Carrington Grand Dining Room, The

8.4 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Drinks  9      Ambience  9      Service  7      Value  8     

My wife and I went here for a quick lunch and was pleasantly surprised. I was a little skeptical of the choice at first, thinking that I would either be disappointed with the food or price but they really blew me away with the food we got.

I ordered the salt and pepper prawns and squid, my wife ordered the chicken burger. It arrived in good time, and I grabbed a piece of the squid while heading off to find cutlery and was honestly blown away. It had to be equally the best squid I have ever tasted, and cooked to perfection. I would happily have sat there eating them all afternoon. The prawns were just as good. The greens included with the seafood were sparse, but enough to complete the plate.

My wife loved the chicken burger as well and shared her chips with me which were top notch too.

To top that off, the wine selection was great, but I couldn't go past the beer selection. There is nothing like a good Bavarian Hefeweizen. Surprisingly, this is not the first place in Katoomba with great beer in the fridge, but it always gets a big tick when I see it. It's pretty hard to find great beer selections in Sydney, without visiting the bottle-shop.

Service for lunch is basic. It's a bit like pub style service, where you order at the bar, get your own cutlery and napkins, and sit out in the beer garden. But the staff were friendly and helpful, and the great food and atmosphere makes for a great relaxing experience. We'll be back!

Sep 18, 2011 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Drinks  9      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  9     

The review below was written in 2008. We had another trip to the mountains last weekend. Things have changed, mostly for the better. Entertainment was provided by some very talented (and mostly young) locals.

The food was simpler than on our last visit, very good and well served. The wine list has some very tasty drops, at very reasonable prices. Instead of serving the aperitif and canapes in the Lounge, then guests moving to the dining room in groups, we all trooped into the dining room at once, following the piper, canapes and aperitifs were then served at the table. A return visit is a possibility, depending on MM's work schedule but it is his work that keeps us in dinners and weekend trips.

We went to the Yuletide dinner on 16th August. Unlike Scrooge McJude1, below, we were happy to hear there were pipers and carol singing, Yuletide at Brigadoon - Great.

Our canapes with the aperitifs were mass produced, but hot and tasty. The scallops in the entree were more cooked than I prefer but MM pointed out that this is my taste, many prefer things more cooked. The spinach and parsley soup was delicious, flavour heightened by the truffle oil. It was piping hot and the crisp leek was a textural contrast.

The main was a hearty serving. I preferred the pork loin, with its nutty stuffing, but the turkey was o.k. The vegetables were perfectly cooked and, again, piping hot. I am not a dessert eater in general but I ate the berries and the ice cream and tasted the pudding and creme anglais, before handing the rest to MM. This was an excellent dessert. According to MM, the rum balls and tiny marshmallows were good. The mince pies seemed mass produced and would have benefitted by being served warm.

We chose a bottle of Sevenhill 2005 Inigo Merlot at $29. This is less than a 50% mark up on the cellar door price (we were there in June) which is fair enough. We had some port in the bar to round things out, before returning to our clean, attractive, comfortable room for the night.

Jul 14, 2011 

4.6 Below Average

Food  5      Drinks  5      Ambience  7      Service  4      Value  2     

Went here on the weekend with a large group and while the ambience (old world decor, piano player) was nice, the food was OK-ish but definitely not worth the high prices. A friend's meal was completely forgotten about and they were offered a free dessert for the mistake. Wine list was quite good. One hotel employee at the end of the night was very rude and when he wanted us to leave even though there were no indications of when guests must leave the premises. I felt like an old drunk being shunted off, but we were far from that. Won't go back, simply because of him.

Mar 07, 2011 

5.3 Average

Food  3      Ambience  8      Service  7      Value  3     

Went there last weekend. Had the fish of the day and the lobster entree. Tasted very ordinary with too much cheese used. I could barely see any lobster meat at all! Environment was nice with piano playing. But the dishes were not great value.

Oct 11, 2009 

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  8     

Great food which was both tasty and attractive. The staff were welcoming and efficient. The piano player added a lovely touch to what was already an enjoyable meal.

Jun 10, 2009 

7 Recommended

Food  6      Ambience  9      Service  8      Value  5     

Took aged parents to the Carrington for high tea. Parts of it were excellent, but others just plain weird: scones served with jam and cream were so hot that the jam and cream had completely melted. The Carrington is a great place to visit, but needs to pay a wee bit more attention to some of the details.

Mar 23, 2009 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  9      Value  9     

We escaped for a weekend to the Blue Mountains celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary and were at a loss as to where to dine on Saturday night. I had always wanted to dine at the Carrington Hotel, and luckily they had a table available. I am so glad we booked here because we had such a memorable evening. The moment you step into the hotel you are transported back in time to an era of opulence. The hotel has such character and grandeur, and the Grand Dinig Room is just exquisite. Tables are nicely set apart from each other offering diners a real sense of intimacy, and the live piano music adds to the warm ambience. The food was very impressive. Entree of lobster lasagne was so delicious , with a beautiful rich saffron cream sauce. Salmon pillow with celery, apple and cucumber was fresh and pleasing. My main of herb crusted roast lamb rack served with potato risotto was heavenly, as was the side serve of steamed seasonal vegetables. My husband couldn't fault the chicken breast and said it was really tender and tasty. Too full for dessert we settled back with our wine and soaked up the grandeur of the decadent room, the exceptional service, and the personalised greeting from the charming pianist who went from table to table wishing veryone a pleasant evening. Now that is something you don't find in other restaurants in these sterile modern times.

Mar 16, 2009 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  10     

Me and my wife have just enjoyed our 20th anniversary at the Carrington for entrees I had the lobster lasagne which was amazing the pasta is homemade and melts in your mouth my wife had the salmon pillow which she also enjoyed. For mains the beef fillet was cooked perfectly and the mushy peas were a great side dish (especially me being english) my wife had the baked atlantic salmon also cooked to perfection.

For dessert I had the Carrington chocolate torte which had great flavours and my wife had the vanilla pannacotta both desserts were fantastic and were looking forward to celebrating our 21st anniversary at the Carrington.

Feb 21, 2009 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  8     

Spent a night at The Carrington Hotel for Valentines weekend so booked into The Dining Room for dinner. All 3 courses were excellent, especially the steak, which was cooked perfectly. Considering it was Valentines evening, there were no tacky decorations or gimmicks, just a nice glass of sparkling wine and chocolates on our table. The pianist added to the relaxed mood, as did the great service and fabulous dining room. Will definitely return when next in the blue mountains.

Feb 19, 2009 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

Just recovering after having a fantastic evening at the Carringtons masquerade ball for new years eve. The food was great and the ambience was amazing the whole dining room was themed for the ball and everyone was dressed up for it. The service was very good for such a large number of people. Returning for next years NYE.

Jan 04, 2009