Doyles Watsons Bay

I've heard such bad things about Doyles' food that I wasn't looking forward to going. Apparently the view is all this place is good for, and it's full of foolish tourists who don't know any better for rip-off food. (Actually it's not the tourists' fault when this place keep being lauded for being the best seafood restaurant in Australia.) Unfortunately, this lived up to its reputation...

Food

We were there as part of a Hen's Night package so we had a set menu of:

• fish & chips
• chicken burger
• "wagyu" beef burger
• chicken caesar salad
• lasagne

They were all supposed to be served with chips and salad but no one got any sort of salad in site. I didn't try the other meals, but I can say that the "wagyu" beef burger tasted like crap. The bread was dry and stale, the bun toasted to a dry cardboard like material. The beef pattie contained mince, no sort of wagyu whatsoever - not quite the same kind of fat here! There was 2 pieces of tasteless tomatoes and a thumnail's worth of shredded iceberg lettuce. They'd already put some ordinary tomato sauce on the patty, but it was needed because the whole thing was so dry.

The chips were terrible, they were so dried out, and had probably been recooked because it just felt like eating oily skin, there was no potato filling inside. Let me say it, it's like the Maccas French flies except these chips are meant to be thick. I think it's one of the worst chips I've ever eaten.

To make matters worst, the house chardonnay I ordered as part of the meal was s**t. I only had a few sips...enough said.

Rating - 4

Atmosphere

If you forget about the people smoking all around you, the view and the atmosphere really is to die for. We arrived in style, by water taxi. According to some girls though, if you drive in, it's certainly not relaxing. We watched all sorts of people gathering there, and they all seemed to be having a good time, but it was an absolutely beautiful day. If it wasn't...

Rating - 2

Service

What service? You are supposed to line up for your food and get a buzzer, but because we were on the special package, they actual took our order and delivered it to us. They were crap, didn't explain things properly, and delivered slowly. Appalling.

Rating - 1

C-factor

Yeah, all the meals are expensive and a rip off. However, the company was great and that's where the marks come from on this occasion.

Rating - 0.5

Brownie Points - 7.5

Info

11 Marine Pde
Watsons Bay
NSW 2030
Phone (02) 9337 2007
Website