We have made a reservation for nine to eleven people for which we had to provide credit card details to secure it as a group booking. Many places have this sort of policy in place where there is a penalty fee should you cancel at the last minute or if the numbers reduce dramatically. I just wish restaurants would get into the habit to creating an email form through which to submit the required details as it is much easier than having to locate a fax machine.
I had read the food was quite nice but was a little dubious about their table service as many reports had said it was either rude or forgetful, and that diners had felt ‘discriminated against’ for not ordering wine. We do not experience any of this on the evening even with being a larger group, waiting for people to find parking and arrive, and for taking a while to decide what to order.
The inside of Kingsleys is a bit on the dark side with the look of an old homestead. It is quiet when we first arrive but the diners soon come flowing in through the doors and with them their conversation. It is quite cosy and our table is just next to the open kitchen, offering a great view of their activity as well as a display of meats.
We start off with a dozen oysters Kilpatrick to share. They are served on a deep bed of rock salt crystals and are topped with plenty of finely chopped bacon. The sauce is sweet with a bit of bite and doesn’t have that sometimes horrible tart taste from too much Worcestershire. The oysters are plump, fresh and slippery and are given a miss by those at our table who have an aversion to this sort of sensation in their mouths – more for the rest of us!
Down our long table we have too many steaks for me to photograph, but they consist mainly of either the Angus top sirloin with potato mash and red wine jus which I have or the Angus rib-eye with chips that Monsieur Poisson has ordered.
The steaks are smokily charred with fairly deep marks and are juicy within. Ms Change finds her sirloin has a chewy bit running through the centre but I don’t have the same problem with mine. The potato mash comes in a smoothly quenelled shape but is unfortunately only lukewarm. Monsieur Poisson has chosen to have chips with his steak and a side of Béarnaise sauce which attracts an added cost of $3.50.
We sit and chat for an extended period of time – expected when with a larger group – drinking only water. We do not find we are hassled in any way to leave or order any more food and, being quite full, we all decide to give dessert a miss as well.
29a King St, Sydney NSW
Tel: (02) 9295 5080
Opening Hours: Please note that the following times quoted from Kingsleys’ website differ from that on their sign depicted above. I would advise calling them to check.
Mon-Fri 12pm-3pm (lunch)
6pm-10:30pm (dinner)
Sat 6pm-10:30pm (dinner only)
Sun CLOSED
happy eating!
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