drinks are pretty good. However, the good news stops there. What negates Cafe Harvest away from being an exceptional cafe is the customer service and wait time. On one we waited close to 1.5 hours in line for a table of two, even though from visually spanning the cafe there were at least 5 empty tables/spots. We were told by staff they were for bookings, however while waiting the 1.5hrs the tables were still unoccupied. We needed to prompt staff several times until at last we were seated on the same table we sighted empty for more than 1 hour. Staff need to be better trained to understand logistics of seating customers, clearing tables and just providing Great Customer Service! Smile more, be more accommodating and the customers will return! Food/drinks 4/5 Location/Ambiance 3.5/5 Service 2.5/5