Comments on: It’s Giuseppe, Arnaldo & Sons and not Damien Hirst

By: Juliette

Juliette — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:22:09 +0000

I finally got there on the weekend and liked pretty much everything about it, except the service, which was a bit smarmy. We arrived at 6pm to ensure we weren’t crabby about getting a table by the time we came to eat… liked the decor, general set up of the place and the amount of choice on the menu. My pal who’s very fussy about what she’ll eat was very happy with her arancini (which I tasted and were fantastic) and pasta arrabiata. I had the gamberetti and loved crunching them whole; then was thrilled to find pig’s trotter stuffed with cotechino sausage as a main. So rich but delicious, and I’m happy there’s a restaurant around that doesn’t shy away from dishes like this. I will definitely go again.

By: Disappointed

Disappointed — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 09:41:41 +0000

GAS it was not! Waiters in lab coats who were big on attitude but not on service. Made me feel like I was doing them the favour by gracing this place. GAS is confused about what it is but has no qualms about charging restaurant prices, including a 10% surchage on Public Holidays (and also, I forgot as GAS apparently also did when printing their menu, on Sundays). Ridiculous and greedy!
Dark decor with no natural light during the day. When sitting at the bar, I could not read the menu. The restaurant (I think that’s what it is!)has the feel of being stuck in a basement.
Unisex toilets, also terribly badly lit, are not a good idea.
The menu is too detailed with much too much fine print. Lost my appetite trying to decipher the menu and then wondering how many pieces of salami(or Salumi as its apparently named according to the menu!)I would get for $12.
Coffee at $4.40 a cup did not make it taste any better.
Altogether an experience that I do not intend to repeat. I understand why Terzini and Marchetti put their fathers’ first names to the place. Saves tarnishing the family names.

By: Ed

Ed — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 02:27:58 +0000

MJ, We were there Friday and got a seat straight away. For three the tables are small by the time we have two glasses each (water and wine). Service wasn’t too bad and the food was good. We didn’t get to pasta as we’d had nibbles at the Clarendon first and we had pudding in the basement bar at Bistro Guillaume – the best lemon tart ever.

By: M J

M J — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 02:21:36 +0000

Ed,
I went to GAS last night – straight through to a table with no wait. But then waited around 20 minutes for further service.

The food was good and served fast. We had the beetroot with goats cheese and raw scallops as starters, then each had the crab pasta. The pasta was a much larger serve than expected – one could have easily been shared between two. We found this surprising considering the relatively cheap price (we’ve had very average pasta dishes on Hardware Lane for only $5 – $6 less).

We were too full to consider dessert, but would happily have had another round of drinks. However, we sat on glasses of water for around an hour waiting for attention from our waitress. My dining date pointed out this would never happen at her favourite lingerie restaurant (oddly, she frequents that establishment quite often!).

The food was worth going back for, hopefully the service will be better.

By: Ed

Ed — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 01:41:40 +0000

Mustang, I think we are entitled to be fussy.

By: Mustang

Mustang — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:22:02 +0000

Ed,

Visit last night to GAS. Few comments, wait time was ok, tables so close together nearly sitting on each other (but it is a bit like that at The Press Club). Menu on place mats cute, Gamberetti interesting combination of taste and texture, Culatello salumi melt in your mouth (even if it was from the pig behind!), Polenta with Gorgonzola as a side superb, Rigatoni with pork sausage luke warm and service mediocre.
Hmm maybe I’m getting too fussy but my expectation with high profile restaurants is that the dining is a whole experience although this may be influenced by visits to Vue de Monde and Kin.

By: Ed

Ed — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 01:39:36 +0000

Thanks for the comments guys. It seems that the experience at GAS is inconsistent. I’m surprised about the Sunday surcharge.

By: Mill

Mill — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 10:19:30 +0000

Just a different point of view, now eaten here twice (more than once so must have thought it was good.) First time we visited, I think the second Friday it was open (good Friday) arrived 8pm, was told there would be a 40min wait – waited about 40mins, so as good as they said. Though I was frustrated that others seemed to just rock and be taken straight through, and the bar waiting area is annoying, the waitresses don’t seem keen to serve you, and it isn’t the best place to sit around. Second visit was a sunday, was told we would have to wait 15mins, sat down in 10mins. So again on the money – though i do agree, i need certainty when going out – i know roughly when i will be hungry and can get there, and hanging around really isn’t what i want to do.

Anyhow the food – mozzarella ball, excellent, really enjoyed this, shared between two – it would be too much for one – though they didn’t cook it, so can’t take that as a reflection on their food. Seconds – I had the sausage pasta, the wife the beef ragu – mine was good, hers ok. We also had 1 liter of the chilled red – very nice.

next time round, we both skipped a starter – i had the lentils and sausage – again, very good, the wife crab pasta – this was good. We then followed with the trifle – again a nice dish. To drink – the chilled wine again.

Would we go again? if we were walking past and could sit down within 10 mins yes, but anything more than that, and it isn’t worth it. Also both times we were hit with the 10% surcharge (public holidays and sundays) – wasn’t keen on this, i wonder if the staff are paid 10% more to serve me. The restaurant itself, can be noisy, and for the size of the place you do sit too close to others.

Anyhow, didn’t meant to go on – but just wanted to mention both times i’ve been they have had the timings right.

By: Well Below Average

Well Below Average — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 08:43:42 +0000

Went to GAS expecting the great food, wine and service that you receive at North Bondi Italian. We arrived at 6.40pm on Saturday the 12th April and were told to expect a one hour wait only to wait just over 2 1/2 hours for a table of six. We sat in the bar area by the internal entrance and even though there were 6 of us dressed very well and sipping cocktails every person that walked through the door was somehow not sure where to go and tried to book a table with us sure it was funny for a minute but 2 1/2 hours of it only added to our fury. We finally sat at our table and were ready to order instantly we ordered thirteen dishes and the waitress asked if we would like them all at once??? Still fuming I politley suggestred that as we were sharing all the dishes they should be staggered in the appropriate order. They were delivered in two rounds hot and cold and well below average I will not bother to list my gripes with every dish (all but 3 were really ordinary)I’ve dined at the Icebergs and Nth Bondi over 10 ten times and was so so so disappointed that the restaurant was running this badly and the food was of such a poor standard. It made for a truely crap night and to top it off I felt ill from the food I did consume!

By: Ed

Ed — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:04:05 +0000

Conpen, A level of detail i didn’t notice having poor Italian. But you’d think these guys would get it right. I think salumi is the thing here. And as a senior news exec said today the tiles did remind her of a loo.