What Makes A Restaurant Good?

I’ve been dining around town of late, experiencing a number of restaurants on our doorstep and taking a look at what makes them tick. I’ve been wondering what makes a restaurant a good dining experience. Is it the food, price, service or décor and then what is it about each of those points? So, what is it?

It’s Our Shout

Our new promotion in ABX Bar, “It’s Our Shout”, is proving to be very popular. Each night between 5pm and 7pm there is a special offer. If you like, it’s a modern take on ‘Happy Hour’. There is a different offer each night, tonight for example all drinks are half price. Other nights include offers such as receiving complimentary cheese and crackers with a glass of wine, a complimentary canapé with a cocktail or even great deals on beer and champagne. Offering great value and a good selection seems to be a winning combination.

Howzat

Congratulations to the Australian Cricket Team claiming a 2-0 lead in the three match Test series in Durban. As a result the team has retained their No.1 ranking. In our ABX Bar we have a number of cricket bats signed by the touring cricket teams from the past couple of years. It can’t be easy playing a game with the hopes of a nation resting on your shoulders. When you’re up you’re cheered, when you’re down you’re fiercely criticized. To remain focused and humble under such media scrutiny certainly is an art.

I'll Have Wine With That

The Sydney Morning Herald Dine With Wine event has kicked off this month for its second year. I wonder how many people this event attracts? It’s a great opportunity to dine at restaurants around town for special prices and sample some of the new amazing wines from all over New South Wales making it to the market place. I must confess, I’m a bit of a restaurant connoisseur and do you know how hard it is to find chicken on the menu? For some reason it’s very few and far between, so I was a little excited when it made it onto the Bistro-Fax menu as the special dish for this event. No, I did not influence this one. Looking forward to tasting the wine from Cooks Lot.

Cheers!

In the ABX Bar, there are often special drink promotions. The Caipirinha was the “Cocktail of the Month” for February and I can’t wait to try the Caprioska cocktail that's featuring in March.

My drink tastes really depend on my mood and perhaps the season a little. Mowing the grass on a hot summer day could mean a beer, catching up with friends more often than not involves a bottle of wine or two, then there are cocktails before a night on the town, anything goes on a Friday or probably my favourite – champagne, requiring no reason at all! I was once told that Napoleon Bonaparte said “I drink Champagne when I win, to celebrate…and I drink Champagne when I lose, to console myself”. I wonder what the most commonly sipped drink in a hotel bar is?

Have Your Cake… And Tea Too

It seems that High Teas, Afternoon Teas and Devonshire Teas have never been more fashionable than they are now. I remember when a certain bakery in New York was put on the map when it was included in an episode of the television show Sex And The City, I heard it became so popular that the store went on to employ a bouncer! I can’t believe there’s now even a cupcake fan club!

We’ve been thinking, what makes a good Tea experience? Is it the cup of tea, the scones or perhaps more importantly, the cakes? A friend of mine swears it’s the scones, I’d be leaning to the glass of champagne myself! What would your ultimate Tea experience be?