Mietta's Review
You've got to be impressed with the Hemmes' ability to put together packages that work for Sydney as demonstrated by the success of the many F & B outlets in 252 George St. The restaurant Est. mirrors the dimensions of the Establishment (bar)below but is fortunately a world away from the gigantic drinks scene played out at the base level of this establishment. The restaurant is in a typical 19th Century wharehouse space - very deep and narrow with supporting columns, excellent pressed metal ceiling, generous windows at each end. Unfortunately the addition of ductwork suspended beneath the Victorian ceiling manages to destroys the room's natural grandeur. If this worries you just keep your eyes firmly fixed on the plate where scenes of great beauty and depth of flavour are played out. Peter Doyle is unquestionably one of Sydney's best chefs and now relieved of the day to day pressures of running his own business he is blossoming. You will eat very well here at normal top end Sydney prices (mains in the $40s). The experience can be tempered by slightly uneven service. A problem somewhat ameliorated by the presence of sommelier, Franck Moreau - a true professional.

Other published opinions

The Australian A List, 50 Great Australian Restaurants, John Lethlean, Necia Wilden, 5-09-09 "Peter Doyle, one of Sydney's culinary godfathers, remains atthe height ofhispowers in this temple to fine dining in an upmarket CBI) hotel"

Courier Mail Food and Wine Guide 2009 Queensland "Calm, assured and creative are three words that fit Australian cooking hero Peter Doyle's food in these strikingly beautiful rooms in the original Bulletin ' magazine building"

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2009 Score: 18/20

Gourmet Traveller 2009 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: *** "It's not easy to feel exclusive these days. Cut through the madding crowd of Establishment's bar, check your name with the clip-boarding staff at the lift and be elevated to a state of rare refinement"

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 18/20

Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: *** "There's something t be said for restraint. And refinement. Both words describe the E $t"

Sydney Eats 2008 "If there were a prize for the calmest, most laid back veteran Sydney chef and founding father of the Sydney school, it'd be taken out by Peter Doyle"

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2007 Score: 18/20

Gourmet Traveller 2007 Restaurant Guide Score: *** "In a truly gracious dining room on the first floor of the Establishment complex, wait-staff deliver dishes en masse with a choreographed precision that extends to the food. Peter Doyle's deft, artful fare whispers rather than shouts but every syllable is emphatic."

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2006 score 18/20

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide *** "Apart from running the bouncer gauntlet outside the Establishment complex to gain entry to the beautifully appointed colonnaded dining room, the Est. experience is marked by bendover-backwards hospitality and utter assurance from the staff."

Sydney Eats 2006 "It's somehow fitting that one of Sydney's finest chefs has turned up in one of Sydney's finest buildings once home to the old Bulletin magazine when Henry Lawson was a regular contributor."

SBS Eating Guide to Sydney 2005 "It's such a fabulous space: a huge old upstairs room, high pressed-metal ceilings and cream walls. And we love the cooking of Peter Doyle, who blends a care for good produce with vivid combinations and superb flavours. The desserts are gorgeous and the wines great too."

Sydney Morning Herald Good Living Good Editors Favourites "Peter Doyle's crisp, sunny flavours, marrying classical technique with modern Australian joie de vivre, are embodied in his blue swimmer crab ravioli with a lemongrass dressing."

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2005

Gourmet Traveller Australian Restaurant Guide 2005 *** Good Wine List, Good Vegetarian Options "The lift delivers you into an elegant and richly appointed space, where waiters glide about tending to your every need. The tone is buzzy and nowhere near as formal as it might be, making for a relaxed dining experience as well as a delicious one."

Age GFG 2005

Sydney Eats 2005 "Some regard est. as the crowning achievement of chef Peter Doyle's 30 years in the trade. Everything about the place whispers quiet elegance, from the splendour of its heritage setting to the alert but not alarming service."

Sydney Morning Herald GFG 2004, score 18/20

Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004, 3 Red Stars, Excellent wine list, Good vegetarian options,'world-class food...The tone is elegant, not stuffy, and Doyle's uncluttered, seasonally driven food is a perfect compliment...service in non-intrusive and professional.It's a restaurant you'll want to return.'