Holding a prime position on popular James Street, Harveys, has benefited from a significant face lift during the past year, elevating it to a stylish and sophisticated bistro and bar.

Although I have been there before for coffee and a glass of wine (not together!), this was my first dinner visit and a very pleasurable one at that. Everything about the night was great, from the minute we called to book till we paid and left. The staff were pleasant, attentive, polite, chatty and left us to enjoy a long meal (being able to sit for a leisurely two hour dinner is actually becoming quite rare, so was very appreciated.)

A quick survey of the menu led us to skip the entree in order to leave space for dessert (all four options sounded delicious and made the choice a tough one). For mains I had the beer battered fish and chips served with gem lettuce whilst my partner went for the pork belly with a sweet potato mash (or slaw as the menu calls it).

Both dishes were tasty, simple and fresh - a nice change from some of the more complicated creations found in certain restaurants. The wine selection was comprehensive (no big books to leaf through), however, I was impressed by both of the wines which we ordered by the glass.

For dessert we shared the champagne & ginger semi-freddo with poached strawberries which I thought was better than the mains (I do have a sweet tooth though and really enjoyed this one!) - pictured.

The space itself is fairly large with a bar area to the front (great for anyone just wanting a glass of wine, cocktails and/or nibbles) as well as an outside area to one side and the back. We were seated inside and although it was a warm evening there was a pleasant breeze passing through the restaurant which made it very comfortable.

Harveys is also open for breakfast and lunch, though I would consider booking particularly on weekends as it tends to fill up. A casual, relaxed and pleasant dinner - I will definitely be going back sometime soon!

Rating:

Food: 9

Price: 9

Service: 10

Ambiance: 10