Hi all,
in a recent email from Brian (aka Red Bigot) he mentioned BYO restaurants. That got me thinking... what is everyones favourite BYO retaurant? my two are in sydney:
1. Golden Centuary in chinatown (chinese & seafood - best salt & pepper lobster ever mains $16-$25 seafood tanks & live seafood at market price, corkage $5 p/btl)
2. Grappa in Leichardt (Italian cuisine, decanters for those aged treasures ... definitely worth a visit. mains $29+, corkage $4. pp)
Whats your? (remember to include which city your in, mains prices, & corkage.)
Christo
BYO Restaurants
BYO Restaurants
Last edited by Christo on Sun Apr 10, 2005 10:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.
"You are what u drink!"
Wow, things move quickly around here, it was Peter S who suggested to me that it would be good to have a page summarising good, byo-friendly restaurants in each major city.
I was going to scour the forums, these question are asked and answered periodically, but get buried after a while, and seed a more permanent list, looks like the ball is rolling.
If possible could people also list corkage charges and main-course typical price.
In Sydney, my up market favourite is Marque, superb food, around $35-$40+ for a main course, corkage about $10 per bottle and a great wine list if you run out or strike cork problems, Billy Kwong next door is great if you don't mind the no-bookings policy. Another one in Little Hay st is Red Chilli, Szechuan-style chinese, with appropriate amounts of chilli and Szechuan pepper in many dishes, can't remember the corkage, it was cheap, mains about $18-$30 plus seafood at market prices, we went two nights in a row last time we were in Sydney, we loved the food so much.
In Canberra, our favourites are:
Anise, Dijon, mezzalira (all in West Row in the city, all with similar prices and corkage), WatersEdge (no byo weekends, but you can negotiate and drop off "special" bottles prior to service commencing). Rock Salt adds a bright note to an otherwise ordinary suburban shopping centre
We haven't been back to Courgette since a wine dinner last year with 11 or so people where they without warning charged $35 when we opened a half-bottle of a fortified (muscat) and wouldn't negotiate, the bottle had been sitting in plain sight on the table they thoughfully provided for our wine and I had explicitly discussed corkage when booking. needless to say there was no tip and I paid via credit card instead of the cash collected from the diners.
There are quite a few south of the lake too, but high Canberra taxi fares make it hard to choose to stray from the closer ones when you live northside.
I was going to scour the forums, these question are asked and answered periodically, but get buried after a while, and seed a more permanent list, looks like the ball is rolling.
If possible could people also list corkage charges and main-course typical price.
In Sydney, my up market favourite is Marque, superb food, around $35-$40+ for a main course, corkage about $10 per bottle and a great wine list if you run out or strike cork problems, Billy Kwong next door is great if you don't mind the no-bookings policy. Another one in Little Hay st is Red Chilli, Szechuan-style chinese, with appropriate amounts of chilli and Szechuan pepper in many dishes, can't remember the corkage, it was cheap, mains about $18-$30 plus seafood at market prices, we went two nights in a row last time we were in Sydney, we loved the food so much.
In Canberra, our favourites are:
Anise, Dijon, mezzalira (all in West Row in the city, all with similar prices and corkage), WatersEdge (no byo weekends, but you can negotiate and drop off "special" bottles prior to service commencing). Rock Salt adds a bright note to an otherwise ordinary suburban shopping centre
We haven't been back to Courgette since a wine dinner last year with 11 or so people where they without warning charged $35 when we opened a half-bottle of a fortified (muscat) and wouldn't negotiate, the bottle had been sitting in plain sight on the table they thoughfully provided for our wine and I had explicitly discussed corkage when booking. needless to say there was no tip and I paid via credit card instead of the cash collected from the diners.
There are quite a few south of the lake too, but high Canberra taxi fares make it hard to choose to stray from the closer ones when you live northside.
Cheers
Brian
Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Brian
Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
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Guest
I must agree with Brian on The Rocksalt restaurant. Great food, service and very good wine list. One of thing I really liked about this place is very unpretentious. Even though the place was full when I dined there but is yet to be find out by food lovers and food critics especially from SMH's Good Food Guide.
David
David
Anonymous wrote:I must agree with Brian on The Rocksalt restaurant. Great food, service and very good wine list. One of thing I really liked about this place is very unpretentious. Even though the place was full when I dined there but is yet to be find out by food lovers and food critics especially from SMH's Good Food Guide.
David
David, RockSalt seems to be full just about every night and has been for a long time now, always a good sign. The wine list is very good, but the service, although friendly and enthusiastic can show a lack of training/experience, not an uncommon thing in Canberra restaurants. Last visit in a group of 15 I had to stop 3 different people from trying to put the sparkling red in ice buckets and stop another from trying to fill glasses to 7/8ths full. They caught on fairly quickly though and let us do our own pouring after a while.
Another restaurant I must go back to is Artespresso in Kingston, great food, but definitely take your own glasses, theirs are pretty pathetic for a restaurant of that class.
Cheers
Brian
Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Brian
Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Jakob wrote:Two hands down winners; Kingleys in King Street and Atelier in Newtown.
Restaurant Atelier (http://www.restaurantatelier.com.au) in Newtown has just moved to Glebe Point Road, Glebe, and it too is my favourite BYO in Sydney.
Adair
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Gavin Trott
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- Location: Adelaide
- Contact:
Don't tell them about Ying Chow Gavin, we're trying to keep it a secret!
Three I frequent in the near Adelaide CBD suburbs are Casa Mia in North Adelaide, The Sauce at Dulwich and Stamps at Mitcham.
Mains around the low$ 20s but couldn't tell you what corkage is with certainty, under $10 I think.
Three I frequent in the near Adelaide CBD suburbs are Casa Mia in North Adelaide, The Sauce at Dulwich and Stamps at Mitcham.
Mains around the low$ 20s but couldn't tell you what corkage is with certainty, under $10 I think.
Cheers - Steve
If you can see through it, it's not worth drinking!
If you can see through it, it's not worth drinking!
I've made a start, I'll scour the forums for past recommendations, keep posting here or send me details of your recommended restaurants.
http://users.tpg.com.au/handreck/BYORestaurants.htm
http://users.tpg.com.au/handreck/BYORestaurants.htm
Cheers
Brian
Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Brian
Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Red Bigot wrote:I've made a start, I'll scour the forums for past recommendations, keep posting here or send me details of your recommended restaurants.
http://users.tpg.com.au/handreck/BYORestaurants.htm
that was quick!... again great work this will be a very valauble refrence tool.
christo
"You are what u drink!"
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Baby Chickpea
- Posts: 582
- Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2004 12:17 pm
Sydney faves are Marque, tetsuya's, Ying's, Claude's, Balzac, Oscillate Wildly, Jasper's, Fifi's, Sevardi Cucina, Oh calcutta, Sean's Panorama, La Goulue, Restaurante Riva, Milsons, Elio, Grappa, Il Perugio, Manna, Perama, El karim, Pazzo, Tabou, Emma's on Liberty.
Last edited by Baby Chickpea on Mon Apr 11, 2005 4:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Danny
The voyage of discovery lies not in finding new landscapes but in having new eyes. We must never be afraid to go too far, for success lies just beyond - Marcel Proust
The voyage of discovery lies not in finding new landscapes but in having new eyes. We must never be afraid to go too far, for success lies just beyond - Marcel Proust
Mains at 357 King Street are generally low $20s. They have some great wine nights there - $80 a couple including food up to 9 wines, some very drinkable.
You may need to be quick though, 357 is closing as the lease is up. They have not indicated what they are doing next, last I spoke to Tanya (co-owner and front of house) they were hoping to reopen nearby. Due to close on 23 April.
I like 357 in Newtown, Grappa and Elio in Leichhardt, Claude's in Paddington for the special occasion, and Wokstation in Ultimo for off-pay week.
Regards,
Allan
You may need to be quick though, 357 is closing as the lease is up. They have not indicated what they are doing next, last I spoke to Tanya (co-owner and front of house) they were hoping to reopen nearby. Due to close on 23 April.
I like 357 in Newtown, Grappa and Elio in Leichhardt, Claude's in Paddington for the special occasion, and Wokstation in Ultimo for off-pay week.
Regards,
Allan
Last edited by bigkid on Mon Apr 11, 2005 5:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Brisbane
Ecco- consistently good - crap glassware
Timmy Kemp- tried it on the weekend , absolutelty high quality bistro food great service and acceptable glassware
James street Bristro- we went there buy default and the food was very ok and quick
Two Small Rooms- food is just ok these days. ok for a drug business dinner really
Bruno's - bad glassware but lovely food
Rapide- small place tip top food and affable and good little wine list as well
Anyone else got any other brisbane ones ?
michel
Ecco- consistently good - crap glassware
Timmy Kemp- tried it on the weekend , absolutelty high quality bistro food great service and acceptable glassware
James street Bristro- we went there buy default and the food was very ok and quick
Two Small Rooms- food is just ok these days. ok for a drug business dinner really
Bruno's - bad glassware but lovely food
Rapide- small place tip top food and affable and good little wine list as well
Anyone else got any other brisbane ones ?
michel
International Chambertin Day 16th May
Baby Chickpea wrote:Sydney faves are Marque, tetsuya's, Ying's, Claude's, Balzac, Oscillate Wildly, Jasper's, Fifi's, Sevardi Cucina, Oh calcutta, Sean's Panorama, La Goulue, Restaurante Riva, Milsons, Elio, Grappa, Il Perugio, Manna, Perama, El karim, Pazzo, Tabou, Emma's on Liberty.
Geez Danny, nice list, but can you give me the short list with some more details on each, I'm not going to do all the work here, especially if they aren't in the 2005 SMH GFG. One or two aren't listed as BYO in said publication or have weekend restrictions, any you have to sweet-talk to get byo?
Cheers
Brian
Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Brian
Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
-
qwertt
One in Berrima
BA wrote:michel wrote:
Anyone else got any other brisbane ones ?
michel
ISIS - A winning trifecta of good food, service and glassware. The only place where I've seen a BYO wine decanted with more care than I'd take at home.
They'll only take a maximum booking of 8 though - great for a small offline.
cheers
BA
They did this for me last year at the Journeyman in Berrima, when I brought a 1986 Wynn's black label cabernet. Corkage was $7 - they had their own winelist - but I thought it was worth every penny for the care that the owner (whose name I can't recall) gave to decanting my wine and providing excellent red wine glasses. Food was excellent too. I think this place has been highly recommended by TORB in the past.
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Baby Chickpea
- Posts: 582
- Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2004 12:17 pm
Red Bigot wrote:Baby Chickpea wrote:Sydney faves are Marque, tetsuya's, Ying's, Claude's, Balzac, Oscillate Wildly, Jasper's, Fifi's, Sevardi Cucina, Oh calcutta, Sean's Panorama, La Goulue, Restaurante Riva, Milsons, Elio, Grappa, Il Perugio, Manna, Perama, El karim, Pazzo, Tabou, Emma's on Liberty.
Geez Danny, nice list, but can you give me the short list with some more details on each, I'm not going to do all the work here, especially if they aren't in the 2005 SMH GFG. One or two aren't listed as BYO in said publication or have weekend restrictions, any you have to sweet-talk to get byo?
OK Brian I'll give it a crack (don't have SMG guide with me).
$$$ (all BYO listed)
Tets
Marque
Claude's
$$
Tabou
balzac (Mon-Thur BYO)
Yings
Jaspers
Sevardi Cucina
La Goulue
Milsons (Mon-Thurs BYO)
Oh Calcutta (previoulsy non-BYO now BYO)
Grappa
$
The rest
As far as I am aware all BYO or BYO friendly (must ask) -which ones not listed as BYO pls? Even Rockpool is BYO if you ask!
Danny
The voyage of discovery lies not in finding new landscapes but in having new eyes. We must never be afraid to go too far, for success lies just beyond - Marcel Proust
The voyage of discovery lies not in finding new landscapes but in having new eyes. We must never be afraid to go too far, for success lies just beyond - Marcel Proust
Baby Chickpea wrote:OK Brian I'll give it a crack (don't have SMG guide with me).
$$$ (all BYO listed)
Tets
Marque
Claude's
$$
Tabou
balzac (Mon-Thur BYO)
Yings
Jaspers
Sevardi Cucina
La Goulue
Milsons (Mon-Thurs BYO)
Oh Calcutta (previoulsy non-BYO now BYO)
Grappa
$
The rest
As far as I am aware all BYO or BYO friendly (must ask) -which ones not listed as BYO pls? Even Rockpool is BYO if you ask!
Thanks Danny, Oh Calcutta and Restaurant Riva don't have BYO listed in SMH GFG, El Karim doesn't appear. How much do Rockpool charge for corkage? They declined my request re BYO a couple of years ago.
Cheers
Brian
Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
Brian
Life's too short to drink white wine and red wine is better for you too! :-)
-
Guest
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Baby Chickpea
- Posts: 582
- Joined: Mon Feb 02, 2004 12:17 pm
SMH GFG is very CBD-centric. El Karim is in Roseville nea the cinema. Rockpool charged me $20 pb 18 months ago. A friend recently tried to book and they quoted him $40pb - that's the problem with these establishemnts - no set fee. Depends on who you get! ALways set the corkage BEFORE you enter to offset any nasty surprises when the bill arrives!
Danny
The voyage of discovery lies not in finding new landscapes but in having new eyes. We must never be afraid to go too far, for success lies just beyond - Marcel Proust
The voyage of discovery lies not in finding new landscapes but in having new eyes. We must never be afraid to go too far, for success lies just beyond - Marcel Proust
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Muscat Mike
- Posts: 425
- Joined: Fri Aug 15, 2003 10:05 pm
- Location: Sydney - North West.
Re: One in Berrima
qwertt wrote:BA wrote:michel wrote:
Anyone else got any other brisbane ones ?
michel
ISIS - A winning trifecta of good food, service and glassware. The only place where I've seen a BYO wine decanted with more care than I'd take at home.
They'll only take a maximum booking of 8 though - great for a small offline.
cheers
BA
They did this for me last year at the Journeyman in Berrima, when I brought a 1986 Wynn's black label cabernet. Corkage was $7 - they had their own winelist - but I thought it was worth every penny for the care that the owner (whose name I can't recall) gave to decanting my wine and providing excellent red wine glasses. Food was excellent too. I think this place has been highly recommended by TORB in the past.
Grappa decnated on both occasions i requested 1st an 85 grange & 2nd a magnum of 87 Lakes Folly cab.
"You are what u drink!"
michel wrote:Brisbane
Ecco- consistently good - crap glassware
Timmy Kemp- tried it on the weekend , absolutelty high quality bistro food great service and acceptable glassware
James street Bristro- we went there buy default and the food was very ok and quick
Two Small Rooms- food is just ok these days. ok for a drug business dinner really
Bruno's - bad glassware but lovely food
Rapide- small place tip top food and affable and good little wine list as well
Anyone else got any other brisbane ones ?
michel
Good list. The Dining Room at Hendra is also pretty special. Havent tried Isis yet, must do that soon.
michel wrote:Brisbane
Ecco- consistently good - crap glassware
Timmy Kemp- tried it on the weekend , absolutelty high quality bistro food great service and acceptable glassware
James street Bristro- we went there buy default and the food was very ok and quick
Two Small Rooms- food is just ok these days. ok for a drug business dinner really
Bruno's - bad glassware but lovely food
Rapide- small place tip top food and affable and good little wine list as well
Anyone else got any other brisbane ones ?
michel
Send Brian the details of address and phone nos for these Brisbane BYO's so that the database is completed.
Graham
Chardonnay: A drink you have when there is no RED wine, the beer hasn't arrived and the water may be polluted
