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Nick's is awful, makes Doyle's seem great. I've only been there a couple of times because we were out on the boat and you can berth there and pick up a seafood platter. A seafood restaurant that does lamb souvlaki? The menu is busy enough to be a big warning sign that they may well do everything but they do nothing well. Cream in the carbonara too!
Mostly for the food. I found similar grilled barramundi down farther in Darling Harbor for half the price.
Salad was way overpriced and cheaper elsewhere. And service slipshod.
I suppose that I should have guessed Darling Harbor would be like that. Similar harbor restaurants in NYC are also to be avoided.
Nick's is awful, makes Doyle's seem great. I've only been there a couple of times because we were out on the boat and you can berth there and pick up a seafood platter. A seafood restaurant that does lamb souvlaki? The menu is busy enough to be a big warning sign that they may well do everything but they do nothing well. Cream in the carbonara too!
With a name like Nick's it is most likely to be Greek! Hence the lamb. But to be honest, all seafood restaurants that I know have a couple of non seafood options as a lot of people do not eat seafood.
I do not find cream in the carbonara strange. Italian food is so extremely diverse and regional that there are many ways to cook almost every dish..
Not defending the restaurant as I have not been there. But just looking online it was not what I would call expensive for Sydney. We pay the same at our local RSL.
I have been horrified at the prices on many of the restaurants menus I have been looking at for our upcoming American trip. Way over here in price, especially meat. Thinking that we will be living on food court offerings. Perhaps we might find some affordable places after all!
Mostly for the food. I found similar grilled barramundi down farther in Darling Harbor for half the price.
Salad was way overpriced and cheaper elsewhere. And service slipshod.
I suppose that I should have guessed Darling Harbor would be like that. Similar harbor restaurants in NYC are also to be avoided.
Cockle Bay used to be okay (which is where Nick's is) but all the better restaurants have moved further down to King Street Wharf and Barangaroo.
Cockle Bay used to be okay (which is where Nick's is) but all the better restaurants have moved further down to King Street Wharf and Barangaroo.
Cream in carbonara is a no no.
We haven't eaten carbonara since my husband got severe food poisoning from it in Dubai. Do you happen to know from where in Italy it originates? Is it traditionally made with just eggs? It is very commonly made with cream here in cheaper Italian restaurants.
With a name like Nick's it is most likely to be Greek! Hence the lamb. But to be honest, all seafood restaurants that I know have a couple of non seafood options as a lot of people do not eat seafood.
Have a look at the menu. Half the items are chicken/lamb/beef. I can appreciate a few non-seafood items, but it seems like one of those tourist trap restaurants that aims to cater to absolutely everybody.
ETA: My mistake, I was looking at their Bar and Grill menu not the seafood menu.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarisaAnna
We haven't eaten carbonara since my husband got severe food poisoning from it in Dubai. Do you happen to know from where in Italy it originates? Is it traditionally made with just eggs? It is very commonly made with cream here in cheaper Italian restaurants.
It's Roman. I doubt many Roman coalminers had the money for cream. You'd never find carbonara with cream in Italy. tbh, you'd be hard pressed to find cream in any authentic Italian pasta recipe. It's at about the same level as trying to order a Hawaiian pizza. (I happen to like Hawaiian pizza though!)
It's Roman. I doubt many Roman coalminers had the money for cream. You'd never find carbonara with cream in Italy. tbh, you'd be hard pressed to find cream in any authentic Italian pasta recipe. It's at about the same level as trying to order a Hawaiian pizza. (I happen to like Hawaiian pizza though!)
It's purportedly Roman but my reasoning is that if with the cream you really missing the point of carbonara which is the bacon and egg taste, to get the creaminess a bit of the pasta water as you are mixing in the cheese will do it.
The problem here with Italian food is that if the simple style often served in Italy is served here, non-Italians often feel cheated. I remember my father, in the days when Italian food was becoming popular, eating all the topping and leaving the pasta!
So if you read reviews of pizza restaurants where the more authentic Italian style pizzas are served, the reviews divide into two camps. Half think it is wonderful that authentic pizza is served and the other half feel ripped off as there was no decent topping. In the end, restaurants are a business, with plenty of competition. So they often end up serving what people want to eat.
The problem here with Italian food is that if the simple style often served in Italy is served here, non-Italians often feel cheated. I remember my father, in the days when Italian food was becoming popular, eating all the topping and leaving the pasta!
So if you read reviews of pizza restaurants where the more authentic Italian style pizzas are served, the reviews divide into two camps. Half think it is wonderful that authentic pizza is served and the other half feel ripped off as there was no decent topping. In the end, restaurants are a business, with plenty of competition. So they often end up serving what people want to eat.
That's all true, but tends to be at the cheaper end of the spectrum. If you're using quality guanciale why would you want to drown it in cream? On the other hand if you're using the cheapest cut of bacon cream is cheap flavour enhancer, and fills the dish out. It sort of defeats the purpose when the primary strength of Italian food is using amazing, fresh ingredients and not doing too much to them. One of the biggest things I have against Italian-American food is it's usually very overprocessed with outrageous amounts of cheese, unless you're at the fine dining end.
One of the biggest things I have against Italian-American food is it's usually very overprocessed with outrageous amounts of cheese, unless you're at the fine dining end.
I don't think it's a high end thing, it's more of steering clear of the likes of Olive Garden and the like. The local Italian is great at the simple ingredients done well.
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