Although there is a 'no-bookings' policy, we only had to wait around 15-20 mins for a table of 9. Being seated, we were met with a small yet adequate brunch menu and slightly over-busy staff. Waiting time for the food to come out, however, was a different story - we waited and waited and waited, and looked around at the other patrons in the restaurant who likewise waited and waited and waited...
My partner opted for a cappuccino whereas I ordered my usual skim mocha. The coffee was decently good. They give you real chocolate buds for the chocolate bit of the mocha (as well as in the hot chocolates), which I thought was a nice touch.
Cappuccino
Mocha
In terms of food, a few of us ordered breakfast-type food, some ordered lunch foods.
The wagyu beef burger ($21.50) was a tempting option. It came served with a small bowl of fries. The salad bit of the burger (ie. the beetroot, lettuce, tomato, tomato relish, and zucchini pickles) was served on the side of the large patty of meat. Unfortunately, this was not up to my friend's standards. She described the burger as meaty, but lacking in kick. No real outstanding flavours - relatively bland tasting. Her fries were also luke-warm when she got them.
Ratings:
The wagyu beef burger ($21.50) was a tempting option. It came served with a small bowl of fries. The salad bit of the burger (ie. the beetroot, lettuce, tomato, tomato relish, and zucchini pickles) was served on the side of the large patty of meat. Unfortunately, this was not up to my friend's standards. She described the burger as meaty, but lacking in kick. No real outstanding flavours - relatively bland tasting. Her fries were also luke-warm when she got them.
wagyu beef burger - $21.50
Another of my friends decided on the free range chicken schnitzel ($22.50). Lightly golden brown parmesan crumbed coated chicken served with a kohlrabi slaw and "green goddess" dressing, it didn't look super impressive. My friend did not mutter any good words about it nor did he seem to dislike it in any way. I can only infer that it was OK.
free range chicken schnitzel - $22.50
One of the best smelling dishes of the day was the prawn and chili linguine ($24). The aroma wafted from this dish - albeit a kind of small dish - and it seemed fresh and light and aromatic. It came served with rocket and lemon juice was drizzled for taste. Perhaps because of the size of the dish, or because he had waited so long for the food, his plate was cleaned up in no time.
prawn and chili linguine with rocket and lemon - $24
The birthday boy wanted ricotta pancakes but also the scrambled eggs with toast... and hence, to solve the problem, he made others order ricotta pancakes so he could steal off them. The ricotta pancakes ($17.50) came served in stacks of three. The pancakes were super light and fluffy and was served with honeycomb butter and banana. I'm not a pancake fan... my friends seemed to appreciate it just fine... but by the end of the three pancakes, my friends were still hungry.
ricotta hotcakes - $17.50
My hubby ordered the calamari ($19.50). Super lightly crusted in semonlina and served with a lemon, parsley, green beans and fennel salad, my hubby said that the whole dish was a bit too light - encroaching the bland side. Salt and pepper had to be heaped on for taste. I guess this is as healthy as deep-fried calamari can get~
semolina-crusted calamari - $19.50
The birthday boy and I ordered the same thing - scrambled eggs with sourdough toast ($13.50). And ofcourse, we didn't stop at simply the super light fluffy creamy scrambled eggs with yummy toasted crunchy bread, we added stuff to it. My friend added avocado salsa ($4.50), cured ocean trout ($5.70) and ricotta cheese ($4.50) whereas I opted for the avocado salsa and button mushrooms with garlic confit ($4.50). The scrambled was excellente - as was the avocado salsa. The mushies were just so so. All up, the whole thing felt fresh and healthy.
scrambled eggs with sourdough toast - $13.50
All up, Bills seems to offer a light healthy feeling to brunch - at times, at the expense of taste and spice. It was an alright meal but I think for the same price, the same items can be purchased at better tastiness elsewhere.
Food - 7/10
Service - 6.5/10
Ambiance - 7/10
Value for money - 7/10
Overall - 27.5/40
Bills (Surry Hills)
359 Crown Street
Surry Hills
NSW 2010
Tel: (02) 9360 4762
1 comment:
mmm i love bills esp the sweet corn fritters!
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