Bistro Manly

We made a reservation and were greeted promptly when we arrived. Neave took a great care of our table throughout the dinner service. She always checked in but not overly attentive. She recommended some great dishes. We had the soup of the day (Broccoli and Cheddar), Oysters to start. They were fresh and delicious. The mains arrived very shortly after our entrées were cleared. The highlights of our mains were the lamb rack - cooked very nicely and paired beautifully with the sides. The pork was a little underwhelming in terms of flavour. We’d give other dishes a fair go next time. To end the meal, I’d highly recommend the Alaska Bomb en flambé was the highlight and the flame was put on the show in front of us. Overall a pleasant experience although the restaurant manager could be more friendly and welcoming.

Service is good, oysters are super fresh and perfectly sized, calamari unfortunately the last couple of times has been salty, the seafood ravioli was delicious, and the steak was great! Would defiantly be back again only downside is being in a beachside location I would of liked to see more grilled seafood options like the other beachside Accor restaurants and hotels.

The Bistrol Manly is a standard place you'd go when staying in Novotel. The night we visited, we were excited for what it would be. Howevere it turned out it needed a little more to satisfy expectations. The seared scallop was great in flavours. A dish that I enjoyed much for the night. The soup of the day was a little overwhelmed with pepper as I thought it became the main flavour. The fish of the day pan roasted (snapper) was overcooked. It had just enough flavours to chill through the entire dish. The duck a l'orange was pleasing at first sight. The side flavours were alright. However, the duck itself needed a lot more flavours. The side flavours helped a little to save the duck. Then there was 20 mins of wait with no waiter bringing a dessert menu. We were lacking attention as a group got everyone's eyes on it. When we finally got the dessert sorted, glad it wasn't too bad. The chocolate bombe had a flame poured on it as it was served on the table. It became a highlight for the meal. I was happy with the kids meal. They were satisfying the kids and tasted well - perhaps a little better than some dishes above. Overall, we were hoping for more from this highly rated restaurant. Not sure if I'd return for a second time.