chiswick is a gorgeous contemporary restaurant in woollahra. the bewitching greenhouse is arguably the most elegant andbeautifulrestaurant in sydney with a dreamy open kitchen fitted with jars of preserved fruits and vegetables and a expansive garden of herbs, leaves and beets.
while the green and serene environment attracts the well-groomed professionals for a fine form of dining, food and service is absolutely underwhelming.
service - i have been to numerous fine dining establishments but have never been disrespected and heard any racially charged comments. first, i found it extremely difficult to get the attention of any service crew for 30 minutes, who promised to attend to my needs but did not appear. second, plates were slammed on table. i did not think much on the first two occasions but i saw a smirk and disgruntled expression on the third occasion. third, i was exploring theirbeautifulgardens while when i overheard one service crew in the hallway murmuring to another “the chink is taking photographs” “dirty freaking chinks are like that.” obviously, i am the only asian and taking photographs of their gorgeous restaurant. (i’m not a chinese though). last, the manager (i presumed), who addressed my billing, ignored me completely and walked away unprovoked.
food - the prelude to the food experience is already damaging. food is atrocious at best. the roasted pumpkin salad with seasonal mushrooms were detached and dissociated. in other words, the mushrooms, pumpkin and leaves were mere inconvenient marriages and there was nothing to coalesce them together.
my main, a roasted pork neck, was overcooked until it was burnt (look at photographs). the pork was a bitter and dry chunk on its side and the interior was hard and monotonous.
whether you agree or disagree with my critical reviews, i believe we can all agree that any establishment with this atrocious service should be avoided.
as the proverb goes, don’t judge a book by its cover.