As I plod and plonk my way from one cutlery bedecked table to another, I do so in the knowledge that every restaurant and café is being run, invariably, for two reasons. The first is because the owners want to make a profit and the second is because they have more than a passing interest in food, the preparation and serving of it, that is. Many proprietors, of course, are blessed with a third reason and that is that they love people and they want to make people feel special, happy and well fed . Often you’ll find one or two of these criteria evident in an establishment and sometimes you’ll find all three.
Occasionally, perhaps even rarely, One encounters more than all of these put together when exceptional all round talent is evidenced, a certain charisma of the kitchen and dining room, an effusiveness of genuine purpose, all in the hands of a sort of epicurean bon vivant.
It is with the utmost pleasure that I add my humble voice to the many before me in wholehearted endorsement of the many accolades and the mountain of kudos that have been bestowed on the matriarch of Gloucester Street, Debbie Elliston.
The bank has recently granted me a generous upper level extension to the numerous mega-mortgages that bear my name and so I have been quick to mentally calculate that I should be in a position to dine out at a further 200 restaurants and cafes in the next twelve months, funded by the stunningly smart and astute investment decisions that followed the “selling of my soul” to said banks.
And so I was able to realize a dream I’d had for many, many months – to dine at Sezns. Of course, I was waiting for an appropriately important occasion to do so as I knew in my heart and felt in my bones (the stomach played a part as well I should add)that Dame Debbie would not let me down.
One of my gorgeous stepdaughters was reaching an age-related milestone in her life the next day and so we both decided Sezns was the place to have a sophisticated, quality dining experience. I knew, from several well known overseas restaurant critics who have anonymously dined at Sezns and from my local colleagues and friends, that this was going to be a somewhat special evening in terms of the food, the service and the idiosyncracies of the location, the individual restaurant ambience and Debbie herself.
I have always striven to be anonymous when dining out as I court no favours, expecting nothing more or nothing less than every other diner receives. I never use my real name and always arrive by taxi, pay by cash or use a card without my name on it. Anyone who has read Ruth Reichl’s book, Garlic & Sapphires knows exactly what I’m talking about here.
Don’t expect to see something akin to the Siena marble & crystal chandeliers in the 18th Century former ballroom now dining room of Les Ambassadeurs in Paris as Sezns is housed in a couple of old shops, delightfully converted for their present day purpose. However, you musn’t despair as there is much to obviate any reservations you might have.
You will undoubtedly, I assure you, be nothing less than overwhelmed by Debbie’s disarmingly charming manner and sense of Australian showmanship. You will be welcomed, you will be treated as a special guest, you will not fail to be impressed.
Ushered to our table in the main dining room we sat, in the comfort of a perfectly moderated temperature-controlled space, and were stunningly looked after thereafter.
From the glasses of bubbly that started our adventure, through the pinot gris, pinot noir, shiraz and ports, teas and long blacks, service was exemplary and entertaining. Our waitress was professional, well informed and courteous and we had the additional benefit, as did the other diners on the evening, of having Debbie flit about like the Camp Mother, ensuring all was well and that water glasses were kept topped up. I got the feeling that were I to have fallen asleep on the floor beside my table she would have placed a blanket over me and tucked me in!!
As an entrée the seared venison with beetroot and hazelnut salad was excellent and a very photogenic indeed. The venison was beautifully cooked and sat provocatively but with a sense of style and comfort embedded in the modestly portioned salad and matched well with the pinot overall.
Our courses arrived, intelligently timed in between our excited dinnertime conversations, and each rivaled its predecessor for top place. My main was lamb rump with olives, potato and goat cheese purée, and salsa verde. A simple yet intrinsically artistic presentation hallmarked this dish and, of course, the eating confirmed its status as the work of a very skilled, talented cuisinier. How could I not be impressed?
Follow this exquisite plate of precious pearls with a dessert of some considerable significance and more than a modicum of Mana, dark chocolate delice with peanut butter icecream and macadamia praline (along with a glass of Port) and you will not fail to understand my feeling, at the end of this evening, that Debbie Elliston has a restaurant that is a product as solid as the rock of Gibraltar, and is herself in command of an instrument of culinary precision. She has a manner as accomplished as Oprah Winfrey, as politically savvy as John Key and as friendly as Edna Everidge.
My advice: Go for the very fine food, stay for the world class individual, honest & genuine service from Madame Elliston at what is unmistakably Le palais d'Elliston de Debbie. How can I not return for more of the same?

We are purists, sourcing all our ingredients locally and organically where possible. 
No microwaves or heat lamps here!

We are only limited by our imagination and that with an amazing energy for life and our restaurant, is what we have plenty of.

If you love food, you love life, welcome to our world!

I had to find a restaurant to suit a group booking of 20 people, which included our Board of Directors and Senior Managers. After seeing such great reviews on this site, I personally dined at Sezn to experience the restaurant and to determine its suitability for our function. I was extremely impressed with everything Sezn had to offer, including the delicious and flavoursome food, presentation, and the outstanding service. I then arranged for our function which was held on Monday evening - Sezn does not generally open on Mondays, however they were flexible enough to open specially for us, for which I was very grateful! Yesterday, I received nothing but exceptional comments from all of our Directors and General Managers, and every last one of them mentioned what a fantastic night they had and how fantastic the food was. They also commented that the service was second-to-none and the environment was ideal. Thank you to Debbie and the team for going above and beyond our expectations, and allowing our company to have an outstanding night out. I would highly recommend this venue to anyone.

We have been meaning to go here for a bit and finally got there last night. It was brilliant. Our menu selections were very similar to the previous reviewer.....Started with the mini duck and pork pie which was lovely, then I had the duck and choriso salad which was delicious and my husband had the sweetbreads with mushrooms which he loved. Normally I'm not a fan of sweetbreads but thought it was really good! We followed that with me having the gurnard and him having the pork. The fish was lovely, especially loved the leeks and as for the pork, my husband was in heaven. The crackling was divine and the pork belly melted in your mouth. The cabbage brought back memories of a childhood dish my husband's Mum used to make - he was very impressed. We also had a sharing plate of pommes puree which was extremely delicious and the honey roasted veges. 
Dessert would have rated a 10 for the sticky date pudding which was probably the best one my hubby has had. My apple crumble brought our dessert score down a bit because although it was good, it wasn't fantastic. It paled in comparison to the sticky date pudding. 

Service was good....we are just left wondering why we didn't get the sorbet. The previous reviewer did and we noticed others in the restaurant with sorbets....could it have been because we had an entertainment card which they knew about because they asked if we had one when we booked. Hope it was just an oversight on a busy evening.

A restaurant for the owners and staff that work there to be proud of! Was a little unsure what our dining experience would be like due to the location, but very plesantly surprised. After ordering we were treated to a small sample before our entrees arrived - a tiny pork pie, and I normally detest pork but this was delicious! Could have eaten more. I had the duck for the entree which was yummy, and my partner had the pumpkin and mascapone tortellini (highly recommend ordering this). Absolutely delicious! Gurnard for my main with creamy leeks which was also delicious and dark chocolate mousse with caramal parfait which was absolutely delicious. The meal sizes were very good, and I didn't leave feeling like I would need to sleep this meal off for awhile but fully satisfied. 

Service was excellent from the second we walked in. Lots of little touches like refilling water, taking our jackets, great knowledge of their wines and menu offerings etc. The lady that gave us our jackets when we left even put a caller very briefly on hold (like just a few seconds) to open the door for us when we left which made us feel very special. Will definately be back.