Emmilou

I liked this place well enough but I did find it terribly overpriced for what you got.
The atmosphere is really relaxed and the music isn’t too loud so you can have a decent conversation with the people around you. For a Saturday night it wasn’t as busy as I thought it would be — then again we got there at 6 and left at about 8… apparently the night life doesn’t start until much later. What would this nanna know about that?
The food was quite good though. The zucchini flowers were particularly memorable as were the… do you know what, apart from the paella I cannot remember for the life of me what else there was…
The happy hour cocktails would have been good if there were more than 3 to choose from… I quite enjoyed one of the full priced ones. it was passionfruit and quite delicious, but again I can’t remember it’s name.
Quite a memorable night?

Excellent cocktails, superb service (especially since we were in such a big group), amazing tapas (Zucchini flowers– YUM!) — worth the $ 50 per head? Maybe not.
Thank goodness we took advantage of the happy hour! ($ 10 cocktails 5−7pm) Great cocktails– not a huge range though.
Very, very pricey for tapas, and while the food was delicious and unique, the paella was a *touch* undercooked– the rice had a bit of a crunch to it and they weren’t overly generous with the seafood. I LOVE paella so I was a tad disappointed in this part of the meal.
This place had an über trendy vibe to it and for a meal I would definitely make a reservation. I think that I would only go back to this place for cocktails and maybe to share a plate of tapas with a friend or date.

You had me at tapas cocktail lounge…
Emmilou is a tapas cocktail lounge, located in that hipster suburb — Surry Hills. Renowned for years for serving modern spanish tapas in a cocktail lounge environment, it seemed the perfect choice for my next COdinner.
Oh wait, back a step — ‘what is a COdinner?’ you ask. Well, COlunching, as it is known, is a global dining/​networking phenomenon now sweeping Australia. Starting in Paris in 2010, COlunching is the brainchild of Frederic de Bourguet and Sonia Zannad. The concept involves utilising social media to arrange meaningful connections. Put simply, COlunching is a website, which facilitates you dining with strangers — not just in Australia, but all over the world.
As the first Power COluncher (that’s an organiser of COlunching events to you non-​COlunchers) in Australia, I have been arranging COdinners since the launch of COlunching in Australia in January 2012. I am a huge believer in COlunching’s ability to connect people, who share a common love of food. In France, the COlunch is the most popular event, but here in Australia, we have been embracing, COlunching, CObrunching, COwining and COdining.
As a Power COluncher, I am always looking for my next COdinner venue, and Emmilou, with its share tapas plates and relaxed, hip vibe seemed the perfect choice.
When I arrived at Emmilou and was greeted by the charming Ryan, I was pleased to notice the ‘welcome COlunchers’ post on their notice board. A lovely touch, I thought.
Once seated at the table, I then noticed our personalised ‘COluncher’ menus.
As I sat and waited for my fellow COdiners, I couldn’t help but be impressed by Emmilou. One by one our COdinner group arrived, and we sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the warm hospitality of Emmilou.
This evening, we dined on the $ 49 Banquet menu, which consisted of:
Green & Black Manzanillo Olives, Spicy Almonds
Jamon Serrano (Aged 18 months with Sourdough & Chutney)
Croquetas (Alaskan King Crab Croquetas with Grain Mustard Vinagrette & Aioli)
Pulpo (Crispy Squid with Squid Ink Aioli & Salmon Roe)
Polenta Blanco (Seared White Polenta with Wild Mushroom Foam & Roast Peppers)
Cerdo (16 Hour Crispy Pork Belly with Apple & Coriander Coleslaw)
Potatas Bravas with Galician Salsa & Grilled Zucchini
Our group enjoyed the share tapas plates and the energy and charisma of Emmilou. There was certainly a lot of food! Emmilou is a great restaurant for a group dinner, and they also cater for parties and special events. Hens party anyone?
Much more than just a restaurant, they also do ‘cocktail master-​classes’ and even offer a ‘catering service’, should you be looking to host that perfect party in your own home.
I loved my COdinner at Emmilou. The experience exceeded my expectations, which, being a lover of food and dining out, are without question quite high.
My advice when you’re looking for your next group dinner — book in to Emmilou and experience that captivating hospitality for yourself.
Oh, and if you live on the north side — Emmilou have just opened a new restaurant at Seaforth. Check it out.

Came here on a Thursday night with a voucher. It was a cold, rainy night so the place wasn’t too packed. The waiter was super friendly and nice. We sat outside next to the heaters.
Our voucher included two glasses of red wine sangria which was delicious. We figured these tasting menus would be fairly small and we’d need to order at least one more plate. We decided on the white sardines, which was actually tasty. The tasting menu included four dishes — these amazing scallops, very yummy croquettes, this crab and prawn dish, a cured meat plate and finally a 16 hour pork belly. Each dish was AMAZING! The sardines came halfway through and they were pretty tasty. Not a big fishy sardine person but I enjoyed it. The combination of the sardines on bread with tomato salsa was actually quite nice.
We also ordered some drinks, there was a cool cider and lime drink that I saw and had to order. It combines two of my favorites — cider and mojitos and was called El De-​Cider, which I thought was creative. The drink was DELICIOUS. My date ordered this tequila drink that came in a pirates mug, argggh! It was good, but a bit small.
Overall I really like the vibe and atmosphere of the place. The food is definitely up to par and the staff is great and friendly.

I really want to love Emmilou. The cocktails are great, the vibe is cool, and the food is tasty. But it is just way way overpriced. I’ve been here 3 times in the hope of having my views changed, but sadly no.
If you’re going to check it out try and get a spot on the terrace for happy hour — $ 10 cocktail specials between 5−7pm, or book in for one of their degustation nights.

Nestled at the Taylor Square end of Bourke Street, this self-​professed tapas and cocktail bar is a little pocket of Euro charm. While the interior dining room is awash with vibrant red hues and stylish (imitation?) Philippe Starck ghost chairs, the best seat on the house is bar far the wrought iron fenced terrace, complete with banquette seating and cushions aplenty.
I headed here on a balmy evening with a couple of friends for dinner and took up one of the said outdoor tables. Starting off with red wine sangria packed with cinnamon and fruit, we moved onto a tapas banquet. The salmon carpaccio dusted with fennel seeds and drizzled with and olive oil dressing was particularly memorable — unfortunately, so was the bill. Share plates average out at about $ 20 each, and most of them aren’t very big. It seems you pay for the ambience at this charming haunt.