Having enjoyed our pre-opening lunch at the Bondi, I went back for dinner on Friday and was again very impressed. The food carries a lot of interesting and appealing flavors without being overly fussy, every dish was executed very well, the service was great and the vibe was fun and enjoyable. They also have tasty Aussie craft beers on tap — my favorite was “Little Creatures” Bright Ale — and a good-sized Australian wine list with most choices in the 20 and 30 dollar range.
I definitely have added the Bondi to my list of “go-to” restaurants in the Gaslamp. The other one on the list is the Oceanaire, though I’ve heard good things about a few other places (JSix and Stingaree, among others) that I haven’t gotten to yet.
Also, we also dined this weekend at the Guild restaurant in “East Downtown” aka Barrio Logan. They aren’t officially opened yet, so I’m sure it wasn’t everything it will be, but even pre-opening it was really enjoyable. We particularly liked the stacked yellowfin ahi and the stuffed pasilla pepper. The wine list is great — very extensive — and features one of my favorite wines, Chateau Musar Rouge. A bottle of which we happily consumed.
Oh, and since we’re doing a lot of Australian dishes this week we’re planning to steal pay homage to one or two things we particularly liked from the Bondi. And from Oceanaire, now that I think of it.
Hi Jay – great to meet you the other night. Looking forward to giving the SD restaurant scene a kick in the pants! Glad you recommeded Bondi…I’m going to a thing there tomorrow night and wasn’t sure if I should eat beforehand!
You too, thanks! And definitely don’t eat first, the food at Bondi is delicious.
Jay my man, thanks for coming in last weekend. It was good to see you. Even better to see you know fine wine and are not afraid to show it. Good news…I’m bringing in Stone per your recommendation…I’ll be dropping in soon. Ciao
Thanks Brenton, looking forward to more visits. I find myself down your way sometimes during the day, too, so the coffee service is nice.
Just had to put in my 2 cents … the coffee service at The Guild is divine! Mertin, the Barista, serves up the best coffee in San Diego … mmmm … cappucinos to die for!
Flavors are good at The Guild, but eat first. Very expensive for what you get.