Salt Spray Dining Room

SALT SPRAY DINING ROOM

Holiday Inn

300 Esplanade, Sydney

Well, dear readers, our dining experience did not start off well.  The problem is that when the Holiday Inn took over the Delta Sydney, they renovated and holy smoke, did they ever renovate.

The first thing they forgot to do was to direct patrons to the new restaurant.  Yes, there is this lovely sign, but it is tucked away in the corner that is not even close to where the restaurant is located.

As a result, the over-worked Front Desk Receptionist, looking out over a line of tired but hopeful people with bookings and suitcases and small children, has to stop for a moment to direct restaurant patrons.


"Over by the elevators" she hollered.  Not much help, but I followed the tilt of her head and eventually found it after several wrong turns.

On my way, I had to pass this:

Whoever designed this new Holiday Inn has a thing for the 1960s.  I've been there, as they say, and I don't want to revisit it, especially when I'm eating.  It gets worse.

The dining room is metallic and bright, with mirrors on three of the walls.  We actually discussed the new design at length and Gwen made the wonderful comment that it is "soul-less".  There is nothing to make a person feel welcome - in fact, we decided that we could be in any hotel dining room anywhere in the world...in the 1960s.  Who wants that?

Fortunately,  the new design kept the old windows and so there still is that wonderful view of Sydney Harbour.  And it is really lovely, isn't it?

So by this point, we were not expecting a great meal.  The menu did not appear to be too exciting and the prices were a shade higher than we wanted to pay, "hotel pricing" is what you would call it.  We actually discussed leaving at this point - that is truly how discouraged we were.  But we had all had a long day and we were just too tired to get up and leave.

We began with cups of tea for some, a gin and tonic for another, and by sharing appetizers.  And this is when our dining experience turned a full 180 degrees.

Just look!

Thick French Onion Soup with chunks of bread and lots of cheese

Goat Cheese Dip with Corn Chips

The best Kettle Chips on the Planet (honestly) with a Garlic/Parmesan Cheese Dip

Yes, indeed, the Holiday Inn may have blundered big time with their choice of decor, but they have hired the Most Excellent Chef.  We all shared in each of the appetizers and we enjoyed it all.  If this was the beginnings, how good could the meal be?

Just look!

Sausage and Roasted Chicken Arrabiatta with Garlic Bread

Panfried Haddock with Newfoundland Scunchions and Baked Potato

Same as above but with Home Cut Fries, and yes, scunchions

By now, we were giddy with excitement!  The food was delicious and we couldn't have been happier with our decision to stay.  We ate it all - every mouthful - and then we asked about dessert, even though we were bursting at the seams and we didn't know how we'd ever make our way out of the restaurant, we just knew that dessert was going to be glorious.  We all ordered dessert.

And look again!

Blueberry Grunt - look at the Mason Jar, cute or what?

Creme Brulee with Whipped Cream and Chocolate on the side

Strawberry Shortcake - I know, eh? Fabulous presentation.

Mandarin Orange Cake with a warm orange sauce

Tea, lots of tea, in non-spilling White Bettys

 So we sat at our table for quite some time before we could move, but the view was relaxing and our server, Lee-Anne, did not hurry us along.  And we smiled at just how smart we were to stay and have dinner.

The moral of the story is, however, that the Holiday Inn has to retain their Most Excellent Chef to keep people coming back.  Should s/he decide to move on to say, the Camel Cafe, the Holiday Inn dining room will be just like every other over-priced and ugly hotel eatery.

In the meantime though, what a meal! What a truly lovely and wonderful surprise.