the tilbury

had dinner with friends at thetilburyrestaurant. the food was good,but the service was dreadful. management should try choosing staff on their ability instead of their looks.

had a great experience at thetilburyhotel and would definitely recommend it to all. the venue has recently gone through a makeover, complete with a sleek and contemporary interior. the outdoor seating makes thetilburya great spot for a lunch in the sun! 

i tried a sample of starters, with the hiramasa kingfish carpaccio standing out from the rest. for the main i had the pork belly slow cooked in hay, smoked pear, sauerkraut, mashed potato, nasturtium - a great combination of flavours with the pork belly cooked very well. finished the meal off with a variety of cheese and desserts. was not a fan of the goat's cheese, but the pumpkin panna cotta and chocolate & cardamom pudding with rose water cream were delightful. 

the staff were very attentive and a pleasure to deal with. overall would definitely recommend and will be back!

thetilburyx zomato meet up started off on an extreme high with the entrée platter consisting of tuna tataki, smoked mackerel, ox tartar, and wild boar terrine. the tuna tataki was so delicious and i really couldn’t get enough. coupled with the wakame, what’s not to love especially when this seaweed brings with it so many health benefits! as much as i didn’t want to, i really enjoyed the ox tartar, it was highly addictive and my fork went back again and again. i stopped at one with the mackerel but the accompanying vegetables were great – really fresh and flavourful.

onto the main, i had the trout with broccolini, almond, broccoli puree, red & white quinoa. plated beautifully, i found the broccolini and puree very tasty but the fish itself was slightly overcooked and salty at times. almonds were a great addition and with the quinoa further brought this dish into the healthy but tasty category.

i was back up way way high again after trying the sides especially the truffle chips, because they were insane! really good so needless to say i was a little devastated when i got back from the bathroom and they were gone! swiftly taken away for the desserts to come, or demolished by everyone else because they were that good. either way, i need them back in my life! we also tried the eggplant, potatoes, and carrots roasted in cumin caramel, and all did their job perfectly. great sides to have with your main, leaving you extremely satisfied and full.

that’s not to say there’s no room for dessert, because let’s face it there’s always room for dessert. i don’t have much of a sweet tooth but the brain’s in charge and even mine opens up the dessert stomach the majority of the time. we were once again served up a gorgeous platter – this time with 4 different desserts.

on a scale of 1 to 10 i’d say my adventurous level when it comes to food is about 4. meaning i’m not all that into trying strange things. nothing on this platter was completely farfetched, but there were definitely some interesting combinations. at the sound of coriander ice cream i was pretty excited which is a little out of character but a good start nonetheless. this was to go with the carrot & walnut cake which sounded great. we also had the tilbury’s gin & tonic jelly (also sounded interesting), a chocolate brownie with malted barley cream and vanilla pod ice cream, and a pineapple upsidedown cake with pineapple & fennel sorbet.

little did i know i was in for a rollercoaster ride. initially the coriander ice cream was like a kick to the face, i had no idea what hit me and i did not like it one bit. however, strangely enough i kept going back to it, each time still not enjoying it but continuing to do so. and you know what? i got used to it and with the carrot cake it became acceptable. i suppose it just takes some time to adjust and also depends on personal preference (although i do love coriander). if you’re up for something a little different, give it a go – you might love it! and also because the carrot cake is scrumptious. the chocolate brownie is a much safer option and the cream and ice cream complemented it well. now to the other highly anticipated treat – the gin & tonic jelly. it’s very pretty with the flowers and fruit, but the jelly was far too strong for me and i suppose the citrus fruits didn’t really help either. for those who love strong, punchy, refreshing desserts, you’ll surely love this. and finally the pineapple cake which is another safe option, and you won’t be disappointed as the sorbet is great together and quite refreshing also.

such a fun night with the food journey and i thoroughly enjoyed trying new and different things. there were some real keepers and also some i’d require a little more courage for, but overall a lot of yummy food with quite the variety so you’re bound to find something you love!

it's been a while between visits to thetilburyand boy, has she had a makeover. the downstairs dining room is a contemporary, welcoming space, overlooking the outdoor courtyard, and offering comfortable seating and a lovely ambience.

our dining party of seven was treated to a tasting plate of entrees, our choice of main course, and a dessert platter.

our waitress for the evening was professional, polite and attentive; and demonstrated good product knowledge, explaining each of the items and answering questions as each of the shared platters was served. we were also never without beverages or water for the table.

the meal commenced with a chunk of delightfully flavoursome, chewy sourdough from iggy's, served with olive oil and balsamic.

on the shared entree platter we had the following;
wild boar terrine, confit rhubarb, basil, sourdough
blue mackerel fillet, smoked mackerel, horseradish pate, pickled beetroot
ox tartare in coal oil, kohlrabi, egg yolk jam, charcoal cracker
tuna tataki, ponzu dressing, sesame, wakame

the boar was slightly gamey but had a delicious flavour to it. the tuna tataki was a crowd favourite, with its delicious sesame crust and kick of ponzu paired beautifully with the seaweed. the ox was okay but not to everyone's taste. the mackerel was done well, and the tiny globes of pickled beetroot added big pops of flavour.

all the main courses sounded amazing making it difficult to choose. between the seven of us, there were six different meals selected, increasing the risk of food envy but giving the restaurant the opportunity to showcase a range of dishes.

the general consensus was that the meat dishes definitely trumped the fish dishes as a few of them were overcooked. we had the cowra lamb cutlets, white bean stew, heirloom tomatoes, capsicum and the venison ragout, papardelle, cepe mushroom, parmesan, parsley. the lamb was beautifully cooked, pink and tender. the accompanying white bean stew was rich and flavoursome and would have been completely satisfying as a stand-alone meal, it was that good. the venison ragout was not too gamey at all and had a rich meatiness that paired well with the fresh pasta and mushrooms.

the sides we received were;

crispy eggplant, yuzu, & coriander dressing
butter kipflers, rosemary salt
carrots roasted in cumin caramel
hand cut chips, truffle, parmesan

these were tasty and went down well especially the carrots which had a delicious sweetness. the kipflers were just regular potatoes so wish they advised of substitution.

the evening ended on a sweet note with dessert including;
carrot & walnut cake, coriander ice cream, carrot & vanilla purée
chocolate brownie, malted barley cream, vanilla pod ice cream
pineapple upsidedown cake, pineapple & fennel sorbet
tilbury's gin & tonic jelly, citrus fruits & mint

of all the courses, dessert was possibly the most polarising, as would be expected when you are presented with something as intriguing as coriander ice cream. people either love or hate this strong flavoured herb, and here it is transformed into a zingy and refreshing sorbet, a unique and unexpected accompaniment to the carrot cake. the brownie was dense and decadent and is one for the chocolate lovers. the accompanying vanilla ice cream was reminiscent of street's blue ribbon ice cream, which isn't a bad thing. like the coriander sorbet, the gin and tonic jelly garnered mixed reactions, but the delicately flavoured jelly and tangy citrus fruit were a nice pairing. the pineapple cake was nice and crumbly although the flavour of the pineapple only came through on top of the cake. the accompanying sorbet was nice.

thetilburyoffers a wonderful choice of meals, with inventive and sometimes unusual pairing of flavours. their focus on local, seasonal produce is apparent in every dish.

overall, it was an evening of great food and service amongst good company.

thank you to zomato for organising this zomato meetup and keiren for hosting the event.gabbys79 anna bread pitt baz juan pablo sanchez keiren

i came here a few years ago, but walked into a completely different restaurant. thetilburyis an unusual but good combination of sophisticated but somewhat casual environment. from fairy lights and beers to a nicely served venison. extremely impressed with how accommodating it was, no matter what the mood!

thetilburyhas had a complete makeover and it looks quite special. 3 weeks of n and they still have some sorting out to do. food was good and hopefully my meal was just a bad day. presentation excellent but chicken so dry

a recent extensive facelift didn’t erase the faded maritime charm exuded by thetilburyin woolloomooloo. it’s a chameleon of a pub; there’s a little something for everyone. friday and saturday nights it’s the place to meet mr right – or mr right now – for discerning ladies. if it’s a nice day take the air on the courtyard or the deck and enjoy the contemporary new menu al fresco-style. but if it’s cold, then indulge in the warmth and comfort inside, with wood panelling, leather banquettes and a fireplace to warm up those toes in winter.

thetilburyhotel is in wooloomooloo and is an "institution". this revamped hotel is a lovely space with a restaurant that seats approximately 70. it is spacious with a long and inviting bar. the bar has tiles which is keeping with it's heritage and these look very effective. it gives the appearance of old world mixed with modern world. 

the restaurant is situated behind the bar and is comfortable and relaxed. there are comfy lounges paired with the tables.

the menu is seasonal and produce driven. thetilburyhas high quality food but you can still have steak and chips. it extends to the courtyard which is alfresco and there is function space. you can order at the bar too. the food is high-end gastro pub.

when it comes to feasting around woolloomooloo ‘in-the-know’ locals venture beyond the fine dining restaurants along woolloomooloo wharf. the wharf restaurants, with their sparkling harbour views, bring that ‘loving life in sydney’ feeling, but it’s usually followed by a pretty hefty bill. those looking for a taste of the real woolloomooloo with good hearty food, alfresco drinking and a lively local atmosphere head to thetilburyhotel.

cold, stale and crapi hate having to leave bad reviews and actually this is my first because normally i only leave raving reviews about my favourite restaurants and dining experiences. boy i had to write one for here though because it was just that bad. a girlfriend and i came in on saturday night, considering sitting at their restaurant but when nothing looked particularly appealing we just decided on burgers from the bar. wish we hadn't bothered.. seriously how hard is it to f up a burger?!both the haloumi burger and wagyu burger came out with cold, stale and i don't mean a little bit but the kind of stale when the bun actually breaks and crumbles!! they both were tiny, served on their own with a single piece of lettuce and tomato, no garnish, chips or salad and had no appeal to look at. we ordered a side of fennel and apple slaw, sounds great right mm you imagine it to be lots of apple, maybe some walnuts and raisins - even just a couple. nope basically cabbage with no dressing turning brown!gross and a miserable fail, we will never return. for such an amazing location thetilburyis a real let down, they also have basically no heating outdoors for those colder winter nights... oh and i forgot to mention it took over 30 minutes to get to the table and there was no one else waiting on food..

thetilburyhotel is located along nicholson street in woolloomooloo. it’s a great place to grab drinks with a nice modern pub feel (they renovated a few years back) and now with new headchef elton inglis (formerly with jamie oliver and ramsey), they deign to establish thetilburyas a new dining destination with premium dining and ingredients :  its doing a great new menu and doing a fancy moet ice champagne bar on fridays (5-7pm). $10 moets. we drop in and attend a cooking masterclass with the chef courtesy of stella concepts. chef elton inglis lifted london’s assiette anglaise’s review score to the 12th top spot on tripadvisor’s restaurant review rankings. here’s a link to the review of assiette in the independent (uk) scallops being dished out. gotta say, these behind the scenes look into a restaurants kitchen are always great. and here’s what you need to make a killer scallop dish. there’s not a lot of ingreidients there really. all the goodies cooking away. noob presentation of o

awesome night. i have been to thetilburyquite a few times now for dinner and it just keeps getting better! last night i had dinner there with a friend. we were keen to try the new menu and it was amazing!! although we were tempted try the 'lamb three ways' we had a selection of the starters to share: seared scallops with pancetta (gorgeous), tuna tartare in a soy marinade with avocado cream (superb) and the lancashire hot pot with red cabbage ... perfect for the chilly evening. the real standout though was the chicken "salad" - the chicken was flavoursome, tender, moist, beautiful!
everything came out on these gorgeous slate platters which looked incredible and it was all so beautifully presented we took photos of everything!! (i am not someone who usually takes photos of my food...)
anyway onto dessert. we shared the pannacotta, which was pretty good, and the black forest cake which actually melted my face. i mean it was so good i wanted to kiss the chef. he seemed a bit perplexed by this so i didn't...
it's a bit pricier than it used to be but worth every penny - this experience puts thetilburyfirmly in the fine dining category and the service was attentive and friendly. the waiter made a good wine recommendation and was very helpful at explaining how to eat each dish (have a little bit of everything on your fork at once, apparently).
i've always kind of seen thetilburyas serviceable pub food - a little on the "dude" side (spaghetti, roasts, steak etc) but this was several notches above what we've come to expect. the flavours were delicate and as i said the presentation was beautiful. loved it!! will definitely be back.

we only had the sunday bar / bbq menu upstairs but every dish ordered was miserably bad. the average price of dishes was $16 for a beef burger, halibut fish and chips and cider pork belly roll, all of which were plain and tasteless. whilst the fish was fleshy and moist, the 2 small fillets and bland tartare sauce and overdone chips let it down. the pork belly was more like dry pork shreds with no 'belly' fat in it at all and served on a dry and inedible bread roll with a smear of mayo and some shredded cabbage. it must have been the skinniest pig ever. i used to have fond memories of the food at thetilburybut it must have changed or otherwise just be different on sundays when everything from the quality of the food and the service were very poor.

wonderful!. i dined at thetilburyon a number of occasions and have loved it every time. the food is great whether in the restaurant or the grill. the food is a little expensive but worth it - the drinks are great too. brilliant wine collection and fantastic cocktails - recommend the lychee and ginger mule. service is great although sometimes can get rather busy at the bar. very nice - highly recommended.

the ultimate occasion challenge: lunch with an ex (that you haven't seen in 5 years) who taught you what was cool in drinking and dining circa 2003 (does anyone else remember the white cosmo?), who broke your heart and who now works at the helm of one of australia's leading cocktail bars. faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrkkkkkkk. when looking for somewhere casual enough not to be a big deal, but special enough to be worthy of such a reunion, thetilburyis your friend. with an intelligent menu (think entree of quail legs with cauliflower purée, chestnuts and apple reduction or simple fresh and plump oysters with lemon and eshallot vinegar) a robust wine list and a dessert selection that mates frumpy with fun,tilburyis a fun choice for saturday afternoon lunch in the impressive/casual dining wedge. just watch out for the service- if you and your crew can't laugh at your entree and main wines coming out together before entree, or being forced to gobble your entree as the waitress stands at the tab