Janus - LINDFIELD

I am a regular patron of her excellent cafe, just a few meters away in the foyer of the Chifley Tower, so the restaurant that is hidden among the escalators tried. Good decor with beautiful ambience. Welcome to the staff. Crab linguine about $30) good...not big portion. Snapper $34) and ravioli $29) also ordered, but two snappers were released. Her mistake was recognized, but that the Ravioli would take 20 minutes, so that the Snapper was graciously accepted as OK by my friend. Complimentary glass of wine brought as an apology, but 3 women at noon where only 1 glass of wine had been ordered had not to have a lazy lunch so it was left untouched. Too bad that made no effort to make the Snapper complementary or even to the gesture of charging the lower) price of what had been ordered. We were the only ones in the restaurant after we had finished coffee, and many attempts to catch the eye of one of the 6 employees standing at the counter were unsuccessful until there were violent wavings. With a slightly lighter menu perhaps some essential salads) and improved service Janus could be packed at noon and an alternative to the very popular Azuma above.

The concept at this restaurant is straightforward: feed customers as slowly as possible, serving literal spoonfuls of food until they are no longer hungry. We are not big eaters by any means, but after 2 hours, we were still waiting for our food (along with 2 other couples who were already seated when we arrived). The location is great and the restaurant itself is very nice, but I doubt many people would give it a second chance. Zero stars.

Next, we were able to sample a selection of meats cooked over the wood fire. While the quality of the food was good, we were disappointed to receive only small portions of meat that left us waiting for more. As a result, most of us ended up with only a little salad on our plates for the evening due to slow service and small portions of meat served by the waiters. The restaurant was accommodating for our large group, allowing us to order drinks at the bar and bringing a birthday cake without charging a fee. They were also attentive to a party member's allergy, preparing special dishes for them. The restaurant itself was nicely decorated and spacious, though some of the chairs at our table were broken. Overall, we were underwhelmed by the experience and felt that the marketing as an All You Can Eat Brazilian BBQ was misleading. If we had paid the full price of $40 per person without the voucher, we would have been disappointed. The service was slow and the portions were small, not living up to our expectations of a traditional Brazilian BBQ restaurant. We would not return.

I mistakenly thought I had made a reservation at Concrete Blonde, but it turned out to be Janus. Despite my mix-up, I was pleasantly surprised by the fusion of Italian and Brazilian cuisine at the restaurant. It was busy and lively with plenty of space, which was great for a dinner with friends. The open kitchen was a nice touch, especially the roasted sucking pig on display. Although the food was good overall, my friend found her lamb dish to be disappointing. My partner and I shared a decent Mille Feuille dessert. The total bill for drinks and dinner came to just over $200 for the four of us.

We went to Janus for Mothers Day and were absolutely blown away with the quality of both the service and the food. I have been to several Brazilian BBQ restaurants across Sydney and it is by far the most sophisticated and delicious! The waiters are...friendly efficient. The pork belly slow roasted lamb are to die for...not to mention the short ribs and barramundi. In fact, there was nothing about this place that we were not thoroughly impressed by. We will undoubtedly return!