Waters Edge Restaurant

6.5 Recommended

Food  5      Ambience  9      Service  6      Value  6     

This is a beautifully positioned dining spot. Go for lunch. Ask in advance for a window seat. The food was good a couple of years ago, but there has been a distinct slide in quality and value. But don't let that worry you. It's all about feeling good about the view of the lake and the nicely dressed patrons.

Apr 16, 2012 

2.5 Not Recommended

Food  3      Ambience  1      Service  4      Value  2     

Expecting to have a superb view of the lake it was marred by the dirty ute owned by the nearby cafe parked thoughtlessly not to mention illegally in front of the view.

Where we were seated it was so hot there was sweat trickling down my back and I felt ill the butter on the table was rancid and melted. A table of two left straight after mains saying the view was spoilt and it was too hot to continue- I was beyond annoyed when I walked to the bathroom and found the area near the kitchen and toilets almost icy, probably explains the cold mains although the pomme frites (chips) were good!

The dessert, however, was superb after going out into the cooler air a mild 27 we left $200 poorer and lamented the two hours of our life wasted at a below average cafe in a nice location with a view of a dirty ute, insulting to call it a fine anything.

Feb 19, 2012 

4.8 Average

Food  7      Ambience  7      Service  4      Value  1     

We booked early last week and told them it was using a voucher our son had bought us. We did not receive a physical voucher as my son lives in Melbourne and did not receive a voucher so he phoned today and confirmed the payment against our booking. However, when we went to pay the difference the girl was very rude and said without a paper voucher we had to pay full price. We could phone our at 9.30 pm to confirm (he has a new baby say no more on that) I am shocked that we had to go through that humiliation and I for one would not recommend your restaurant to anyone.

No matter what the food was like. Although I did find the duck was over cooked. However, the rest of the meal was fair and the view pretty good until the commonwealth cars parked right out front and then blocked our view. Overall not a very pleasant experience that was supposed to be a special night for us.

Jan 24, 2012 

3.8 Below Average

Food  2      Ambience  8      Service  3      Value  2     

My wife and I ate there in sept of last year (2011). Both of us ordered the degustation with my wife also getting the wines. The only good thing I could say about any of the food that came out, was the wine went well with the food, however, the food was very sub-par, infact I would put it as one of the worst meals I have eaten as well as being one of the most expensive. Having been to Courgette and Aubergine many a time I thought I could expect the same, but it was far from it.

The duck was mainly fat (hardly any meat) the salmon was overcooked around the outside and raw in the middle with no taste (I can safely assume it was near frozen before it was cooked) very disappointing, and will not be back.

Jan 13, 2012 

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  10     

After reading the December 15 review, we were a bit unsure. When we rang to book on friday, they had no tables but took our number to advise if one became available. Around mid-day Saturday they rang to advise we had a table. Having previously eaten at Courgette and Aubergine, we expected a high standard. We were not disappointed. The waiters were courteous and attentive. Our water and wine glasses were checked constantly (the criticism may have been taken to heart).

The house-made rolls were like gossamer with a fine shell, absolutely delightful. All courses were served promptly and were outstanding, along with the small tasters served between courses. The wine list is not enormously big and overwhelming, but the French Burgundy and the W.A. Cabernet Sauvignon were top quality and well priced. The four of us have dined at Michelin starred restaurants overseas and hatted restaurants in Australia.

We all agreed that this was one of the best meals we had eaten and the ambience was perfect and enhanced by the evening aspect of the lake. Well done!

Jan 11, 2012 

6 Average

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  4      Value  5     

Ate there for the first time this week with several friends. In summary I found the food to be of good quality and we all enjoyed what we ordered. In particular we thought highly of the crab tortellini, the lamb and the snapper.

Couldn't say the same for the service. It oscillated between inattentive to down right ignored. Took two requests for some of our group to get water. We ordered wine and it apparently sat on the bar for 30 minutes and it was only after waving down one of the poorly presented waiters we managed to get a glass each - even then they missed one of us. We had to ask every time we wanted a refill of either wine or water - hardly what you expect from a restaurant of this supposed standard.

Also puzzled by their insistence that we order all three courses at the beginning of the meal - they claimed it was because the kitchen was so busy. I for one would prefer to order dessert after I have had my main to ensure that I want another course.

Dec 15, 2011 

8 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  7      Value  7     

As part of a weekend away of celebration, we wanted to enjoy fine food and wine for at least one night. Tried to get into Courgette, but it was booked out and we were directed to Waters Edge. From mixed reviews on this site and others, we were a bit unsure whether Waters Edge would provide what we were after. To add to the confusion was that it is the highest rated restaurant by the Good Food guide!

Well, I can say that as an overall experience Waters Edge delivered, with the food and wine the highlight.

We had booked online and upon arrival there appeared to be no reservation and the maitre d' was in a bit of a huff! Memories of other reviews came running back! However, the service did improve later on into the evening and if this wasn't such a high flying restaurant it could be more easily forgiven.

As for the food and wine, we selected the 7 course degustation, absolutely beautiful and the wines well matched. Best dishes were the kingfish, duck and beef...along with dessert of course.

We would not hesitate in returning. 4 stars!

Oct 24, 2011 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  9     

I dined at Watersedge recently to celebrate my birthday. I was very impressed with the new renovations which have seemed to lighten up the room. The food and service both helped to make my birthday very special. I will be going back again very soon.

Aug 22, 2011 

4.5 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  5      Service  5      Value  3     

I and 3 friends dined here on a Tuesday night to celebrate one of my friends' birthdays. We came expecting a high standard of food and service, however, unfortunately, we were disappointed.

The service was certainly fast, however, the three different wait staff who tended to our table were disinterested and too preoccupied with maintaining their air of importance to exude even a semblance of warmth. The space itself is cold (both in appearance and temperature) and, on a Tuesday night, felt very empty and unwelcoming. Of course, this wasn't helped by the unfriendly staff.

In terms of food, I and two of my dining companions enjoyed our entrees, despite the kitsch presentation. My third dining companion had the misfortune of finding shell in his crab tortellini. Upon informing the staff, a brief and insincere apology was offered, however, to our surprise, there was no price reduction for the entree and we were offered no other apology for the mistake.

This was very disappointing. No restaurant, especially one that has been awarded a hat and brashly displays it on their business card, should be content to allow their customers to eat crab shell without making an attempt to compensate the customer for the error.

All three of my dining companions enjoyed their mains. Unfortunately, I, being the only vegetarian at the table, was forced to order the risotto. Already I was disappointed, because I consider that the most obvious sign of a disinterested and unimaginative kitchen staff is to offer only one vegetarian option and to make that option an all-too-predictable risotto. Alarm bells sounded when I read that the risotto contained asparagus and truffle. Asparagus certainly isn't a winter vegetable and I thought it particularly unsuited to the blustery, cold weather, however, I persevered.

The risotto emerged as a cylindrical tower of rice surrounded by asparagus spears. I was immediately concerned, as any risotto able to hold the shape of a tall cylinder is certainly not a correctly made risotto. I was right in my fears, the risotto was thick, gluggy, and almost inedible. It tasted very little like truffle and was painfully underseasoned.

Worse yet, it was surrounded by a pool of vinaigrette, which consisted predominantly of vinegar and raw onion. The vinaigrette clashed horribly with the risotto and drove an already disappointing dish beyond redemption. The asparagus spears were thin, stringy, and tasteless, a side effect from the fact that they were completely out of season.

For the privilege of eating a risotto the likes of which I have not seen since my first foray into risotto making at age 8, I paid $38, the same price as all of my dining companions paid for their meat courses. Not only were the meat courses, by all accounts, considerably more edible, they were also bigger.

I take serious issue with being charged the same price for a mound of rice and vinegar as someone is charged for roasted lamb saddle or a grain fed beef fillet. Such behaviour verges on deception and theft. In many of the best restaurants that I have dined in, I have noticed a significant price difference between vegetarian and meat dishes to reflect the difference in cost to the restaurant.

I am happy to pay the same price, or more, when my dish seems worth it (a notable example being a truffle and porcini risotto I once enjoyed, which was graced with a sizeable portion of fresh truffle), however, when my dish is smaller, clearly comprised of inexpensive ingredients, and took little to no effort to make, I should not be charged the same price as a meat course that took considerably more effort to make and contains expensive ingredients.

The meals in this restaurant, although some were enjoyable, are not worth the price and there are far better dining experiences to be had in Canberra. Given the cold service, lack of ambience, and disappointing food, we decided to forego dessert and instead had coffee and pecan pie at home, which was the most enjoyable part of our night.

Jun 24, 2011 

5.5 Average

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  4      Value  4     

Dining in a restaurant known as one of the best in Canberra you would expect great food and service. However my experience was much less than this. The food was lovely however the service really let this restaurant down. While eating my main course I finished my wine. I love both food and wine and was hoping to order another glass so I stopped eating my main until I could order another glass. However no one noticed and after waiting so long that my main went stone cold I had to stop a waiter on the many trips straight past our table.

I don't like having to wave staff over in a fine dining restaurant but it seemed to be necessary here. When the waiter cleared our cheese we asked for coffee as you would when you are finishing. We were told the coffee machine was being cleaned even though no one had bothered to offer us coffee. We did get our coffee thankfully. The waiter then at the end told us they were tired and what time would we be finishing. The other tables had only just left and we were planning to finish and leave anyway. All in all I will not be going back.

Jun 06, 2011