JPB Restaurant, Swisshotel

-
Usually, 5 star hotels come with exceptional restaurants attached - and unfortunately, the JPB restaurant falls very short - to the point I had to double check that the Swisshotel is indeed a 5 star hotel.

However, let me first give credit where credit is due: the service at JPB is superb. The staff were attentive and polite.

The decor, on the other hand, is awful - the noise of the Crossroad bar disrupts the dining experience, and I feel like I'm not dining in a hotel restaurant, but in the breakfast buffet hall (which is unsurprising because the JPB restaurant doubles as the breakfast hall in the morning, but the point is, if you can't transform the space completely for dinner, then dinner is going to seem like a disappointing, overpriced affair).

Is the food any good? I could forgive lack-lustre atmosphere for excellent food. Alas, the food was even more disappointing than the atmosphere.

Half dozen oysters, $24
Despite it being oyster season when I dined at the JPB restaurant, the oysters which were served were tiny. I understand that there are different species of oysters, and bigger doesn't necessarily mean better, but those weren't delicious either. I ordered the oysters three ways - natural, with finger lime, and with vinaigrette and onion. None of them stood out. Let's just say that had this been my very first experience of oyster, I wouldn't believe people who told me oysters were delicious.

Warrigal Risotto, $28

Simple and overly salty. The herbs were quite fresh, but one does not go to a 5 star hotel's restaurant for 'hey, at least it's fresh-tasting'.

Truffle pasta, $29

The seasonal pasta is truffle pasta, which also makes sense, because it was truffle season. The description also stated there would be asparagus. Instead, I got mushroom pasta with truffle oil, and there is a big difference between truffle oil and truffle. Again, this was so salty the food actually tasted bitter.

Barramundi with mashed peas, $33
Unlike the pasta and risotto, the fish is well cooked but poorly seasoned - it was extremely bland.

The prices actually aren't too bad compared to other 5 star hotel restaurants, but they are nonetheless overpriced. I would rather add another $10 to each dish for something of excellent quality, than pay what I did for the quality of food I got.

Score: 1.5/5 
Price: reasonable for 5 star hotel restaurants, but mismatched with the quality of food.
Address: 68 Market Street
Website: https://www.swissotel.com/hotels/sydney/dining/jpb-restaurant/


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ho Jiak

-
Image
The first time I tried Ho Jiak, I traveled to Strathfield and ate at their little hole-in-the wall joint, teetering my milo-infused laksa (yes, you read that correctly) dangerously on a little stool. Since then, Ho Jiak has opened a decent-sized restaurant in Chinatown, and it has come a long way from its humble street-eats roots. It even boasts two tasting menus - one omnivorous, one vegetarian. My friends and I, of course, had to try both. Get ready to carry a food baby by osmosis, because this is going to be a huuuuge review. Ho Jiak Tasting Menu  Nasi Lemak in a Bite This may only be "a bite", but it sure packs a punch. Arguably the national dish of Malaysia, nasi lemak is rice cooked with coconut milk and in pandan leaf, which gives it its enticing fragrance - it is topped with crushed peanuts, sambal and accompanied by a rich shot of laksa broth. Kiam Ah Nui Kay Perfectly fried chicken bits on the bone in salted egg-yolk coating. Salted egg yolk has go
Read more

Afternoon Tea at the Four Seasons

-
Image
Afternoon tea is a Mother's Day tradition in my family. Over the years, I have taken my mum to most of the afternoon tea purveyors in Sydney, and Mode Kitchen at the Four Seasons stands out for its beautiful, romantic atmosphere.  Situated on the second floor complete with a harpist and directly across a wall of beautiful ceramic ware, the afternoon tea set up is at once private (because you're not looking directly at any other table) yet on display (comme Marie Antoinette) because you are seated right above the hotel foyer.  The tea selection is small, but curated; and ceremoniously brought to the table for selection. The purveyor is Jing Tea. I highly recommend the Flowering Osmanthus, which is a green tea with osmanthus flower, giving the tea a subtle yet warm sweetness.  Unlike most afternoon teas, the savoury layer is in the middle tier, rather than the bottom tier. From left to right, we have a lemon stracciatella and broccolini vol au vent with caviar (at an additional c
Read more

Ragazzi

-
Image
Tucked away in the charming, quaint, bird-cage filled Angel Place, Ragazzi is one restaurant I have been looking forward to trying for a long time, because I have had a couple people recommend this restaurant to me a good spot to dine in the CBD.  Having never been to Ragazzi before, I was delighted to see that they have a chef's choice menu. I am a big fan of giving control over to those who prepare the food, because I trust that the chef's menu is the highlights reel. Having said that, the fact that we chose the chef's menu is where we went wrong. There were three of us dining, and I think the restaurant actually under-served by providing two people portions for most of the main courses and dessert.  The fact that 2 of the courses are side-salads also significantly decrease the value of the chef's menu. Having done some basic maths, it simply does not add up, I found myself significantly over-paying for the misfortune of being lumped with some courses I would never ha
Read more