The fortune cookie that Dave let me have read "Confucius says: Your face is your fortune. Better have a stiff drink." Hrrumph. Dave's fortune said something about him being devout and clear of mind. I suppose either one could be construed as an insult!
If you listen to Confucius, or if you just want to cloud your mind at the bar, the Exchange Hotel is a pretty trendy place to do it. Right around the corner from the Australian Stock Exchange, its customers are young, hip professionals, the atmosphere is noisily relaxing (you know what I mean), and its decor is a mixture of modern clean angles and old warehouse brick pillars. For lunch, prices are quite reasonable for the city (mains $15 - 20, desserts under $10).
Dave ordered Peking Duck (hence the fortune cookies) and I tried the Smoked Salmon Ravioli with Dill in a Saffron and Lemon sauce. Both meals were excellent; I might be a bit purist here, but normally I avoid Asian dishes in western restaurants. However, the Peking Duck was wonderful, if a bit on the not-so-filling side. The presentation was elaborate in Chinese wicker steam baskets and colourful, artfully arrayed sliced veggies. The downside was that the amount provided was only enough for two pancake rolls. The Smoked Salmon Ravioli was more filling and came in a fragrant sauce topped with a nice sprig of fresh dill.
We had some wine - it was good, but I don't remember the name. Some reviewer, huh?
Dessert was better for Dave than for me. I had the Cheese Platter, which came with the usual dry biscuits and dried fruits, and three kinds of cheese: a cheddar, a blue, and a semi-hard white cheese I couldn't place. Unfortunately all of the things on the plate - biscuits, fruit, and cheese - were somewhat bland and unremarkable, even the blue cheese. I prefer my cheese platters to be strongly flavoured. Dave's dessert, the Banana and Caramel Crumble, was hot and nicely filling, accompanied by ice cream and home-made (well, restaurant-made) honeycomb. Someday I'll have to find out how they make honeycomb.
Service was good, but could have been better. The meals arrived in less than five minutes, but the serving staff failed the auto-water-refill test.
Toilets were clean and functional but unremarkable save for the strange advertisements on the wall over the urinal.
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Dave's summary: "A very nice place."
Probability that we will return: 28 / 42
Note that the probability rating is affected by the fact that there are hundreds of places to eat around here.