Skyline Cafe 199 Delhi Road, North Ryde, New South Wales 2113

"What a terrible end to a sad day, at Skyline Lounge. The staff member we dealt with was impatient and completely lacking in compassion. When she spoke rudely to me I pointed out that it we are in mourning and she could moderate her tone to show more kindness and understanding. She was not deterred. Management need to keep her away from guests, she has no idea."

"This review is about the Northern Suburbs Function Centre wake rooms, rather than the Cafe itself. There doesn't seem to be a specific Google listing for reviews of just the function centre - only either the entire Crematorium and gardens complex, or the cafe. In any case, here's my review of the wake function rooms. The rooms themselves are quite nice - high-ceilinged, lots of natural light and great district views. Air conditioning is effective, once it is activated (our designated room was a bit warm and stuffy for the first ten minutes until the air con fired up). The ladies who bring out the trays of food, take the empty plates away, and replenish the beverages were friendly and efficient. We did experience some issues, however, trying to speak to the right people at the function centre ahead of our wake function to find out what we needed to do to book in our selected wake catering package and attendee numbers. This may have been a bit of a communication breakdown between the funeral company and us though. The reason I am marking relatively low on this occasion is that while the quality of the savouries included in the wake package we selected (Grevellia Menu - $32.50pp) was OK, and hot items were hot, the quantity of the food just didn't seem to match the description in the menu or the price. With 40 people in our booking, including the room booking fee, this came to around $1200. The food seemed to finish fairly quickly even though not everyone was partaking. I found this odd. A better alternative would be to book a couple of large tables or a private room at a restaurant in my opinion. You would have much better value for your spend, and guests would leave satisfied. Unfortunately, I think this venue has as its advantage a lack of any competition in the immediate vicinity - i.e. a captive audience of funeral attendees and families of departed who opt for a quick and easy solution on the same grounds as the chapels. Communication ahead of time about the time limit of the room booking and time by which one must be out of the room could also be much clearer. We felt rushed to vacate when our designated time was coming to an end."

"Blast if the past... Very dated décor in the function room. Effective and efficient staff. Considering we were there for a funeral, they were virtually invisible as you would hope on an occasion like this. Food was basic and plain."

"So far this is one of the best cafe I’ve given found in the area.. I walked in, it felt like I was in Melbourne! Friendly staff, great menu, great atmosphere. I think I might be in love. Be aware that it is a preferred cashless cafe, so make sure you bring a card. Personally I haven’t used cash in Australia in four years! So that's OK"

"Once again many thanks for the way you and your staff looked after our family and friends following Mum's funeral. The wake was very tastefully and respectfully done, the choice of food and wine excellent, and you gave us a very generous amount of time to be together. We were very impressed. I would have no hesitation in recommending your facility and staff to our family and friends."