chiswick

dined at chiswick in woollahra today with my family. we were a group of 7, which included 2 children aged 5 and 7. the waitress who greeted us on arrival did so with a lovely smile. however, the gentleman who she instructed to show us to our table unfortunately did not show us the same hospitality, not even a hint of a smile. another young lady who waited on our table for the duration of our afternoon basically did what was required, and that was to take our orders, bring out our food and bring us the bill. the meal itself was demolished and enjoyed by all, including the 2 children. but there seriously was a lack of warmth in service we received firstly by the disgruntled gentleman and young waitress. it was obvious the restaurant was bustling with diners so it may be that the staff were run off their feet but surely for such a reputable restaurant this cannot be an excuse. this left me wondering if the presence of the children in our party had soured the behaviour of the staff? 
this is not the first time i have dined at chiswick. the previous time i was with a party of 12 ladies during a busy christmas period and we were treated well by staff who actually bothered to communicate with our group on top of accomplishing their tasks effortlessly.

what a nice location. our food here exceeded our expectations, great selection of food with beautiful produce. we came on a busy night and they service was still great. drinks list also had a good selection of wine and cocktails. definitely great value for money and would come back in a heartbeat!

chiswick is a gorgeous restaurant surrounded by a beautiful garden and located in the heart of wollahra. it was definitely on my list of must visit, so i got very excited when my good friend jordan (sloans salon north sydney) decided to host his birthday celebration at chiswick.

we all had set menus for $80 pp, i recon it’s pretty good for the amount and variety of absolutely delicious food we have received for the price. the food is fantastic and simple. check out all the photos on my blog 
thenarcissistblog.com/2016/04/06/chiswick-910-rating/

good for a ladies lunch. well,i have eaten here three or four times and whilst i love the gardens and general ambience of the restaurant i think the food is a tad overrated. the large share plates work for groups of four or more but leave the menu a bit sparse when there is only a couple dining. the ridiculously loud noise problem has been ameliorated and one can now hear oneself speak. whilst the produce served is good quality the choice of dishes and their execution lack imagination. ok for a boozy ladies lunch but not a serious dining alternative.

one of my favourite restaurant in sydney! great place to take visitors and would recommend for bigger group of 4 people above and order a lot to share!!!

delectable. every visit to chiswick is better than the last. the lamb, the scallops, the cocktails - it's all delicious!

disappointed. noisy, crowded and cramped. no intimate conversations when the couple next to you may as we'll be at the same table. we had prawn popcorn which was really deep fried prawns in batter. no great flavour. then we had the shared lamb served with a few lousy bit of carrots and pumpkin and a drizzle of yoghurt. there was no recommendation that we should order something else to accompany it. the lamb was definitely slow cooked but so dry we had to drink lots of water to wash it down. not good value for $75. we skipped dessert rather than be further disappointed. it was our 27th wedding anniversary so not a good celebration.

to the next place! you must know that i eat my way much faster than i can write...on this occasion i have found myself in the company of the eastern suburbs poshies at chiswick in woollahra. the old pruniers restaurant site had sat deserted for some years before matt moran waved his magic wand over the place. with a nifty looking overhaul and a kitchen garden out the back, what's not to like? manicured lawns and a country townhouse revival has made chiswick a welcome 'addition' on ocean street source:  gq it was a hump day (wednesday) night that we dined here and the place was rather full as well. must be alright then! what's lovely about this place is the vibe. chiswick is a sun drenched restaurant, with all those floor to ceiling windows. channelling the hamptons and country chic, chiswick is like a little oasis that everyone happens to know about. set back from the street, for a moment you can enjoy yourself without traffic as accompaniment. this suburban eatery is just screaming su

great evening. had a great dinner at chiswick last night. lovely way to celebrate a birthday in a warm environment with a great vibe. staff were fabulous and the food was excellent and beautifully presented. tuna sashimi was lovely, mushroom risotto a dream and salmon beautifully prepared. couldn't resist the hand cut chips- it was my birthday!! when maggie beer is sitting behind you, you know you've chosen a great restaurant. glad we went as i had heard mixed reports. will definitely return!

the famous wood roasted moran family lam, chick peas, mint, i am not usually a fan of lamb but have heard wonderful things about it and we had to order it! it was huge serving, enough to feed a 3 hungry men, instead of 3 hungry women! the lamb was incredibly tender that it just fell apart. it didn’t have that lamb-y taste which both m and i dislike. surprisingly, we both enjoyed it and had more than a couple of mouthfuls!

a lovely lunch for a wannabe "woollahra lovely lady who lunches". not being a master chef watcher (or carer for that matter) nor being a "celebrity chef" groupie, i had no expectation except for what you would hope for given the prices, the location and the offerings from other moran establishments. in fact, since i stay around the corner from chiswick i watched eagerly as they renovated for many months, vowing to visit regardless of who or what opened there. all that said, we had a wonderful lunch. it was a wednesday, and the place was packed with "woollahra lovely ladies who lunch" (wllwl). the setting is delightful and second to none. the kitchen garden is a sight to behold.

we started with the chicken liver parfait with date puree and grilled bread which was delicious, the bread was somewhat burnt, so that distracted from the enjoyment. we couldn't go past the lamb shoulder for two. slightly disappointed that veg did not come with it, rather a handful of chickpeas, although the lamb itself was exquisite, tender melt-in-your-mouth, and whilst the menu suggests it for two, three with hearty appetites would be replete on this dish. the hand chips were tasty in an overdone way, but the black garlic aioli was so amazing they could have been wood chips for all i cared. we had "food envy" from diners either side of us too, the wllwl do love a low carb meal after all but would never order a hunk of meat like that! the service was a bit "young" and hesitant but enthusiastic none the less.

one thing i noticed, there was a comment on the menu stating there was an abundance of particular vegies from the garden but didn't really translate to the menu ie one dish per vegetable but none as sides. a lovely side of roast beetroots or peas would have made my day with the lamb, but as it was the beetroot only came in a salad and i didn't even see peas (as opposed to snow peas in the orecchiette) feature in the menu at all.

since it is such close proximity i will be back, and next time with a few more people to try some of the shared platters which looked wonderful on other tables.

amazing!!. we absolutely loved chiswick!! went there tuesday night for a work celebration dinner with 5 people and had such a fun night! the food was gorgeous and soooo tasty, we started with scallops, crab sliders, prawn popcorn, grilled cuttlefish and chicken liver pate (literally the best dish on the menu!), all the dishes were perfect for sharing and my tastebuds were very very pleased! then we moved onto the slow roasted lamb, parmesan gnocchi and a side veg and salad... was scrumptious and perfectly cooked! the boys literally wanted to lick the plate! desserts were just as good, but there wasn't too much room left so we couldn't finish :p overall it is a very trendy, lively restaurant, great for sharing good wholesome food with good company! definitely will be going back! thanks chiswick!

had lunch at easter, restaurant very busy but the service staff super effective in taking care of everyone, the food was outstanding as always, the shoulder of lamb was so tasty and well cooked and to die for.

chiswick; a reality check. being greeted with "oh, you have a table till 8" rather than "you have a booking for 6" is not the best start. prior warnings of your impending ejection is not welcoming and does not go down well when it takes 25 minutes to order an initial drink.

intrigued by the crispy chicken small plate, i made this my first course. the dish was aesthetically underwhelming consisting of, what looked like, four pieces of kfc with a side of nando's mayonnaise. perhaps i had expectations of slices of succulent breast meat in a mysterious crispy shell, who knows, but i did not expect two wings, a drumstick and a thigh fillet encased in beige batter. i tucked in, hoping i would be enlightened by an amazing amalgamation of unique flavours. i wasn't. it embodied the taste and texture of fast-food, plain and simple, yet with a not so simple price tag. let me note here the pretentious feeling of negotiating kfc style chicken with a knife and fork in a fine dining restaurant. this is not what i got dressed up for. the main of lamb shoulder appeared far more visually pleasing but that was as far as it went. beyond the 'surprise' factor of having a large mass of meat delivered to the table, the dish was empty. food, for which good money is paid, should compel you to question how it was done and appreciate your own inability create the dish. the truth is, though, i had a good idea of how this was cooked and could i re-create the dish myself? dare i say. the dish was none other than tender, slow cooked lamb meat from oven to plate with no additional (detectable) flavours. to be frank, the experience of chomping through so much plain meat became tedious. even the chickpeas tucked beside the shoulder were a disappointment strangely, because they tasted like chickpeas with no, or little, masking of their blandness. i thought perhaps the side of chips would provide a welcome break, and they did, but i am keen to know why the accompanying dip had an unusual stoney-like complexion, yet no flavour. thoroughly unimpressed by the experience, i failed to see where the 'added value’ or creativity existed in any of the food to warrant the price. it all seemed rather lazy. it is regrettable that my parting thoughts were of wasted money rather than satisfaction. i have no doubt that chiswick will continue to do well, nonetheless, as i do not believe that the type of people who frequent the venue do so for the food.

4 stars. what an enjoyable dinner we had at chiswick earlier this week. over the three hour duration in which we dined, floor staff were more than attentive and responsive to our requests. all dishes were devoured with pleasure. the renowned lamb was cooked to perfection, falling off the bone, although a little salt would not have hurt! stunning decor, and the bombe alaska lived up to it's expectation... was a shame to destroy it's beautiful presentation!

can't wait to visit again!