Hermitage Restaurant & Wine Bar, The

4.8 Average

Drinks  6      Ambience  6      Service  2      Value  5     

We went for dinner, not going to a show so happy for a long dinner and dessert. The food was good but the service was atrocious. They must have wanted to get home as we were rushed. Pushed to order the wine when only halfway through our opening drink, next thing it was on the table, opened!

The food came out one course straight after the other. When we said we would wait to order dessert, they were back in 2 minutes, we said give it ten, so they were back 3 minutes later and the desserts followed a couple after.

We left and went for coffee elsewhere. My suggestion, dine elsewhere, Canberra has plenty of choice with good service, don't waste an evening at the Hermitage.

May 11, 2012 

2.5 Not Recommended

Drinks  1      Ambience  4      Service  4      Value  1     

My partner and I went to the Hermitage for Valentines Day night this year and this has got to be the worst experience in my dining out life thus far (not to mention put quite a damper on our Valentines day).

We firstly got there and were presented with a non-optional 3-course set menu for $85pp, which I later found out is only about $65 on a normal night (most entrées are $19, mains $33 and desserts around $15 or so). Being charged an extra $20 per head when it was not a public holiday or weekend I'd expect good service at the least. Anyway, I had never experienced Valentines Day in Canberra and apparently a bit of a price hike is the norm?!

We were able to place our order quite quickly, however, were informed that they were out of the duck main and out of the key lime pie. One I could, perhaps, understand, but two? The restaurant does not seat all that many so I couldn't really understand their lack of food preparation for the night for not one, but two dishes on their set menu of only 6 or so mains and 6 or so desserts.

After having a waiter turn his nose up at us for not ordering any wines (we don't actually drink but had maybe thought that the food would be decent here!), and after hearing they were out of 2 of the items we had wanted we were able to order.

Entrees came out, my partner had the scallops with risotto which was quite small sized although what I'd consider reasonable enough for an entree, and he was impressed with the meal. I took the calamari and it was not cooked well at all. It was deep fried but came out soft, mushy and the spices/mix used were not the best, but edible.

We finally received our mains about 1.5 hrs or more after ordering. Both were bordering on inedible. The mustard sauce used on the veal was terrible and my partner's steak was on par with an $8 steak you'd get from a bar, overcooked (he takes it medium rare) and extremely dry.

Just before our mains arrived we began noticing people leaving and their parting comments, as we were sitting in front of the counter. At least about 8 of the 10 we saw pay the bill and leave had a complaint to make, mostly that the food had taken such a long time to come, others about the dry meat and others about the lack of menu items available.

Our desserts finally came another 45 min or so later (both of them cold desserts). The crème brulée was completely underset and runny like a milky custard, accompanying biscuit nothing to be desired and the summer fruits brioche not anything spectacular, just below average if anything.

We had a quiet 'sorry for the wait' comment from a waitress upon receiving our mains but no recognition of what a horrible night it was at all by anyone else. It seemed as though the senior staff was so sick of hearing all the complaints that by the time we came to pay he did not even bother asking us how the meal/night/everything was.

The customer leaving and paying before us even felt the need to tell them he would definitely not be back and refused to pay for the drinks. The senior staff merely said that any other night it wouldn't be like this but since it was Valentines.

That does Not excuse the lack of menu items, the lack of customer service, the lack of timeliness at which we received each of our servings and the lack of decent food - And to have the gall to charge us $20 extra per head?!

I'm still astounded. And would Never return. (The positives: one waitress was nice enough and the chairs were comfortable).

Feb 15, 2012 

3.3 Below Average

Ambience  7      Service  1      Value  1      Food  4     

What an appalling dining experience. At 7.45 pm on a saturday night, not all items on the menu were available. We ordered the Tasmanian Salmon medium, which came out over done on a potato rosti that was also overcooked, and inedible. We ordered wine by the glass, and ended up swallowing a mouthful of sediment. The waitress listened and apologised, however, when we paid the maitre d' offered no apology, and refused to accept our discount card (Entertainment Book), because they'd already given us a discount on our meal. We will never return.

Sep 04, 2010 

3.5 Below Average

Drinks  5      Ambience  6      Service  2      Value  1     

We ordered a chicken and prawn dish for our main and a bowl of chips as a side. The chicken was not even half cooked. Chips were over cooked. Both dishes had to be returned. The F&B staff did not have the decency to come and talk to us about the poor quality of the service. We will never go there again.

Nov 22, 2008