Bills

Posted by: Slycow | 5 October 2010, 2.36pm

My son had been to Bill's in June, so I had to get some scrambled eggs. As told, they were incredibly edible. However, the ricotta hotcakes are even better! And I don't care for pan cakes. They were light and delicious. The staff is quite friendly, even letting me in before they opened at 0730. It was so good I went there four mornings during my visit to Sydney, even walking from the Hilton CBD when CityRail was down for repairs.

Food:			Visit: Wed 22 September 2010 Mealtime: breakfast
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Posted by: speedie1234 | 7 June 2009, 11.16pm

Ricotta hotcakes were amazing as they were reputed to be. Corn fritters were a bit tasteless and perhaps the corn used was not the best quality.
When it comes to the service, this is hands down one of the worst places I have ever eaten at. The staff do not know how to deal with a busy sunday morning! They were rude, arrogant and treated us like dirt. We waited over an hour, with people repeatedly being seated before us who had arrived afterwards. A table of 6, 3 tables of 2 and a table of 4 were seated before my table of 4. And i had watched all these people arrive after we had. When we raised this with the waiter, he said that he was only seating tables of 2. Yet he had set 3 couples next to each other on the communal table. Surely he could have fitted in the four of us? Then he was took offence, very unprofessionally, and seated a table of four who had arrived just five minutes before.
Still determined to enjoy our breakfast, we were met with rubbish table service. Our menus were thrown at us and when asked for drink orders, the waiter took the order from one of us then ran off. 10 minutes later we received one drink. When we asked why he thought only one person would want a drink he said the rest of us had looked at our menus as if we didnt know what to order. I am sorry, but anyone who has ever eaten out knows that people look to their menus to identify what to order, and its polite to wait and take their orders rather than serve only one person.
I would not recommend this place to anyone. You can get food this good at many different cafes around sydney without the attitude and poor treatment. Lift your game Bill!

Food:			Visit: Sun 7 June 2009 Mealtime: brunch
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Posted by: Epic Cure | 10 March 2009, 8.14pm

I don't think it's fair to rate places according to whether they live up to the hype - I prefer to assess eateries on their own merits. I took a long, leisurely stroll to bills, got seated at the communal table straight away (although we'd arrived strategically early, a little in advance of brunching hour).

Having heard so much about the ricotta cakes and scrambled eggs, our choice was essentially made for us. We weren't disappointed. The ricotta cakes were magical, and the scrambled eggs were incredibly rich and perfectly seasoned.

The corn cakes looked fantastic (definitely trying them next time) and the seasonal fruit plate looked like perfection. I had a mocha and unfortunately have to echo sentiments in some of the other reviews (although not quite as harshly) - the coffee was a little sub-par. They used real chocolate bits in the mocha - not only was this not necessary, it actually didn't work. It resulted in a perplexingly grainy beverage with tiny little blobs of melted chocolate suspended in the coffee.

The service was relaxed but effective, and the atmosphere was bustling and laid-back. Overall, a good little brekky place with some fantastic must-have dishes. A little on the pricey side, so maybe the sort of place I'd reserve for special occasions or as a treat.

Food:			Visit: Sat 28 February 2009 Mealtime: breakfast
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Posted by: Sydney_Foodie | 13 July 2008, 8.53pm

Having been a loyal and devoted Bills fan for more than eight years, I have been very disappointed by its recent decline.

The food which was once phenomenal is still great, however the service is appalling. The once attentive, polite and mature waiters have been replaced by those with little appreciation for customer service.

Today I had brunch with friends at this former institution and it was a frustration to say the least. After the standard 20 minute wait time we had to wait too long for menus and to order. Over the two hours we lingered over our meal, my friends and I had to ask for our water to be replenished seven times before this actually occurred.

Bills has had a place in my heart due to its consistent food, service and warm atmosphere. Sadly, recent experiences have ensured my beloved brunches with girlfriends and proud tours with overseas visitors are looking for a new home. With plenty of options, Bills can clearly no longer cut it in the competitive eastern suburbs cafe scene.

Food:			Visit: Sun 13 July 2008 Mealtime: brunch
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Posted by: The Shoe | 9 April 2007, 7.14pm

My malicious tone is impossible to mask, so it will be clearly evident to anyone reading this that I am biased - I loathe this cafe. But let me kick off the review on a more positive note - the scrambled eggs are delightful, in small doses. Yes, their ricotta pancakes are good, and the corn fritters (while not a scratch on Sloan's Cafe on Oxford St) are certainly acceptable. Unfortunately not everything is acceptable.

Bill's Waiters: A Rare Breed. Oh yes - these certainly are a select bunch of malignant individuals. I don't think I've ever come into contact with people so proficient in the art of making others feel so small and insignificant. It really is intriguing to watch. Unless you're an sociologist, however, it's painfully annoying to experience. If getting the attention of a Bill's waiter with the hope of acquiring a bill were a sport, I would put it up there with free climbing Everest in terms of difficulty. You just shouldn't be able to treat people like this and get away with it. But because of the predominantly rich and pretentious chaps and chapettes that like to be seen at this place, Bill Grainger seems to get away with murder. (Disclaimer: I am in no way accusing the proprietor of this establishment of committing a criminal act that might have resulted in the intentional death of another individual.)

If you are looking for an outstandingly-prepared breakfast with friendly and humble service, dine alfresco at Uliveto on Bayswater Rd. The attention to flavour and detail there is outstanding. And they're just really nice people, with a very low turnover of staff.

Food:			Visit: Wed 14 February 2007 Mealtime: breakfast
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Posted by: planetorganic | 10 January 2007, 7.09pm

Yes the desserts were good but not one of the eight in the dinner party were overly impressed with the entrees and mains. I ordered the special and was served a very bloody chicken. When shown to the waiter, it was taken away and brought straight back with the message from the chef that "of course it is bloody, we only serve very young chickens, don't you know that young chickens should be have blood?" Eh? It was not cooked!!

Our meal was $80 a head (including $10 corkage per wine bottle) - one would expect more.

Food:			Visit: Wed 10 January 2007 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: CharlotteClaire | 21 November 2006, 2.20pm

We decided to take a discerning UK visitor to bills last week to show off what Sydney has to offer!

Although the place was busy, the very helpful manager quickly found us a table and we began trying to decide what to eat from the varied and tempting menu.

None of us regretted our decisions - from the delightful grilled scallops to the succulent lamb cutlets and light, fresh kingfish. The only problem was being too full to really do the divine chocolate pudding proper justice!

Can't wait for another excuse to head back again soon!

Food:			Visit: Wed 15 November 2006 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Unregistered user | 10 February 2006, 10.54am

Yeah the food was good, but $87 for 3 serves of pancakes, 3 very small juices and 3 sub-standard coffees. The coffee was the last thing we had and marked a very disappointing experience.

Good service, very attentive staff.

Food:			Visit: Wed 7 December 2005 Mealtime: breakfast
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