Good old Mum and Pop team running this establishment. After passing it every day for nearly 3…read moreyears, I thought my wife's birthday would be a good occasion to test it out. My expectations where extremely high and i must say, they where exceeded. I had the cannelloni, mum had the fish in tomato source, dad struggled to finish his Veal Parmigiana, my wife some creamy meat and our 3 year old enjoyed putting endless parmesan on her penne Bolognese. Nothing like home cooked meals, if you cook at home like this, adopt me. It is in the old school building in St. Ives, which makes it already extra special. Free standing building with outdoor seating as well as kitsch Italian indoor room. Parking never a problem, the atmosphere really throws you back to a time where medici ruled over the north. This is NOT a modern Italian restaurant or some fusion thingy. If you ever been to Tuscany, the low lands what is Venecia, if you ever ran through Verona and screamed loud Julia at 3 in the morning, than this restaurant is for you. It does not get any more authentic than this.

More than just a restaurant with great views. It'starts with crossing the scenic Hawksbury river on…read morethe regular punt. The generous seafood smorgasbord is filled with prawns, oysters, mussels and smoked salmon. Then the next plate is hot stuff battered fish, calamari and some none seafood dishes. And then .... you get it. I visited last Friday to discover there was free wine tasting, excellent. Only complaint ...... I was driving!

Beautiful views and decor. The seafood buffet for lunch was fresh and plentiful. Thoroughly enjoyed…read moreby our friends from Switzerland.

My better half took me here yesterday for an early birthday celebration. It was a surprise, and…read morewhat a fantastic night. If you want to impress the hell out of someone, or if you want to treat someone to a truly special dining experience, then you must go here! The night started with the (well worth it) 50 minute drive to the wharf to catch the ferry to the restaurant. No driving directly to this place. You board their private ferry, and take short ride to their private dock, all while enjoying the beauty of the Hawkesbury river and its lush landscape. Another option is to take a sea plane (imagine the brownie points you would get for adding that to the night!). We arrived just after 7. It was the perfect time to arrive, as the lighting created this picture perfect setting to gaze at. Arriving earlier in the evening, you get to experience sunset/dusk and feel the ambiance of the restaurant change from a well lit water front establishment, to an intimate, modern, homey feeling fine dining icon. The staff were friendly and genuine on arrival as they greeted us, and took us promptly to our table. There isn't a bad seat in the house here. We started with a glass of champagne. Gosset seems to be the house pour, and was a welcome start to the dinner for us! For those who don't know, Gosset is the oldest winery in Champagne. Staff here know how to make sure you have the fine balance of privacy, mixed with highly (yet unobtrusive) attentive service. There is no massive menu to flip through here. Everyone has the 7 course degustation dinner, and the staff make sure to inquire about any potential food allergies or sensitivities. As for the wines, you can get the paired wines for $75, which were (mostly) perfectly paired. I Think there was one that I had a "meh" reaction to, otherwise, I was pleasantly amused with the changing characteristics of each wine when tasted before the plate arrived, and after the first bite. For those that want more control over their wine selection, they had a impressive looking cellar, but I forgot to ask to look at the list, as my partner was the designated driver for the night. They seem to have a selection of spirits, but I was never offered an after dinner beverage, which really surprised me. There were also no supplemental dishes. I'm a sucker for supplementals, and usually like to start my evening out with a martini, manhattan, or old fashioned, or end it with a good ol' scotch. The menu had apparently just changed earlier that week. They love their play on words here, with courses such as "Tomatoes", and "Beef, Onions, and Tarragon". Rest assured, there is nothing simple on the plate, but rather a perfectly balanced creation that left you wanting more. My favourite was the short rib (Beef, Onions and Tarragon). Desserts were very nice, but as I explained to our server, I am one of those who love my desserts to be like a professional boxer. Rich, and knocks your socks off. A cheesecake, a chocolate masterpiece, or a cheese plate are some of my favourites, so this was my only disappointment of the night, and it was minor at that. Chef and Owner Brian Geraghty could be seen (and heard) working with an intensity and passion for perfection in the kitchen, inspecting every plate before it was taken to its guests. It was almost a bit of pressure, as you could see him looking out over the pass to, waiting to see if you were enjoying his creations. I gave him my thumbs up, and was pleased to see him smile for the first time since we had arrived. I'm one of those who love to have the chef visit the table and discuss the concept or inspiration for the menu, or the sourcing of the ingredients. I suppose its because my partner is a trained chef, and we enjoy that banter. I was surprised that he didn't make the rounds, as there are only about 12(?) tables in the house. The only negative that really stuck out for me, was one of the servers, was the sloppiest pourer ever. Each time he refilled out water, he seemed to pour a good amount on the table. It appeared to be a combination of a) staring at something else while pouring, and b) forgetting the ever important step of tilting the bottle upright before you pull your arm back towards your body. Sadly, we were not staying the night at one of the many places along the river, so we reluctantly left Berowra Waters Inn, taking the ferry back to the wharf, enjoying the last little bit of romance before getting back in the car to drive home. I will be back, maybe for a nice winter menu full of comfort dishes?

Berowra Waters Inn markets itself as a peaceful, serene dining experience accessible only by a…read moreriver. Unfortunately, my experience wasn't as calming as what the marketing makes it out to be. Unless if you have a boat or seaplane, you will need to use the restaurant's boat to get across to the restaurant - it costs $1 per person the boat ride each way (so $2 per person altogether) - and they show this fee as a line item on the bill! For a restaurant that serves only one fixed-price degustation menu, you'd think the $2 could be incorporated into the cost of the meal. Leaves a rather cheap impression on diners. End rant. The food was fresh and high quality. There was also an issue with my food intolerance (goats cheese, which I advised the staff of at the start) - I was served dessert which was a cannoli stuffed full of goat's cheese. This was replaced with an empty cannoli shell less than a minute later. A hatted restaurant should have back-up options for people with food intolerances.

I'm from Las Vegas,here on vacation.. I can truly say, absolutely the best steak I've ever had in…read moremy life.. I've had the world famous Morton's steak and it doesn't come close to the steak I just had tonight .. The staff and the owner were amazing.. Definitely coming back before I leave next week..

This place is awesome! If you want authentic Chinese food for some seriously great prices, then…read morethis is the place for you. I personally think this is the best place to eat in Hornsby. Now this is not a place for you to go to a date - it is a no-frills kind of place. But if you want good food and seriously crap prices then this is the place for you. He service is fast and the food is great. Honestly order anything with pork in it. Every dish is great. I love this stuff. The also do a lot of other stuff, but nothing bets the pork dishes. If you are vegetarian they have a whole veggie section. But no where near as good as the meat. I haven't tried the dumplings but people say they are awesome. So you can try your luck.

Great find, fast, tasty and hearty Chinese food across the road from the train station…read more I had the beef noodle soup with soy sauce egg, warmed me up on a chilly evening. Other specialties include dumplings, pork buns and gungbao chicken. Great value, and the best customer service from the friendly staff! Well worth a try if you're in the area

Want pizza or tasty Italian food and there's a group of you, try Bivianos. This restaurant is…read morefantastic if you are having a birthday party or anniversary and you don't want to make a mess at home. They have a wood-fired oven and they make great pizzas, they love kids (although a lot of the customers don't) and they allow some byo. They also service very tasty meals - Italian based, lots of cream sauces. They have a lot of space and can hold about 150 people - in the restaurant and function space combined. They deliver, always important for a pizza place but on the weekend the service is a little slow because they are so busy. Great Pizza's!!!!

I have eaten at Biviano's a few times lately and i'm impressed…read more Our party of 4 dined here again last night and our experience was fautless. We all had different entrees & mains and the food was first class. Service is seamless & highly professional. Biviano's is really doing it well at present and congrats to the owner and i can highly recommend this restaurant which is something i don't do often

Located in a nursery in Dural, NSW is this gem of a cafe, Wild Pear serving delicious breakfast of…read more homemade pastries and beignets woth mascarpone and candied apples, a sumptuous and delicious spanner crab omelet with that side of an amazing salad, and a delicious cup of flat white coffee it's a perfect way to get our day started.

The food was ordinary for the price. Out of a party of 6, 3 ordered the Reuben sandwich which was…read moresloppy and a real struggle to eat without cutlery. They all arrived with super soggy wet rye bread and corned beef that was like eating shoe leather. The corn fritters, flathead and smashed avocado were delicious. The service was good except that we had to ask for so many things which weren't asked about when ordering or provided up front; such things as serviettes, sugar for coffee, cutlery and salt/pepper. We all thought that this cafe was overrated and a bit up itself for what was on offer.

New owners. Why do people think they can just buy someone…read moreelse's business and inherit the feel that goes with a well run restaurant? The new guys may have money but they don't have the same passion. Lazy. I am really sad to see the old guys go, I loved this place and it was so close. Thank god for Cooks Garden at North Turramurra, and for Kiplings.

Where on earth do I start with this one? Entertain me for a moment - the Butchers Block is like…read morethat 70 yo who has lived his whole life living and breathing meats, years of experience has taught him what works and what doesnt. The Butchers Apprentice on the other hand is just that ... the apprentice, the young kid eager to learn the classics from dad but with his own spin on how to "butcher". For me, the look and feel of this place was outstanding from that first moment we walked in. George kindly greeted us and walked us to our table outside in the garden section of the Butchers Block - this of course is standard practice given its such a busy restaurant. There is so much around for your eyes to focus on ... the most outstanding piece of course is the handle to the bathroom door made from the original meat cleaver from 1882 used in the butcher that resided here prior to George and Anthony setting up shop themselves. The food and service was exceptional ... Candied bacon (on the house), Persian baked feta, dry chips (sweet potato, potato, taro), honey candied walnut carrots, oven roasted potatoes (on the house), salmon belly with beetroot meringue OHMY, pork cheek with fairy floss, marscapone broccoli, caprese salad with a basil jelly - A BASIL JELLY YO !!!!! I just about died !!! And the kicker?? All 3 desserts ON THE HOUSE ... yes this night was practically free .. chocolate panacotta, smashed macaron and some gorgeous pear dessert. For a birthday dinner, yes, I may have left a year older, but I tell you what, I left EONS happier.