Number 8 restaurant and wine bar

Posted by: Miltonp | 28 December 2009, 10.55pm

Dinner for Two. Seated at 8.00pm. Ordered Two cocktails...delivered at 8.40pm...saw sitting on Bar for 10 minutes getting warm. We were upstairs. Maitre'd eventually brought them up (after we asked)...no apologies.Waiter complained they were short staffed....not my problem...theirs.!! Gave up on wine order...Wine List never arrived. Food good....but sooooo slow... This is supposed to be a world class restaurant in a world class environment (Crown Casino)............but alas...a very sorry 31st. Wedding Anniversary Dinner. Never again.

Food:			Visit: Mon 28 December 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: FOOD OBSESSION | 23 December 2009, 11.38pm

After reading a few of the recent reviews I was a bit skeptical of Number 8. I dine out quite a bit but for some reason Number 8 I have only been 3 times in 10 years, and the first time it was called "The Duck".

I had the entertainment book so I could have got a main course for free up to the value of $40 and I also had the option of the 2 pretheatre options, which was $39.50 for Entree + Main from a quite limited list or the $110 Seafood platter for two.

However, when I arrived there, to add to my confusion/delight, I was also offered the special menu which consisted of any Entree + Main (except the special ones) + side dish + 2 glasses of wine + Tea/Coffee for $65. I don't actually recall if this had to be ordered by a special time but it was only available on Mon-Wed, and I also noticed the Brasserie next door was doing it, when I was leaving.

Entree I had the Wagyu Carpaccio and for main had the Angus Sirloin.

Overall the entree was brilliant, steak quality was great however, it was just a brown steak with brown sauce with a brown assortment of caramalised onions, so presentation was a bit lacking,

service was quite good, not perfect, eg dishes were a bit slow getting removed, water top ups slow, atmosphere, I must say didn't do it for me, sort of plain, sort of lacked identity and was a bit dull, and everyone was a bit rushed possibly due to the pretheatre crowd.

Overall, I will try again, although I didn't use the entertainment card, $65 for all of those goodies was good enough for me.

Food:			Visit: Wed 23 December 2009
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Posted by: Steffche | 29 September 2009, 10.57am

When seated the waiter asked "would you like still water or sparkling?" to which I replied "still please"..only to find that it ended up costing me $12! One would assume that if the waiter is asking you what type of water you would like, that it would be a complimentary glass of water, since I hadn't order it!

I ordered a Black Angus sirloin cooked medium, and it cost me around $42 plus $6.50 for the side serve of fries. When I started cutting into it, I thought the knife was blunt, as I struggled to carve through what seemed to be a tough piece of meat. I swapped knives with my wife to see if it was the knife..but no..same thing. It seemed to be cooked to medium, not overdone..still pink and a very slight run of blood, but yet it was tough and chewy. Certainly not what one would expect after paying $42 bucks for it.

At no stage during our meal did any waiter come over and ask if everything was ok (normally I dont like it what they do anyway, but on this occasion I really wanted to let someone know that I was not happy). My wife's steak was quite good I should mention, and it was the cheaper cut at $39.

Finally when the waitress decided to come and clear our plates, I couldn't resist the urge to give some honest feedback. Granted, she apologised and offered to bring the chef out to have a chat with me, to which I replied "I don't think it was the chef's fault, as it had been cooked to my request of medium, but the quality of the meat was to blame instead". She offered a complimentary dessert, which DID end up being, well...complimentary!

Food:			Visit: Sun 27 September 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: dansthyarra | 15 August 2009, 11.17pm

I had occasionally wandered past Number 8; it's one of the enduring Crown restaurants, so I thought it was time to give it a go...
The staff have all the attitude of a sliver service, world class restaurant, but basically it just doesn't cut it!
1. The basics. The wine we ordered with our entree arrived AFTER we had finished the entree.
2. Our waitress was seriously stressed dealing with a party of about 20 in addition to her other tables... in a serious restaurant??? Surely they could afford to dedicate staff to the party table to ensure the rest of us are served in a timely and attentive manner.
3. The deserts are... boring. In fact the whole menu is... pedestrian. There is nothing on the menu that you cannot get somewhere else,and probably better.
That's not to say I did not enjoy the food... but I also enjoy pizza... The place is just not special. And yet the staff faff about as if they are special. They are not! Rather than fussing about with the 'table-cloth swap' ritual between customers, concentrate on serving the customers while they are there!!!

Food:			Visit: Sat 15 August 2009 Mealtime: dinner
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Posted by: Eddicat | 20 January 2009, 6pm

My first experience was to reconnoitre this place for an upcoming celebration lunch. I started with Salt and Pepper Calamari, slabs of which were lightly floured and fried, served in an iceberg lettuce cup with tomato and lime compote - 10/10 best I've ever had! Followed this with the High Country Rib Eye - 8/10. The steak would've got higher mark if it was cooked to my liking. I asked for medium (to test their ability to follow instructions) but it was quite rare at the thickest part. However I was impressed that a waitress saw me checking it out and came immediately over to see if anything was all right. She offered politely and very apologetically to fix it but I declined as I prefer medium-rare anyway. The steak was not even thickness so pretty hard to cook evenly. Everything else about the rib eye was first class - the flavour, the texture, the red wine and onion sauce.

Two free dips (beetroot, spicy pumpkin) came with the bread (ciabatta) which was served as soon as I sat down. Iced water was served without delay and without having to ask. A glass of Mr Riggs Shiraz Voignier, which was nearly the cheapest glass of red, was an outstanding drop I thought. It would want to be at $12.50 a glass!! Seems their entry level wines are not rubbish like some.

As you can tell I was super impressed and it seemed to live up to its reputation. The dining room is a very relaxed and unpretentious space and it filled up quickly after 1pm. The staff were all very good - I had three different people serve me - from the moment I walked in, which can be rare these days. My two course lunch with drinks cost $62 (lunch special $39.5, Stella $10, Wine $12.5) which was pretty good considering the steak alone is on the menu for $38.5. A side of potatoes was included in the special also.

Needless to say I booked this for our event and it went off without a hitch. Food was excellent once again and the staff were fantastic. Could not recommend No.8 more highly if you are after a great meal and service at reasonable prices - especially the lunch deal.

Food:			Visit: Fri 19 September 2008 Mealtime: lunch
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Posted by: Melbourneite | 13 October 2008, 12.47pm

At my suggestion several of us (8) visited Number 8 Grand Final Eve. Despite the fact I had booked a week in advance, we were seated upstairs in a corner with zero atmosphere. The lunch time special was great but what we saved on food was soon spent on over priced drinks. The food was faultless but it was very disappointing that our sides were served at the end of our meal after we had finished our mains.

Food:			Visit: Fri 26 September 2008 Mealtime: lunch
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Posted by: I_LIKEA_TO_EATA | 23 April 2008, 12.38pm

I have been to Number 8 several times for Sunday Champagne lunch and I will keep going back. They have recently reduced the price to $105 per head and changed the Champagne from Moet to Mumm.
Basically it is a three-course lunch with a side per person and free flowing Champagne from 12-4pm. What a bargain. And what's more the food is always good. Not the best. No show stoppers. Just good reliable food. I love it.

Food:			Visit: Sun 13 April 2008 Mealtime: lunch
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