Lana

After a wonderful experience at Grana, which I visited with friends in December, I booked Lana to celebrate my wedding anniversary and birthday. However, I regretted my choice.

Firstly, none of the food was good.
Snacks: four different snacks were delivered on ice plates, but this size for two people seemed rather meagre in terms of serving size. The serving size is quite disappointing, although it is large enough for a large group of people.
During the course of the meal, a black substance was randomly placed in the ice, so we checked inside and found that it was a topping for one of the dishes. (Grains used for the cucumber starter.) It did not fall out while being carried, but was in the middle layer of ice that was laid quite tightly, so I wondered if they had added more ice on top of the ice dish used by the previous group and put our starter on top of that. I felt that this was not a good feeling from the start.

We ordered beef for an additional $40. I understand that it is cooked and then grilled over charcoal so it is easy to burn, but the outside was completely charred. (It actually turned charcoal lol) And the sauce that was poured over it and the edible flowers that seemed to be trying to be pretty but were not necessary.
When I told the manager that this beef should not be served, she offered me an alternative, but I questioned whether she could really do the maths.

Alternatives offered:
1. Different main course.
>The Snapper we ordered as the other main was smelled quite fishy, so we knew that we could not expect another main course will be better.

2. Waive the additional $40 for the main course and get a free dessert.
(=Served 3 course but charged as 2 course menu price)
＞But in this case we only had one main course, so I don't understand why we were even charged for 2 courses, but she insisted on minus $40 up front. It's not surprising that we didn't eat it, and we lose money.

It had been quite long time since the snacks and I was already full from the starter.
In the end, I suggested that she guess the oyster portion I asked for ($8x4 = $32) as I didn't need a new main course, and she agreed.
Even the oysters were better than the ones at Grana, including the size; Grana's oysters were fat, while Lana's were small and skinny and cost more. (Photo attached).

The staff were also dressed quite rough, with mullet hair, shorts and dirty white trainers, which did not match the venues that you specifically say "the 5-star experience of food, drink, service and atmosphere is very important".
I know it is a personal choice, but shouldn't there at least be organised guidelines? At least I did not have a 'five-star experience'.
The male waiter who looked after us was very friendly and nice. That is only good things about that night.

Had such a delightful evening! Food was amazing loved all the dishes - such fresh ingredients and beautifully presented! The service was also lovely!

Lana is fantastic food, very tasty modern menu at a reasonable price for quality food. The staff are very helpful and so friendly.
Our only complaint is the air con is freezing.

Amazing fine dining culinary experience with the fusion of cuisines via range of choices in set menu! Really enjoyed the bar dining experience and excellent customer service. Close to Wilson Parking complex for ease of convenience to drive to the city

Such a lovely experience, can't forget it for a while. Food was so good, I'm still dreaming of all the snacks which we got. Chef Wong as whipped up his magic when I said 2 among the 4 can't eat seafood those vegetarian options were mind blowing.
Roland's magical mocktail's were extraordinary, Claire's friendly service with everyone felt like we were in our friends house for dinner and Ashani was attentive, warm and friendly.
We had so much fun on celebrating our anniversary. Thank you TEAM LANA for having us.

The decorations is really pretty, even the bathroom. U can see they put a lot of effort into decorations. The food is nice and the staff members are friendly. However, we were asked to switch to a bar seat for our dessert as the table was booked? So we decided to skip the dessert all together, also they put 7% service charge on top of ur bill without any explanation. Only when I read the receipt carefully I can see a small line says: a 7% gratuity has been added to the bill to thank our team, please let us know if you'd like it removed. I don't mind paying a tip, however I don't like the idea of being forced 7%gratuity automatically to the bill without anybody explaining to us anything at all. If this is a tip, then the customer should have the freedom to choice how much tip they want to give. Forcing a tip and giving us a inferior seats leaves a bitter test.

AFTER SEEING OWNER'S REPLY BELOW:
Thank you for taking time response.
Two things: first, I dont think exceeding the time limit was our fault. We waited for more than half an hr between the entree and the first main course, so if we are paying 7% gratitude fee for the service provided that day, tbh I wasn't 100% happy abt the service provided.

Secondly, could I ask on what basis has the director decided on 7%? What policy or standard is he/she used as a reference? If this money is used to thanks the team for their hard-work, isn't that a salary increase more effective? If it is hard in this "tough, post COVID" market condition, then you can increase the price on the menu, rather than promoting a lower fine dining fee on the menu with a sneaky way to ask customer to pay for this so called "service fee".

Dinner Saturday evening with friends. Food, wine and service exceptional. Claire who looked after us was attentive, warm and friendly. Lovely evening celebrating our friends wedding anniversary.

Can’t rate this restaurant highly enough. Food was creative and delicious. Portions were great and well paced. Moody, classy ambience. Great place for date night, business dinner or catch ups with friends. Would definitely come back.

Staff were amazing, very tentative and super friendly!
We had our 2yo with us and we’re seated in the corner with lots of space which was good for us. Food was delicious, food is not for children but we knew that, would definitely come back!

Amazing, relaxed dining. Food was fantastic and overall well priced for the dining experience

Amazing food with amazing service. Lana only serves set menu with extra dishes available, no a la carte menu.
One of best dining experience in 2022. Highly recommended

Great food, wine, service and ambience.
Super pre show spot, even with early start for dinner.
Easy walk to Opera House.

The service and the food was fantastic. I couldn't fault anything. I would definitely visit again.

Food, staff and venue: Great experience, totally recommend! Thanks to Leanne for a fun night.

The servers were so sweet and kind, and answered all my questions I had. They also provided me with phenomenal recommendations. The ambience was so intimate and it was great for celebrating my partners birthday. The food was phenomenal and I will definitely be coming back specifically for the Kangaroo Tartar. Everything was light and refreshing and i easily thought i could get through the menu but towards the end I was full to the brim.

Will be back again

My dining experience at Lana was exceptional! It was my partner’s birthday, we loved every bit of the restaurant, the flowers, decors, ambience, food, staffs and the amazing service. It’s been third day since we visited Lana, my partner hasn’t stopped telling his mates about the restaurant.

From the time we walked in and were greeted at the door, we were made to feel welcome and like nothing was too much trouble.

Our wait-person, Sophie, was patient and diligently explained the menu options, resulting in an incredible culinary experience.

Our sommelier's recommendations perfectly matched each of the courses.

Everyone contributed to make our fine-dining experience one of fun, learning and exquisitely delightful to our senses.

It was a fantastic experience at Lana dining. One of the best in Sydney with a very reasonable price. Top notch ambience and good quality, great service and the layout is just beautiful. Highly recommended and worth every penny

The staff were fabulous from the moment we arrived - sourcing us our table early as Apollonia was full - through and incredible service of food and wine - to fixing us a table in Apollonia ti finish the night with their traditional toast to friends. We were impressed with everything! Thanks to the team.

Thank you so much for a delightful evening, we'll definitely be back soon. The ambience, service, food and wine was spectacular!