There's a lot of style over substance in the restaurant. It's an American Ranch style smoke house. Like most restaurants that start up in the central coast its minimalistic in design and menu.
The atmosphere has a sense of tension, the feeling you get when you want a restaurant to surprise you with good food, drinks and price, unfortunately SOW doesn't do any of them very well.
The menu in the US can be found at most road side truck stops, nothing new here only that it's slightly misplaced in Umina. Not that it shouldn't be there it's just that because of the prices of the food and drink I can't seem to believe they'll have a loyal customer base. Well not all year round.
I'm surprised given the location and the cost of rents in the area they couldn't be more generous with either the servings or the prices. In fact the restaurant is far more suited to Surry Hills, and charges the same prices.
There's only one healthy option on the menu an ode to vegetarians, but without any enthusiasm and priced as the most expensive, it would seem they were trying to avoid the subject.
Being so close to the coast and a fishing wharf I'm surprised there is no fish on the menu smoked or not.
The drinks menu is interesting and leans towards the craft beers and cocktails. The wine list is appalling and unnecessarily slim. A glass of average wine at $11.00 it's cheaper to drink in Surry Hills.
Overall it's a bar that wants to be a restaurant that wants to be a bar but probably can't because of licensing.
I'd definitely go back for a drink and bar snack if they reviewed their pricing. In fact it's close to being the go to place, if they could get it right and find their appropriate audience for the location.
The service was good, attentive and appropriate. read more