Fresh User Reviews for Private Room in Canberra

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

Ate there last night and have to say, great value for $. Food and service were spot on! Have been to some great places before but really impressed with this one! Highly recommended.

May 13, 2012

4.8 Average

Food  6      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  3     

On your first time at this restaurant no one explains the way things work and it can be confusing for those that haven't travelled.

The food at 1300 Hot Pot is Ok (mainly because of its different concept to other restaurants) although you don't always get what you ask for. Once you get served it's hard to get anyone's attention to ask for anything else.

The biggest issue is they charge $10 per bottle for corkage even though they don't open the bottle, pour your wine or even give you a cooler to keep it cold. What's the reasoning behind paying for this if they do nothing re: your BYO drinks. Who decided on this exorbitant price? $3-$5 per bottle for doing nothing would be a more ethical price.

We need to voice our disgust for charges that are unreasonable by refusing to go back until they rethink this charge.

May 10, 2012

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  7     

Expensive, but in my opinion, worth it. Excellent menu, excellent degustation, and a very nice atmosphere. If you don't mind the prices, it's great.

Mar 22, 2012

6.5 Recommended

Food  5      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  3     

We went to the Boathouse for a birthday, and, like the previous poster, are more than happy to pay for quality food that gives us something a little more fancy which takes a little more effort than what I might cook at home. But we also left thinking how overrated it is.

Service was excellent, staff were friendly, knew the menu, took your coats and, along with the atmosphere and little added extras (like the bread rolls, palette resfreshers, mini soups), made the night quite pleasant and what you'd expect from such a restaurant.

However, the food was somewhat of a let down. My partner ordered the venison for a main which was not a tasty dish and I the lamb which had nothing special to it that couldn't be whipped up in any kitchen. Desserts were also a little underwhelming.

All in all, the ambience and service were up to scratch but the food was nothing special (though definitely not inedible) and far far overpriced for what you got.

Feb 15, 2012

5.5 Average

Food  6      Ambience  6      Service  8      Value  2     

Let me start by saying I really don't mind paying for quality, well thought-out food, and good service. However, after attending the Boathouse for a birthday dinner I left thinking this was probably the most overrated restaurant I've ever been to.

I'm not saying the food was bad, I'm saying that if I pay $40 for a main meal, I expect it to be main meal-sized and expect something fairly fancy. My venison was neither of those things.

This was basically repeated for the entree and dessert. There was always one or two dishes that left us as a group decidedly underwhelmed. Despite trying to charge us for too many drinks (had to take points off for that), the service was good and attentive.

I don't think I'll be back any time soon. There are much better dining options around Canberra for that special occasion.

Jan 28, 2012