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 therestaurantwas bustling with diners so it may be that the staff were run off their feet but surely for such a reputablerestaurantthis 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.

chiswick is a gorgeousrestaurantsurrounded 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 therestauranti 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 favouriterestaurantin sydney! great place to take visitors and would recommend for bigger group of 4 people above and order a lot to share!!!

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 pruniersrestaurantsite 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

had lunch at easter,restaurantvery 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.

ah-mazing!!!! came here for my birthday dinner. myself and my best mate are regulars at the sisterrestaurantaria - so we had high expectations!!! the service is excellent! waitstaff friendly, attentive and in some cases attractive!! i recommend the veal sliders, the chips with black garlic aioli (amazing!!!) and of course the moran family lamb!! the most superb lamb i've ever eaten. it falls off the bone and melts in your mouth :-) therestauranthas a lovely relaxed atmosphere and beautiful setting :-) will be back! aria is still my favourite though!!

really, really underwhelming. $15 to shave some truffle over my mushroom dish and the truffle was utterly tasteless and devoid of any aroma. i wonder how fresh it was. my partners barra in a bag was simply that. just fish wrapped in paper. no greens, nothing. it’s certainly not cheap thisrestaurantbut i feel that they are stingy with the portions. i would struggle to recommend it after our experience.

subscribing to matt moran's "garden to plate" philosophy, chiswick woolahra supplies a seasonal menu with ingredients fresh from the garden right outside therestaurantwindow. it offers casual dining experience in a contemporary, natural light-filled dining room and is perfect for a special celebration, lunch with family, or a quick dine and drink. book a reservation and come down at chiswick.

chiswick’s ‘summer collective menu’ was the perfect lunch.

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.

chiswickrestaurantgrounds 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

the building looks traditional english tea room style located on a fair land of garden. has its own back garden growing some of its own veggie. heard therestauranthas its own farm for lamb which is on the main. it's very delicious. desert is not bad too. about $80 per head will do if you don't drink too much. good value for money.

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i visited thisrestaurantwith my wife for our wedding anniversary after family friends have been hassling us to dine here.

i called them and thanked them for hassling us as thisrestaurantwas absolutely spot on.

the atmosphere was great, the food was delicious and the service was good.

we know of matt moran but had never tasted his cooking and now we know why he is one of - if not the favorite aussie chefs in australia.

our entree was ricotta dumplings and this was a explosion in the pallet. it was full of flavour. absolutely delicious.

we also ordered a steak for main cooked medium rare and this was actually cooked medium rare + a slamon which was again cooked spot on perfect.

all the meals we had were delicious and full flavor, can't wait to go back again soon.

now for the cons:

1- some of the seating were very close to each other to the point were no one was comfortable to talk as the diners next to them would be able to listen. my wife and i were fortunate enough to be able to speak a second language so we can have a private conversation however therestaurantwould need to review it's seating arrangements. it is better to lose a few tables for in turn a comfortable and relaxing dining experience that would make diners come back again and again.

2- the only reason i didn't give thisrestauranta 5 star was because of the menu that contained a little printout inside that was supporting a 'event' that occurred in australia. i think thisrestaurantshould stay out of politics and concentrate on continuing delivery great food. remember - diners come from different backgrounds and believes and it is not great to advertise something that may insult them.

3- because some of the tables were bunched up, waiters and waitresses found it hard to collect plates and even see who was waiting to be served. after giving us our dessert menu, we waited approx 10 to 15 min to have our order taken. though i must admit, it was worth the wait...

aside from the above minor cons, it was a great afternoon lunch. thank you and i look forward to dining here again.

dined here for the first time for a special occasion. the renowned lamb shoulder here was a bit of a let down. without a doubt it was falling off the bone, and the herb/mint rub was also a good complement. however, as a piece of meat i felt it needed like a sauce/more than a dry rub to bring it together. some other standouts were also the duck entree and the chargrilled eggplant which had a lovely smokey flavour. we ordered a few drinks which were nice as well.  note we did find a bug in our seasonal greens but i guess it's fresh from their garden so it can happen :p the exterior and interior of thisrestaurantis really elegant and definitely adds to the experience. some dishes were average tasting, but you can see the care put into them. service was also friendly. overall, quite enjoyable, clean yet tasty dishes, but might not be rushing to come back :p

chiswick is a gorgeous contemporaryrestaurantin woollahra. the bewitching greenhouse is arguably the most elegant and beautifulrestaurantin 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 their beautiful gardens 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.

i had been wanting to frequent chiswick for some time now having heard that it was co-owed by celebrity chef, matt moran. just a few months prior, i had frequented aria brisbane (another one of matt moran’s venues). there, the menu was delicate, contemporary and gastronomical. chiswick had a reputation for being meaty, wholesome and raw, yet everyone was heading to chiswick, so i was intrigued as to what thisrestaurantwas all about.