the butler

the butler is so well known for its rooftopbarand its cheesy corn, we knew it wouldn’t be a complete girls nice without it. so ordered the soft shell tacos and ceviche to go along with it and was not disappointed.

the kick from the chilli sweet amazing and the charred corn was so great at cutting through the flavours.

the butler is a great place to come with a group of but i can’t imagine what it’d be like with a huge group as it gets quite loud and takes a bit of tine before the food comes out.

we came here for a group function for a birthday celebration and yes, this place was impressive!! from its buzzy atmosphere with cool cocktails in the upstairsbarwaiting area to the great setting inside the restaurant with leafy fans and great ambience to the amazing city views from their outdoor terrace area.
the food was exquisite in looks and taste, packing a punch in every bite. cocktails and food is more on the pricey side but this is what you get in a sydney hot spot but the quality does not disappoint!
a very busy restaurant/bar with nice service, just make sure you book a table well ahead of time!

the butler is a restaurant andbarin potts point that is famous for their beautiful decor, view of the sydney skyline and share plates of food. it is the perfect place to celebrate a friends birthday so we came here to do just that. to start off, we ordered the kingfish crudo with jalapeno and cucumber. i love sashimi and this was a great ceviche, the kingfish was well marinated and the jalapeno gave it a great kick.

entering this restaurant andbarthrough an unassuming entrance off victoria street, you don’t expect to find what follows. flowing from the upstairsbarto the inside restaurant to the outside patio is a calming, tropical oasis. the butler is taking its design cues from the french carribean, with stencilled walls, plantation chairs and envious plant game.

the beautiful, summery space makes you feel like you should be drinking pimms. and, while pimms is absent from the drinks menu, you don’t notice because there’s a throng of other summery cocktails, all sporting names like ‘when life gives you lemons’ and ‘ladies who lunch’. on a side note, espresso martini lovers will go weak at the knees because the coffee cocktail is offered three different ways: vodka, rum and cognac – your choice.

the lunch and dinner menu is modern australian, and designed to be shared. but who wants to share ruby tuna tartare and slow-cooked free range pork belly? get your stinking mits off my belly of pork!

and, did i mention, there’s full-frontal views of the city skyline that will leave you enamoured? yep, this place is a gold logie.

the gorgeous skyline of the domain and the cbd projecting towards the broad covered verandah was certainly one of the highlights when i dined at the butler two weeks ago. located on victoria street in potts point, the beautiful restaurant andbarfeatures a dimly-lit but energetic interior with rows of greenery intertwining with soft rattan-like seats.

food, however, was pretty ordinary and forgettable. i ordered a buttermilk fried chicken slider with ranch slaw, pickled jalapeño and salsa macha. the fried chicken was juicy but soggy. probably the chicken was soaked in oil for a disproportionate duration or prepared in the previous batch.

next, the slow cooked pork and chipotle empanada with parmesan and and fermented apple puree was ok but lacked fragrance and taste. it looked good though.

finally, the slow cooked free ranch pork belly, prepared with pumpkin and yoghurt mousse, black garlic, pumpkin caponata and pepitas, was disappointing. the fatty section of the pork belly was stuck stubbornly on my teeth and the skin was hard and bitter.

overall, the service was acceptable but they got really busy on a weeknight and took a while to attend to you. the butler is worth going for its gorgeous views but the food and cocktails were underwhelming.

hidden behind a basic shopfront in victoria street, potts point, is an amazing gem of a restaurant.

decor - you walk through a narrow hallway that has abaron the right, and you come out on a mezzanine overlooking the restaurant. there's a large indoor section and then their amazing terrace - covered in winter and very warm. it would be amazing in summer with views over the city. it reminds me of a cuban restaurant in new york, very tropical.

food - the food matched the decor well, lots of spanish/modern australian dishes that are designed for sharing. we had the spicy black bean hommus with sourdough (amazing), the cod croquettes (filled with cheese and very strong, but delicious), the quesa fundido (slightly strange - a dish of chopped chirizo sitting in melted cheese with sliced-up tortillas, so you had to build them yourself; still nice), and my husband had the pork belly (he was so full from everything else he didn't finish it, but said it was beautiful). we finished with the chocolate flan (very rich but amazing)

drinks - i had two of the most delicious cocktails ever! not very strong though, which annoys me when i pay $20 per drink. the port and starboard cocktail is a really nice mix of op rum, fortified wine and fruit

price - bring your bills, it's on the pricey side. all the above was $145..the $20 cocktails didn't help!

service - very attentive and knowledgeable, as you would expect when you pay a lot of money

overall - definitely coming back in the summer!

we came in for some drinks here on a saturday night. walking in you find yourself in a very cozy cottage likebarwith a fire place on one side. the service here was good, and i loved the warmth of the place overall.

greatbartucked away in potts point. saw thisbarmentioned in a must dobarin sydney review and was not disappointed. first off thebaritself is well decked out and has an amazing view of the city. we got there for sunset and it was amazing. the service was friendly and efficient, no complaints there. we just had some snacks and drinks and everything was great. we shared the polenta, croquettes, oysters and rosemary and garlic flatbread. the oysters were so creamy and the flatbread was sooo good, nothing like i have ever had before. to finish off our sunday session i had the air france cocktail, so impressed. it was smooth and really delightful, highly recommend.

for some, valentine's day was a day to celebrate love with their partners, for others it was a day to bask or bemoan of their singledom, for me it was a day to enjoy a lazy sunday session with some girlfriends.

the butler has been on my hitlist for some time, mostly for its airy garden decor. in searching for an appropriate galentine's lunch spot, the butler stood out as a girly upmarketbarand restaurant, which would be perfect for knocking back some drinks and food.

although the butler was hosting a valentine's day menu, it only came into effect for dinner and so lunchtime was still thankfully an a la carte affair. we didn't book and instead just showed up, which led to a seating at thebarrather than on the greeny balcony but as a tradeoff, we got to watch the bartenders do their thing.

we started off with drinks. the cocktail list is a decent length with drinks sure to please most crowds, from sweet and fruity to sour and strong. in line with its botany theme, there are a lot of fresh fruity cocktails and i opted for the hello vera, which had a nice kick of alcohol parred back with a girly sweetness that made it easier to drink.

the food menu is french-inspired and in contemporary dining style, is designed to share. we were mainly ordering for vee and myself since ah had already eaten prior to coming. straight up, there was not a single thing that we ordered that was bad. each dish that arrived was better than the last.

the ocean trout was subtle and tender, gaining some flavour from the tasty butter that it was served with. sometimes greens can appear more as an after-thought rather than a carefully-considered complement but that was not the case in this instance. in this case, the warm shredded salad paired well with the ocean trout, both matched in their delicate flavour and texture.

the lamb rump was an absolute winner in both of our eyes. the lamb was beautifully cooked, medium and just tender enough that it fell apart with our knives. i could have eaten more of the lamb alone. it was very juicy and flavoursome, exactly the way meat should be. again, the accompaniments went well with the main element, with the wheat providing some carbs to help fill us up and the pomegranate seeds giving it a slightly sweet taste. i can only sing praises for this dish.

even the sides were good! admittedly, the salad was never going to be bad if the starring vegie was sweet potato. this was quite a simple salad but it was moreish, and the same goes for the shoestring french fries. they weren't evenly crispy and crunchy but the mayo made up for this and we polished them off with a lick of our salty fingers.

overall, lunch wasn't a cheap meal but i certainly have no regrets about it. my only complaint is that the service was extremely slow, even when the restaurant wasn't that packed. we waited a long time for our dishes and it was hard trying to gain the attention of a waiter to ask for the bill, even though there were a group of them milling around at the time. i would recommend going to the butler if you are looking for a tasty meal in an upmarket restaurant with relaxing oasis vibe but expect some slow service and adjust your standards/time accordingly.

this place is really busy! we've been told that we need to wait at least 1hr as we couldn't book earlier (fully booked when we called)! but luckily if you don't mind to sit at thebaryou get to eat in 15mins! we ordered 5 dishes to share for 3 people, and that's more than enough! we loved everything we ordered! they are a bit slow serving food but the food is definitely worth waiting!

i'm a fan. great food, excellent service. not pretentious at all. we had the croquettes, seared tuna and pork ribs and they were all a delight. all the floor staff,barstaff and maitre d were so friendly and accommodating. highly recommended :)

we had a relatively good experience here last night. busy, so we had a good catch up at thebarand waited for our table. it took the time we expected.
yet everything about the nights service was disappointing. the wait at thebarto order a drink, the way the woman taking reservations was condescending to me when checking on our table. the waiter was introduced to us when we sat down but basically ignored us all night. i had to check on the wine and food we ordered twice.
saying all this, i found the food well conceived with interesting flavours.
overall the experience was better than average. but the staff could try and be a bit more professional for the standard of the restaurant.
i would go back and give it another go one day though.

great ambiance, nice range of drinks (the cocktailbaris amazing, and the bartenders really have what i call flair, very experienced and charismatic). its veranda makes it a really great place, especially if you want to strike an impression on someone. service is very attentive, mannered and staff move around like they know what they're doing. food also exquisite.

wow amazing views from this beautifulbarand restaurant. came for drinks only but i've heard food is amazing, the cocktails, service and atmosphere is great. i want to come back for a trendy brunch.

omg amazing. everything about this place i love. i love the location - i love the views - i love the atmosphere - i love thebar- i love the food. this is the perfect spot to hang out with some girlfriends and drink a couple of cocktails and enjoy the fresh air flowing through the doors. the food is great and the customer service is attentive. i highly recommend the salted cod croquettes and the steak frites.