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Discover Alibi, Woolloomooloo’s fine dining restaurant that’s elevating plant-based dining to five-star status. Designed by legendary American vegan chef Matthew Kenney, this sophisticated eatery inside the Ovolo Woolloomooloo hotel proves that vegan cuisine can be both elegant and indulgent.
Why Alibi Transforms Vegan Fine Dining
Located at Ovolo Woolloomooloo, Woolloomooloo NSW 2011, Alibi takes hotel dining to unprecedented heights with a menu designed by the founder of LA celebrity favorite Plant Food + Wine. The restaurant’s approach is refreshingly fun, featuring elevated burgers, artisanal pastas, and creative flatbreads that appeal to both vegans and curious omnivores.
The Five-Star Experience
Step into a space where luxury hospitality meets innovative plant-based cuisine. The sophisticated atmosphere provides the perfect backdrop for everything from business lunches to weekend high tea, proving that vegan dining can be both elegant and accessible.
Key Highlights
- Chef: Matthew Kenney, legendary American vegan chef
- Location: Five-star Ovolo Woolloomooloo hotel
- Cuisine: Elevated plant-based with fun approach
- Service: Elegant vegan high tea on weekends
- Perfect For: Luxury dining, special occasions, impressive business meals
Then we sat down and I was hoping for a mocktail but the drinks menu was just wine and spirits really. They said they could make the drink and asked what I was looking for. It came out super sweet and room temp with 1 melted ice cube . I asked for a glass of ice so at least I could salvage it.
Got the 4 course tasting menu and food was just ok. The pasta and croquettes were good but everything else was pretty bland and average and definitely not worth the price.
It took ages between courses which had us feeling pretty restless as the chairs were super uncomfortable as well – felt like deep patio chairs that were hard to sit upright on.
I will say that our server was great. He was in training and is really the only reason the experience was ok.
Adding onto our review. Returned again for our wedding anniversary Feb 2024. Alibi Restaurant isn’t open on Sunday, although the next day and the vegan breakfast offered were delicious. Scrambled tofu on sourdough, fresh slices of avocado, beetroot dip, chia pudding, and green smoothie. On Sunday, we had a complimentary happy cocktail each. Staff were lovely, helpful.and attentive. Loved our stay and so did our toy poodles.
When we arrived there was no one around to greet/seat us, not a great first impression. After waiting a minute or two we went to the bar to advise them we had a dinner reservation. The bar staff alerted one of the waiters & we were shown to our seat.
Despite the restaurant being nearly completely empty, we were sat at a table that honestly, seemed like it had been placed there when they ran out of other tables. We initially thought they sat us there because we were just a couple, but during our meal we saw them sit other couples at larger tables. Disappointing also because when I made the reservation online, the form asked if there was any special occasion & I had selected anniversary, so I though they might have seated us somewhere nice or in one of the private booths that were all empty when arrived (& still mostly empty when we left.) But no one even mentioned our anniversary.
Next disappointment came when we were h&ed menus & discovered that the a la carte menu wasn’t included. I enquired about it & was told that it wasn’t available on weekends. Super disappointing as we were most excited to order the Cacio e Pepe. Additionally, the confirmation email made no mention that it was bar food only on weekends & even included a link to the a la carte menu.
So we were left to order from the Bar Menu, which consists of snack food, entrees & appetisers. The menu also states that all of the meals are “designed to be shared”; interesting considering a Cheeseburger was one of the options.
Seeing as we had already travelled there & we had a show reservation after dinner, we decided to eat there. We ordered Fried Olives, Focaccia, Meatballs & a Cheeseburger. Happy anniversary! Should have just gone to Lord of the Fries.
The description for the olives was; “Sicilian green olives, cream cheese, feta, crème fraiche”, we had expected the crème fraiche to be served on the side for dipping, but when I asked about it I was told that it was inside the olives, but my partner & I found it hard to believe the managed to stuff everything inside the olives.
The Focaccia was nice, but the “ricotta” that was served with it was the consistency of aioli & tasted like some sort of coconut yoghurt. We enquired about the ricotta, thinking that maybe there was a mix up or they had substituted it for some reason, but we were assured that, what was on our plate, was the ricotta.
Slow Braised Meatballs looked great, but that’s where the praise ends. At $36 for 6 meatballs, I expected to savour every bite, but they had very little salsa on them, were quite dry & the only discernible flavour was that of pepper.
The Cheeseburger, of course it was just a single cheeseburger served with a knife, classic sharable meal. It was the best dish, but I think that’s just because everything else was disappointing & we were still very hungry at this point. It was really no better than any other vegan cheeseburger I’ve had, including ones I’ve made at home.
The waiter came to clear our table & asked how everything was. I don’t normally bother giving honest feedback unless it is good, but I told them that, honestly it was disappointing. I mentioned about the a la carte menu not being available & not being mentioned when I made the booking, & that the meatballs were disappointing. The waiter apologised & said he would pass the feedback onto the chef regarding the food. I expected him to return with the bill, but instead he came back & said after speaking with the chef that they wouldn’t charge us for the meatballs & would like to offer a free dessert. We certainly weren’t expecting that. We graciously accepted the dessert & chose the Tiramisu & it was pretty good.
Points for trying to make it up to us with the comp meatballs & tiramisu. Our bill only came to about $50, which was much less than I was expecting to spend, but I’d have been happy to spend 4 times that for good food & a nice experience.
For the dishes, I couldn’t say it’s the best I’ve tried – but it’s noticeable good effort from the chef in creating similar and comparable to meat options. We favor the roasted mushroom from the appetizer, slow braised meatballs from the main, not forgetting Sangria crumble is the best for ending the meal.
Washroom is a little bit of hassle as it’s located downstairs & disappointing that it’s locked and needs the hotel staff to tap open the door. I feel the service could have been better with the price we paid for dinner.
