The Village

Recent refurbishment has really lifted the quality of The Village and it is clear that they are trying to attract a different level of clientele.
Food is now in the style of sharing plates which are both flavoursome and substantial.
The lamb is outstanding and even the simple fare of pizzas etc has a gourmet feel to it.
Definitely worth a visit with new staff and management providing excellent service.

AHHHH-​MAAAA-​ZINGGGG!
Such a beautiful venue, service was great, share plates are perfect to share with friends and super tasty. A great place in this area that you can come for a sophisticated yet relaxed dinner and drink.

5 stars for the food, 3 for the service. Averaged, that comes down to 4 stars. I bought a food voucher from LivingSocial worth $ 40. I was supposed to dine with a friend but she bailed on me, so I ended up eating alone. I ordered the filet mignon ($ 29) with Autumn beet root mixed vegetables side ($ 9) — best decision I could have made! It was $ 5 pizza night so I felt a little cheated, but my meal was exquisite. I’m into well-​done steaks (bring on the hate!) and they did it perfectly. The gravy, homemade garlic butter, and sauce were beautiful. The mixed vegetables side went perfectly with it too. I just really wished the cook and waiters had treated me with more respect. They kept looking over at me as if checking if I’m done. Not the best way to enjoy your dinner especially when you’re sitting alone.

Hands down this has been a great conversion from the old Favelas into a restaurant/​bar indoor outdoor place currently taking over Sydney at the moment. Unfortunately, the place is only licensed to have a max. of 25 people at any time sitting outside in the most gorgeous little courtyard, this was my only negative. Nevertheless, we came here for a quick drink and bite to eat on a Tues night and surprisingly, this place was packed.
The staff are very helpful, professional and quite well mannered. So big ticks there for me. Now onto the food, ordered the mussels and was Highly impressed. The sauce had the perfect balance of sweet and tart, the mussels were plump and booked perfectly. Could not fault the food. My friend was raving about the pasta dish all the way home so if that’s anything to go by, the food this particular night was certainly of a high calibre.
Will certainly be back if I’m ever in the mood for mussels again.

The old Favela nightclub has been turned into one of Potts Point’s newest pub/​restaurants — The Village. I’m always keen to check out a new spot, so I ventured down to check it out.
From the street, I can already tell the place is cool. Sure, it’s only been open a matter of weeks, but word is spreading and it’s already packed. They’ve done well with the fit-​out, creating a relaxed, luxurious vibe. Unlike the small bars popping up around Sydney, this place can hold 400, but it’s cleverly divided into areas, which still gives it an intimate feel. You’ve got communal tables as you first walk in, a semi private dining room, smaller tables around the downstairs bar and the open kitchen area, a large courtyard with it’s own bar, and an upstairs bistro and bar (which was used for a function this evening, so I wasn’t able to check it out).
While the fit out impresses, the venue is suffering a few teething problems. Firstly, they don’t have my booking for 13 people, even though it was booked 3 weeks ago, and I had called that morning to confirm. There is some confusion while they try to work out what has happened. Seems there was a mix-​up with the booking date and my function was booked for the wrong date. But, they rectify the problem and give me the last of the empty communal dining tables. I do wonder if I have put another group out of their table. The second problem is that their tills are down, and they are doing everything manually. While they did their best to keep up with demand, the staff were certainly running around and look more than a little frazzled. I did feel for them.
The menu is bistro style and certainly not what I would call ‘gastro pub’ food. While it’s reasonably priced, it’s pretty standard fare, you’ve got your pizzas, pastas, burgers, steaks, salads and the like. There’s no table service, you order your drinks at the bar, and your food at the kitchen. Though, on this evening, they did do table service for our group, considering the manual system they had going.
I order a Margherita Pizza, and I have to say, it was pretty good. Not the best I’ve ever eaten, but certainly far from the worst. The base was thin and crispy and the flavour was there. Looking at the other food around the table, again it all looked pretty standard. You wouldn’t be disappointed, but you wouldn’t rave about it, and it’s certainly nothing fancy.
Looking through the menu, I do like the sound of their Ladies Lunch, available on Saturday’s and Sunday’s for $ 39, including jugs of Pimms and look out for their daily specials such as half price cheese plates and 2 for 1 cocktails.
I’d like to go back again in a few months, when they have their systems down pat. All in all, I think this is going to be a popular place. It’s got the location and it’s got the fit-​out. It kind of has a similar feel to The Winery, though I think it has a way to go before it compares, but I do think it can, and will, get there.

I love this new haunt for a drink after work in the courtyard– it’s relaxed and with out fuss. The staff know what they are doing and how to mix a good drink. Pizzas are yum– and worth sharing.
The best bit is that you don’t have to stand in line– and the crowd is pretty chilled.
The recently finished upstairs bar played great music– for when you don’t want to go home yet!
This new bar is good fun, relaxed and not too concerned with its own image– a nice change for the neighborhood!

Whilst on treasure hunt (not necessarily a treasure hunt but I’m sure there is buried treasure in the kings cross I can smell it) yesterday that started by finding a red padlock with a cryptic riddle, that doesn’t make sense. Then another and another.
But more about that another time, once we’ve cracked it. As to be fair it has absolutely nothing to do with this joint.
We stumbled across the Village.
It’s a reasonable new haunt with an instant star winning quality, Montieth’s Sparkling Ale on draught. I’m a huge fan of Monteith’s and although the cider seems to be taking off no one is on the Ale wagon, one day the pilsner will take over, one day you’ll all see!
The village has a really cool courtyard where we lounged and enjoyed a few afternoon relaxants. Good food served promptly and a nice ambiance.
Definitely worth a look in for an afternoon delight, will have to check back for the evening scene some time as it shows promise.