eightysix

i came to eightysix for two reasons, one being the steak tartare (yes i ate it two days in a row) and the other being the popcorn sundae both totally epic!

too hard- try hards. went to 86 with a group of friends .met owner on entrance , he was, rude arrogant & just too cool to provide service .
arrogance seemed to be the theme of the night>> lack of formal menu >>staff trying to hard to be trendy without providing normal service .we spent a considerable amount of money for a very poor memory of 86

what an excellent night! orgasmic food, fantastic service. we were a little concerned about some negative reviews we had read, but we had a fabulous night as a few baby boomers out for a great night's food. absolutely recommend 86 as a fabulous place to eat, although i could have done with a dance floor at the end of the night (not sure how many others could have coped with my 70s style interpretive dance mode though!!!) really well priced- thought it would be a lot more expensive than what we paid. as a melbournian coming to canberra where it's extraordinarily difficult to find anywhere open on a sunday night, this is a little gem that i will definitely visit again and again.

lots of beauty and a little beast. booked in for my birthday dinner with a two close friends. i had heard many mixed reviews but was keen to give eightysix a try.
the night started off on the wrong foot as we were running 10mins late but we called to let them. as i thought, when we arrived they had given away our table and were directed to wait at the bar.
we were offered some free drinks for waiting and chatted for an hour before finally directed to a window bar seat, obviously not the table i had reserved.
now to the food. menu is written up on blackboards and dishes crossed off when they run out. we order two small plates, two large plates and two deserts. the perfect amount for three hungry people.
goats cheese le snak- nice take on the childhood favourite.
bream ceviche- amazing, fresh and just the right amount of spice
trout tortellini- fresh, balanced and perfectly cooked pasta
beetroot risotto- the true showstopper
caramel popcorn sundae- lives up to it's many dazzling reviews
banoffee pie- rich, creamy and quirky
the food here is the big winner. the service is overly charming and a bit cocky at times. the wine list is well put together, try the greek white.

first off, heard so much about this place 50/50 bad and good. mix feedback from friends regarding the service ppl are receiving... from casual and friendly to extremely offensive and intruding into personal space. went for lunch on father's day(full if oldies) and the service was good, didn't really experience the notorious waiters intrusion this time, they were approachable and very friendly which i like. love the ever changing menu change often on the blackboard wall(no set menu). good drink selection. got the gnocchi w pull pork in ragu sauce, ghetto beef and the pork belly was all good. the negative is that it took forever... but worth the wait(wasn't overly busy). the atmosphere is not casual so it's not a place to chill or unwind- tad pretentious. must come back for dinner.

too touchy-feely!. cannot stand the staff touching the patrons --arms,shoulders and back! sadly left feeling peckish which after following the advice on ordering provided by the waitstaff, was not a good sign. won't be back.

i booked in for dinner at eightysix during its opening weekend. so excited to try out the newest restaurant in braddon! eightysix  there are no menus. instead, the dishes of the night are written in chalk on the blackboards across the length of the restaurant. once a dish is exhausted, it is 'eightysixed' and crossed off the blackboard. it was a little awkward looking at what there was to eat with other diners sitting underneath, but our waitress recommended we take a photo of each of the blackboards and sit down to decide. my thoughts exactly. i chose the smoked trout and confit duck tortellini.  i was a bit disappointed that the serving was so small (5 pieces of tortellini for about $28). however, the tortellini was superb. the trout tasted fresh and the tortellini cooked al dente. it was a beautifully tasting dish. just wish there was more of it! my partner ordered the pork crackling and the charcoal chicken which came out on a wooden board. the crackling tasted more like popcorn wi

pretentious and intrusive. extremely disappointed. the head chef explained that the limited menu choice was all about stock rotation (yeah sure!). despite a large number of kitchen staff, the head chef only managed to get our two (entree sized) main courses to us 10 minutes apart. since despite flamboyant descriptions, these both were effectively just warm duck or steak salads, i.e., little preparation required so there's no excuse (the flavours were good). the waiting and kitchen staff were continually intrusive. we left hungry and got desserts elsewhere.

expensive wine list - local wines were over-priced, e.g., the lark hill range that retail for $30 were in the $60-70 price range.

a chef with an eye for quality. you can not go another month without trying eighty six. ive eaten here a couple of times now and have had some outstanding dishes. i had specifically come for the intensely memorable brussel sprout dish which i had when last in but was coerced into trying the out of control salmon which was cooked to absolute perfection and garnished with a flavoursome array of vegetables . the service has always been outstanding, attentive, fun and accomodating. i only wish that i was not working so that i could try some of their wines on offer. i will definitely be back as the chef clearly can do no wrong in terms of flavour, texture and quality..


-----19 jul, 2013-----

def worth a visit. i stumbled across this place, i had to grab a quick bite before heading back to sydney. as soon as i walked in the fellas were very accommodating, brought my delicious brussel sprouts and ceviche asap, they were also fun, playful and made the experience fabulous. i will definitely be back to try much more of the delicious meals listed on the blackboard...do yourself a favour and check it out

rude rude owner and staff. will never go there again

the dish of the night, certainly goes to the black chicken with buttermilk slaw ($36). the chicken is cooked via sous-vide (vacuum sealed in a bag and then gently cooked in a water bath) so it retains all of its delicious juices and then charred under the grill. it is utterly succulent. i could slurp down those strips of blackened skin anytime. in fact, as i write this, my heart is beating a little faster just remembering how damn good it was. the slaw is not your average slaw, having been given new life with the added punch of capers. yes. capers.

went there for the first time with a few friends, having heard quite a bit of the hype. despite the mixed reviews, i actually found the food really good and enjoyed myself immensely. yes, it's pretty exxy (particularly the wine list) but the food was delicious, fresh, and easy to talk over. our waitstaff were great too, attentive but not too pushy. i'd go back for a date night without hesitation.

hmmmm..... food was very yummy though very expensive wouldn't go back but will recommend to others to try

personal fav. while i think it's defiantly overpriced, this is one of those rare times for me where i can take quality over quantity.

wait staff are vibrant and helpful, watching the chefs cook over the bar where we ate was exciting and everyone there seemed to be enjoying themselves from what i could see.

it's one of those seemingly new age restaurants that are opening up all over the place with menus written on the day, young wait staff with hipster clothing and it's just something different.

i must stress that the food quality is immense here. chefs served us seeing as we were at the bar and they were really friendly which was great. the waiter we had gave us opinions on what to order and all the dishes were superb.

even if your hesitant, just give it a go. it's something different.

read your customers better. we only went in for a drink to check this place out. the waitstaff are attentive... perhaps too attentive. some people like the entertainment and guidance they give while others would like to be left alone to be entertained by their friends instead. i think this could be a great place for dinner if they just turned it down a notch.