Kneading Ruby

Never thought I’d knead this experience, this jewel of a venue, so befitting of the gem type within its name. Oh but what’s in a name? How doth you embrace the breeze of flavours, cultivating in your factory system? You can but pray for plates full to be of many carbs, some devoid of gluten, but filled with hearty meats and vegetables. Come hither, and discover a good wench to feed your drooling desires.

We opted for Kneading Ruby for a spontaneous date night and whilst the staff and venue were super lovely, there were a few let downs on the night. We ordered the garlic bread, prosciutto pizza, gnocchi, a deconstructed apple crumble and a couple of glasses of vino of course! To our surprise, the pizza was without a red base so instantly was not as expected. It was a beautiful base but just not exactly what we wanted. We ordered the gnocchi due to the popularity and whilst the gnocchi was technically brilliant, I just couldn’t enjoy the flavours. There is an overall flavour of meat in the dish but none whatsoever in the meal itself. I noticed in other photos, people seem to be served pieces of pancetta however ours had more of a crumb. I found it unenjoyable. The deconstructed apple crumble was a bit of a mess in how it was served. The crumb and the apple were beautiful but there was almost too much of the soy “custard” which was an odd flavoured, grainy mousse. The technical aspects of the food were great overall, but the flavours not really to our liking. The final element which really left a poor taste in our mouth was, as our server presented us with the eftpos machine to pay, she asked us directly “would you like to leave a tip for wait staff?”. I’ve dined in thousands of hospitality venues in tens of countries and I’ve not once been asked directly whether or not I’d like to give a tip. The option is always available and as we know, in some countries expected but being asked directly was quite awkward.

Two beautiful very old doors open to a rustic heaving environment. We were warmly welcomed, seated then selected from an excellent choice of items on the chalkboard menu. The service was attentive and the food especially the pizza was delicious. We will book again in a couple of weeks when we visit Wollongong.