The Point Restaurant

Posted by: lloydie73 | 24 May 2012, 8.59pm

I'd heard that The Point had been rejuvenated: The place had a reputation for it's setting - which enhanced the cuisine. Knowing some of the names responsible for the rejuvenating effort, I thought it might be a good choice for a special celebration.

I was not disappointed: The creativity and playfulness of each dish of the degustation was perfectly complemented by wines matched superbly and without restraint.

overall there was a distinct balance between service, style, ambience, finery, tastes & textures, atmosphere and setting. I'd rate it amongst the finest dining experiences that one can have in Melbourne.

Food:			Visit: Sat 28 April 2012 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: chanel11 | 12 May 2011, 3.13pm

The food looked lovely on the plate but some dishes were hit and miss, the favourite for me was the slow poached egg, soft polenta, truffle, brioche crumbs. Despite being 1/3 full the food was quite slow to come out.

I too must point out that I would have preferred the temperature to be a little warmer considering the abysmal weather outside and the fact most patrons ended up keeping their jackets on.

Food:			Visit: Tue 3 May 2011 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: Toast Rack | 29 June 2010, 9.40am

Despite looking forward to dining here after a great brunch experience last year, our meal was very disappointing.

The Coffin Bay oysters (both natural and Rockefeller) were big and tough, and tasted more like mussels than oysters. Each one took quite a chew to get down. Unlike any other Coffin Bay oysters I've had, which I usually love.

My medium-rare Wagyu porterhouse special was tough beyond belief. My partner's was the same. Only about 1cm thick, it was crisped on the outside and pink-red in the middle as you would expect, but the meat itself was chewy and sinuey throughout. In the end I had to send it back. They replaced it with an eye fillet which was pleasant but nothing amazing.

On the upside, the service was excellent (although it was a quiet Monday night), wine assistance spot on and the view and atmosphere great.

Food:			Visit: Mon 28 June 2010 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: Tohey | 6 September 2009, 2.58pm

I ate at The Point last night and was personally disappointment with my main, which was the Wagyu Porterhouse.

Being the most expensive dish and a Wagyu cut, I had higher expectations for my main, but it turned out to be undercooked and honestly I've had better steak for less elsewhere.

My brother ordered the Wagyu also, he asked for it to be done Medium Rare. Mine was supposed to be done Medium, but mine was clearly undercooked to my liking and when compared to my brothers Medium Rare, mine was definitely not medium! It was undercooked compared to his. Everybody on the table agreed.

So I asked the waiter and notified him that I was unhappy at how my steak turned out but he assured me and said: This is definitely done medium.

If a waiter gives an answer like that, what am I left to say? Either I'm an idiot that is wrong and should just shut up and eat his steak, or I be an idiot and tell you you're wrong. Either way, I lose.

I think he should have offered it to be cooked again, or offered another. Not imply that I am wrong.

I'm a steak kind of guy so I do know my steak.
Anyway, I just ate a bit more and left the rest of the steak and decided to sign up here and write a review based on my experience... as this is the only fair way of judging a restaurant anyway! No point making a scene, or arguing with them. That's not me.

Anyway, to give a fair review the highlight of the experience was the side. The King Edward Potato Champ is fantastic.
In saying this though, it is quite sad that a Side is better than the Main.

I don't think I will ever come back again.
Not worth it.

In short summary: The place is a rip.
I'm not being cheap, but when you get mediocre for premium price, then I will say it as it is.

Oh and I forgot to mention the service. Based on the waiters opinion about my steak was only one of the downsides of service. They were definitely understaffed. It took over 10 minutes just to get their attention and to even make an order.
Other than that I didn't really have any other problems with the service. It was just quite slow overall.

Thanks for reading.

Food:			Visit: Sat 5 September 2009 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: kiwifire | 4 December 2008, 9.45am

We booked a table for two earlier in the day, and plumped for the earlier sitting... but that in no way excuses us having to wait 15 minutes in the cooling stairwell, what happened to the offer of a drink at the bar?

Our assigned table (first in the door, in front of the waiters pass), would have been OK had the place been full, but as I said we were first in.

I enquired if we could have a window table (after all the view is nice), informed window tables are for people who book months in advance and not on the same day ... with a 'oh don't let it ruin your evening' jibe. Sorry but the aforementioned stairwell did that already! We were placed at a window table with the provision we vacate by 7.30pm.

We both went straight for mains, special for the lady and pasture feed King Island for myself. Now this is where the night took a turn, the food was fantastic! Cooked to perfection and with the accompanying truffle mash full of flavour.

With time ticking way and the waitron hovering to turn over the table, we shared the Petit Fours over our coffee, the cheque arriving before we had finished or asked for.

Overall what could have been a great meal was ruined by the attitude of the staff. Having moved from Sydney, I wasn't expecting to get Sydney service.

Food:			Visit: Sat 29 November 2008 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: FOOD OBSESSION | 2 November 2008, 1.52pm

Well, this has been my FAVOURITE place for the past 8 years. Unfortuantely, due to the prices, I can only go about once per year or even less.
ive been about 6 times in total, the first 5 times have been

PERFECT!!!
The best atmosphere I have ever been to, perfect service, perfect food, perfect experience, can't put a foot wrong 5 Stars All the way, the only thing they could have done is to pick me up in a limousine!:)

However, my last experience earlier this year was surprisingly bad.
Service was pretty bad, 10-15 minutes to be given menus/drinks menus once we sat down, water was never refilled, had to ask, waiters/waitresses never seemed to be around, steaks weren't cooked very well, and was very very average, found it tough, I had had a $22-24 steak in a Crown restaurant the night before (which I won't mention) and I found that to be better.

Overall, I was quite disappointed by my last experience, it could have been a once off, however, all my positive experiences outweigh this negative one, I surely will go back again soon, and if it another perfect experience, I will just write the last one off as a one in a million........

Until then I won't give any stars as by reading a few of the recent reviews shows that it could have possibly slipped a few grades in recent times, possibly due to the sale of the business recently.. but time will tell! and Ill add another review when I go again!

Food:			Visit: Thu 1 May 2008 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: white_poplar | 28 March 2008, 2.03pm

We arrived at the Point for dinner and to sample their delicious steak. Having been there before, I had high hope that the meal would be good. However, the food was a bit disappointing.

For entree, we had ragout of lentil (hubby) and jerusalem artichoke veloute (me). The lentil was nice but a bit salty towards the end. I had the same problem with my soup.

For main, I ordered rump steak with sweetbreads. It came out as huge portion and I couldnt quite finish mine. The steak was a bit tough and overcooked although I requested medium rare. My hubby ordered wagyu steak which was excellent. He wasn't sure if the Asian coleslaw went well with it though.

Desserts were ok but nothing very special. My husband liked his pavlova with mango and passionfruit. I ordered banana souffle, which was served with chocolate suace and ice cream. A bit too sweet and uninteresting.

In terms of service, it was smoother and better than our last visit. But the food could have been better for sure. I feel that the tasting menu has the best they offer, so you should order something from there!

Food:			Visit: Thu 27 March 2008 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: Eagerdiner | 24 August 2007, 3.31pm

The trip to this restaurant was to be one of the highlights for two out-of-towners and two locals who wanted to treat us to Melbourne fine dining. Our experience at The Point was disappointing from start to nearly finish - the only saving grace was the dessert, which was delicious.
To start with, we arrived at the restaurant 20 minutes early for our booking. The waiter advised us that the table was not ready, which we accepted even though we could see several tables that were free. The waiter advised us to wait in the lounge area which only seated 4 people and was already occupied. The food this evening was average. The steaks were very impressive, and perhaps that is the strong point of the restaurant, but all other meals were disappointing. One pasta dish tasted rubbery and dry. The wine list took a good 10 minutes to arrive, at which point water was offered. The water was never refreshed during the meal.
The views from this restaurant are lovely, and the restaurant is cosy and modern. The Point could do so much better, however, if they simply improved their service. The service was absolutely appalling this evening. For the prices on the menu, a high level of service could be expected, but The Point failed in that respect.

Food:			Visit: Sat 18 August 2007 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: KIM100 | 7 May 2007, 12.57pm

This was the second visit to The Point and we were far from impressed. Service was appalling, clearly understaffed. We all ordered steaks - they were not cooked as requested (4 requested medium rare and the other requested medium, they were all rare). The steaks were also cold and we had to wait a substantial amount of time for the sides and sauces to be delivered to our table. We constantly had to ask for drinks and the wine list and our water was never refilled. Dessert menus were given to us but no-one wanted to take our order so we decided to ask for the bill and leave. The bill was delivered promptly!
It felt like we were not in any waiter's section and left to fend for ourselves.

Food:			Visit: Sat 5 May 2007 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: spmc | 4 May 2007, 11.15pm

What a wonderful experience from start to finish, the staff were polite and very professional at all times. The food was outstanding! We will be back.

Food:			Visit: Fri 4 May 2007 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:

Posted by: chanel11 | 25 March 2007, 11.03am

When we arrived it was absolutely freezing outside,and unfortunately our table was seated underneath an airconditioning vent - my partner asked our waiter if it was possible to have it turned off - but to no avail. The whole time we ate our fingers were numb, hence we didn't linger for very long. We could barely hear our waiter and were left waiting 20 minutes before he came back to take our orders - they seemed to be understaffed (I must mention that at one stage another waiter tended to us and he was delightful, even cracked a few jokes).

The food however was superb. I had a goats cheese ravioli and my partner had a minute steak with a blue cheese sauce that he raved about. Our dessert also shone - a mango and passionfruit souffle with coconut sorbet and tropical fruits - DELICIOUS.

Food:			Visit: Sat 24 March 2007 Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere: