Konoba

7.3 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  6     

As we were staying at the realm, we went to the restaurant for breakfast on 2 mornings. Quite delicious, fresh, was constantly renewed, fruit, cereals and a good range of hot meals. Service friendly and helpful with due respect showed. No complaints at all, fast and a great way to start the day, if you have $59/couple.

Jan 17, 2010 

7 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  5      Value  8     

My wife and I very nearly didn't go to Konoba, on the strength of the reviews on this page. Luckily for us, our preferred destination, The Ginger Room, couldn't fit us in, and as we were staying in the attached 'Realm' hotel, we decided to give Konoba a bash just on the basis of convenience. We walked in, therefore, fully prepared for, at best, an ordinary meal.

And, in all honesty, early prognosis wasn't brilliant. The front of house service was an odd combination of overly familiar, overly attendant, and yet oddly muddled and disorganised. The maitre d', while certainly friendly and approachable, didn't really seem to have his finger on the pulse of things, menus took several minutes to arrive, and we were asked to put in our drinks orders before we'd actually been handed a wine list.

Luckily for the restaurant, the young bloke who was waiting on us was far more switched on, and service soon fell into a comfortable rhythm, aside from far-too-frequent visits from the maitre d' to enquire if everything was all right. And, for the most part, everything was. Noise levels were fine, despite a large 12 top across from us, conversation was easy and no shouting necessary. Similarly, the ambience is nice, lighting levels suitably atmospheric without plunging diners into a black hole.

And, of course, the food. Things to ignore in other reviews on this page: The 9+ Wagu is, indeed, 9+ Wagu. I know this because I went up to the pass and asked to see it, prior to ordering. The (very obliging and approachable) chef was more than happy to give me a look at one of the finest pieces of meat I've ever laid eyes upon. Marbled to perfection with regular veins of fine fat throughout, properly vacuum packed, and straight from the coldroom.

We shared two entrees: The buffalo mozzarella was beautiful, drizzled with a little very good quality EVOO (but not too much, just a nice balance) which is point (2) to ignore: the presence of olive oil in the food was, I thought, nicely measured throughout, and certainly not heavy handed or used unnecessarily.

We then shared the Nettle gnocchi, which was delightfully flavoured, served in a nicely balanced cheese sauce, but without the heaviness that gnocchi can so often suffer from. Then the mains, both my wife and I ordered from the grill menu, the Wagu for me, the Western Australian Lamb for her, and both meats were cooked to absolute perfection. Medium rare was just that, no more, no less.

Both dishes were served with a selection of sauces, a well balanced red wine jus, a lovely fresh bernaise, and a chilli onion 'jam'. Of the three, the bernaise was my sauce of choice, and I could have done without the chilli jam, which didn't, to my mind, compliment particularly any of the other elements of the meal.

Item 3 to ignore: Serving sizes, these were generous throughout, and we didn't have room for dessert.

Item 4: Price: Our meals were priced very reasonably for the standard of food. My Wagu, at $39 was by far the most expensive item on the menu, but worth every cent. Other meals were all priced competitively for other Canberra restaurants of similar quality.

So overall, aside from some service issues which will hopefully get resolved as this relatively new restaurant gets into its stride, I can highly recommend Konoba as a Canberra dining experience.

Jun 21, 2009 

4.5 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  5      Service  7      Value  3     

I visited Konoba on a Sunday night and the restaurant was all but empty. Service was great but food was ordinary at best and the serves were miniscule. Entree was mixed plate of salami etc that could have been sourced at any woolworths.

My partners main was a gnocchi that was very tasty but really small and my steak (alleged wagyu) could again have been purchased from any supermarket. It was tough, flavourless and dry even though only med-rare. There will definitely not be any repeat business from me. It's a pity that an imaginative menu is let down by such poor quality ingredients and tiny servings.

Mar 04, 2009 

7 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  5      Value  7     

The food and ambience here is fabulous. The beef burger was voted 'best ever' by my 10 yr old, and in my last two visits, I haven't been able to move beyond their delightful White River Veal Cutlet to explore further. Previous occasions have resulted in delight over their spicy tofu dish, their rustic and innovative take on the classic Club Sandwich.

They really know how to cook vegetables with delightful variety, from perfectly truffled mash to Dutch carrots, crispy chips and vibrant, crunchy greens. The only bump in the road for me has been the questionable credibility of their 9+ marble score Wagyu. I'm not convinced that it was anything beyond a decent Angus with no evident marbling, and a texture that was suspiciously tough for Wagyu.

Service wise, our experience was less pleasurable. As our visits coincided with a quiet period in Canberra, the service payroll was back to bear bones and it showed. Our waiter on all occasions was entirely on his own and his difficultly in coping with the situation left him frazzled, snappy and disorganised. I'm sure that this is the exception and not the rule, as I'm sure that the service shines as brightly as the food when all cylinders are firing. I'll be back.

Jan 01, 2009 

9 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  9     

Exceptional restaurant. If you do not like olive oils and the like I suggest you stick with KFC. It is fresh an innovative and the staff looked after a group of 15 of us with no fuss at all. $40 per head included a tip and that is the cheapest meal out I have had in ages.

Dec 09, 2008 

5 Average

Food  1      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  1     

The food was as terrible as it was expensive (hint: it was expensive). The chef had decided that excessive lashings of extra-virgin olive oil was the natural companion to every single dish, unfortunately, for him, he was wrong. I was actually surprised to find that the ice cream was not served with an olive oil glaze.

Dec 02, 2008