nel. restaurant

i tried the once upon a time degustationexperienceat nel at it was incredible! i am a huge disney lover so i really appreciated the thought and creativity put into each dish to reflect that theme. my favourite course was probably the fish with caviar or the duck! the dessert at the end was also so beautifully presented. i can’t wait to come back again to try out their next themed degustation!

recently visited to try their once upon a time, disney theme degustation menu. the wholeexperiencewas great! although i wouldn't say the food was mindblowingly good, i did really enjoy a couple of the items such as the under the sea bubble. theexperiencewas amplified by the disney tunes playing in the background, adding that nostalgic element to the night. absolutely fantastic!

so nel definitely is a fine dine affair without any stress and pressure on the diners. every dish is in essence simple and straight forward without having to really have a deep palette to enjoy.

we enjoyed what was the “australian” themed menu and while it wasn’t exactly upmarket food, you can easily appreciate the effort in every dish. so if you looking into anexperienceand less of a meal - we have to recommend you nel, i mean we’ll be going back for their “disney” menu.

just know your paying a lot for the “craft” or “cookery”, and as long as you know that ahead of time; you won’t be disappointed.

made a reservation almost two months ago and went there on wednesday evening. had a great time there
the service was good and food was fun and delicious
for starters we had some finger foods like popcorn.
the bread with walnuts was good and i’d love to eat it every morning for breakfast.
the ham balls in the beautiful glass were tasty.
i don’t like raw fish so no comment on that.
fish pie came with soup in a separate bowl. i ate the fish pie along as well as mixed it with the soup. the soup was salty so it was good with fish pie. but the fish pie itself was delicious enough.
i normally don’t eat goat but goat eating hay was great. it was crispy and juicy. the source was good.
the two desserts peter rabbit’s garden and shells on the sand were excellent! i really love them. as dessert they weren’t too sweet. it was refreshing.
in the end we had a little treat- ice cream on a small cone. the staff made it for us on the table. we had 3 choices of toppings to choose from. it was fun.
overall it was a great fine diningexperiencefor us. the only problem is that the portion of food is so small but it’s a tasting menu anyway. it’s more about experiencing rather than going home with a full stomach.

to be honest i was not quiet sure what to expect of nel. i can truly say that this is my first fine diningexperiencein a sydney restaurant.  imagine a cosy little place at basement level with soft lighting and a perfect view of the kitchen.

the service here was mostly excellent except  for what i thought was a few downsides. there was only one menu provided for a party of 5 so i had to ask for more but we only got one more. our server did not always sufficiently explain the dishes which could have made theexperienceso much better.

our party of 5 often gazed in awe in the direction of the kitchen at how organised everything was and how meticulous the chefs prepared every meal. nel served an 8 course menu: land + sea.
1st course: corn fields, river rocks in the wild, pine forest + tree nuts(braaied kangaroo. well it tasted liked braaied meat and it was delicious. this was also my first time at eating kangaroo)
2nd course: pea soup ( the best i have ever had)
3rd course: seared local fish
4th course: fish pie
5th course: goat eating hay
6th course: peter rabbit's garden
7th course: shells on the beach
8th course:99er at the beach

overall these guys sure know what the are doing and with a menu like above and food so flavourful, fresh and well presented it was definitely worth the experience.
 

after a recommendation from friends who went a few years ago we were very excited to visit the restaurant. we both love fine food and nel was apparently one of the place to go. also, their instagram was beautifully presented (great marketing bty). i am sorry to say that the entireexperiencewas a huge disappointment. when we arrived we found a compact and noisy room with a very unpleasant smell. the staff was friendly (except the manager) but very young, clumsy and inexperienced (including in the open kitchen). where was the chef? for the food, we found no flavours, the dishes were so unbelievably unbalanced that we started to laugh with my husband, thinking it was a joke. everything is cooked in advance and then assembled on the night. same saucers, presentation plates are reused from one table to the next (yes that plate with these tired onions skins and the lumpy saucepan for the trout rillette (that has bty nothing to do with a rillette. not even sure it was trout given the colour and taste 😳)...i couldn't eat the first dish with the smoke in it (tasted like ashes) and what was supposed to be a crab cream with no crab in it but a piece of frisee lettuce and peanuts (...). i think the breaking point was when a piece of grilled cabbage arrived and we were given a nothing but a spoon to eat it and the waitress came with her half empty bottle of warm bitter beer to pour a few drops in my glass of wine (!). after the appetisers and that second dish we decided that it was just enough and a big waste of time and money for us and decided to leave. we went to talk to the manager who wanted to charge us for the entire dinner (2 menus at $118 and $90 for the matching wines). we refused to pay the full bill. he said that then we would be charged directly on our credit card $280 as their terms and conditions states that if you cancel less than 24h before, you will be charged $140pp. we finally managed to pay 'only' for 2 full menus. looking at the positives, at least we had a good laugh but would recommend you go to yellow, bentley's or pilu restaurant instead were you'll find a true magical experience. @nelrestaurant something must have gone wrong somewhere, and i feel sorry that we came at that point of your story.

nel is a great fine diningexperiencefor all occasions. the atmosphere was very relaxed and warm. the service was exceptional, every dish served came with a story and the waitresses did a great job of expressing the meaning behind each dish. flavours were on point and the dishes looked beautiful. the whole course was very filling and the best dish was hands down the banoffee pie!! unfortunately the lighting was very dim so my photos didn't turn out so great.. none the less, everything was great and i would come here again. 😁

greatexperienceof trying something different. every dish well presented , staff gives you a description, history about every course. degustation menu only. with additions like cheese platter or truffles available occasionally. food tasted great, service is friendly.

when i first arrived at nel., the atmosphere felt very sophisticated, dark and romantic. the whole restaurant had dimmed lights so taking photos of the food wasn't the easiest and turning on flash would just ruin the atmosphere. i had the christmas degustation menu which is basically the same as their usual menu but just a tad more expensive. food came out relatively fast so i was happy about that. i love the creativity that goes into the dishes at nel. and mixing different textures and flavours is something they are really good at.

my favourite dish was the spanner crab with the tomato water. holy moly. this was beyond words. basically they give you the spanner crab and a test tube with tomato water which you pour on top. genius. the tomato water was so refreshing and it was also slightly cool so you get all sorts of things going on in your mouth, making it confused but ecstatic at the same time. an unforgettable tasteexperiencethat you'll be telling your grandkids about.  

the saffron pasta was my least favourite as it had a strange sour taste to the dish which i don't really know if it came from the ricotta or the saffron. 

both desserts were fantastic and once again consisted of different textures like crunchy, soft, chewy, cold and everything you can imagine. at the end, we were given little christmas goodie bags that had mini treats inside which i thought was very cute and sweet because they hand pack it in front of you.

overall nel. was an incredible diningexperienceand i am definitely returning. it's a must try!

the rustic interior features bricks and timbers, creating a relaxed atmosphere. the restaurant's focus on presentation was consistent throughout our 6 course lunch, which was also impressive in terms of taste. our favourites - the snapper and the mutton. i'm not a huge fan of red meat but the delicious pearl barley was a perfect accompaniment to the mutton - red meat rarely tasted so good! the overallexperiencewas very enjoyable, however slightly larger gaps between the tables would have been more ideal for private conversations or intimate meals.

dined here last week and what a lovelyexperienceit was. food was really good and the wine match was perfecr for every course. i highly recommend nel and although i wasn't wowed by any one course, it was a greatexperienceand i will go back soon.

loved this place - very interesting menu and low key venue without a pompous vibe, we felt at ease and the staff were excellent at explaining the many delicious dishes brought to us. i would recommend this to anyone looking for a fine diningexperiencebut not  to spend an outrageous amount.

finally got my act together to come here. in an obscure location in the basement, its a world away from the rush & madness of the outside world. stripped back walls, industrial lighting makes this fine diner a really cool & relaxed place. its small & cosy with warm friendly service. the food is exceptional - an amazing value for 8 course degustation with the option of matching wines. each course is meticulously prepared & plated, each with its own story. the presentation are fun & creative but that doesnt mean the flavours aren't there. an amuse bouche of goats curd has a crispy pastry enclosing a soft explosion, chased down by a clear tomato consomme topped with vibrant basil oil in a test tube. the popcorn chicken is served with classics like asparagus, creamy veloute & chives with the option of adding freshly shaved truffles. the veloute is phenomenal. desserts are fun & refreshing. even the cocktails are delicious & pretty. an amazingexperience& highly recommended.

nel was adventurous, risk-taking and really didn't know what was coming next during the degustation. the payoff however that night didn't totally work. the dishes showed more technique than flavour combination. the kingfish tandoori was the highlight. that said, theexperienceis well worth the try and there's no doubt nel has alot to offer with their ever changing menu.

amazing adventure. loved the decor and being able to see the kitchen in operation. nelly and his staff are friendly and really on their game. the food was delicious, challenging and interesting with unique combinations bringing surprise after surprise. wish we were locals so we could come back every month andexperiencewhat is new and exciting.