Chez Pok Restaurant

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  8     

I booked the Sanctuary (formerly Chez Pok) almost by default as my first choices of restaurants were either booked for weddings or too far from our accommodation. But there was no disappointment. The service was great - warm, engaging and professional. We were pleasantly surprised to get two complimentary appetizers including an outstanding sweet potato and bacon soup. This one will stick in my memory for years to come. We then had very tasty Sydney rock oysters from Port Stephens which, matched with a Hunter Semillon, worked wonders on a warm evening. For the main, the "cote de boeuf" to share was a highlight and we definitely recommend it. It was tender, juicy and flavourful. By that stage we were too full for dessert but we were pleased with the complimentary jubes and chocolates. Don't hesitate to stop by if you are in the area.

Nov 28, 2011 

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  7     

I've been there twice with my husband. We like The Hunter, so every time we go, we would go to a few nice restaurants, and Chez Pok is one of them. The quality and portion of the food are both very reasonable. I particularly enjoyed their dessert, A night at the movies. It consists of popcorn, truffle chocolate, and honeycomb chocolate. I didn't know that honey comb chocolate can be so nice! A pleasant surprise. Definitely book a table if you're planning to go on public holidays. Wait staff has been pleasant both times.

Jul 18, 2011 

10 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

Having read the awful reviews here we were very nervous about the dinner we would have at Chez Pok and almost did not go but I must say it was truly a wonderful experience. The menu is still quite unusual although it has been toned down a bit and now offers something to suit just about anyones taste. The staff were exceptional, friendly and helpful. They have a real interest here in listening to what the customers want and are determined to offer a great dining experience.

We went to stay at Pepers Guesthouse on a package deal that included dinner and we were surprised to be served three courses from anything on the menu as well as the chef sending out little surprise tastes of a few different dishes from the kitchen. I started with an entree of Duck breast which was great and we were also served lovely warm bread and oil with a dipping spice mix.

The Pork Belly main I chose with licorice root and iced pineapple was a fantastic flavour combination and beautifully cooked and we also ordered a side dish of potatoes which were heavenly and a baby spinach salad, both very generous serves. The Chocolate pudding I had for dessert oozed silky dark chocolate, wonderful! To finish we were offered a beautiful little treat box filled with coffee beans on top of which sat gorgeous little treats such as macaroons and a type of turkish delight that was truly sensational.

We were with a group of 4 people, 2 of them quite unadventurous males who were very hesitant to try anything but even they had to agree it was the most wonderful experience they had in a restaurant. We all can't wait to go back!

May 16, 2010 

3.8 Below Average

Food  4      Ambience  6      Service  1      Value  4     

Oh my lord! Where does one begin? Dined here on Friday night and to say the least awful!

The bar staff and reception staff were some of the rudest people I have ever encountered we should have left from that point but were told the food was great by a cellar door person at Peppertree wines near by so decided to soldier on in and were then left for fourty five minutes with out encountering a single waiter.

Finally upon retrieving the waiter from behind the bar and her prying herself from her conversation regarding the upcoming concert weekends and how much extra work she had been rostered on to do we were finally offered water. Totally gob smacked, we were then told of the menu changes which sent our heads into a spin and were then asked to order as it had been a while!

We did a starter and a main course each as we wanted to try the deft gastronomy we were promised earlier but sadly the food was as baffling as the reason this place still exists. My starter contained a main item of squid then a whole performance of oils, foams, crunchy toffees, and an air which I couldn't find! My wife was totally taken back at the flourescent green foam covering her cod that tasted like wheat grass and smelled like hay.

I paid the bill and made several comments to the head waiter only to be informed that severe changes were taking place in the kitchen and to please bear with us! I think not.

Feb 23, 2010 

7.5 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  7      Service  8      Value  7     

Overall, unusual combinations but it worked well. The labna filled courgette flowers with sweet potato risotto was my favourite.

Kids meal comes with vanilla ice-cream stated on the menu, but we got homemade mint flavoured ice-cream instead. Not appealling for a child and refused to eat it, but mummy and daddy were happy to finish it as it was the nicest mint ice-cream I've had. The portions are small. Friendly and attentive service.

Jan 19, 2010 

4.3 Below Average

Food  1      Ambience  6      Service  9      Value  1     

A few years ago I went to Chez Pok and had one of the nicest meals in recent memory. It used to be simple, traditional food cooked well. How things have changed. I took two friends there, and quite frankly, I've never felt so ripped off for a meal.

The old head chef has gone elsewhere in the Hunter and now a former Chez Pok junior chef, after spending some time in European kitchens, has returned promoted to his first head chef position.

I had the "warm h'orderves", a mix of tongue and various meats. The menu didn't specify they were all deep fried. I've had nicer food at KFC. Another had the "liquid bruschetta' which is all style and no substance to the point that it was inedible and tasted unnatural and synthetic.

Mains were appalling: duck, calamari, caramel, wasabi sorbet, and ginger 'air', and yes, that is all on one plate. Duck and calamari? Seriously? I love boundaries being pushed, but there are some things you just don't do.

Innovative combinations and presentation are best left to Adria Ferran or Heston Blumenthal, the whole menu felt like a badly executed imitation with a head chef who's trying to be way too fancy in his new position to such an extent that it is extremely pretentious.

The staff were very nice. They must have the toughest service job in NSW serving this food and should be highly commended. We were privately told by them that all the feedback is generally bad and that the new chef is killing Chez Pok for both customers and as a place to work for staff.

Because the portions are also tiny, we went home and shared a packet of biscuits - it was the best food we'd had all evening. At nearly $100 a head, this is unacceptable. Chez Pok needs to go on Kitchen Nightmares.

Jan 08, 2010 

8 Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  9      Service  9      Value  6     

Our party of four were warmly greeted and received a very high level of service from the waitstaff throughout the evening. We opted for two courses for $55 each. We all enjoyed the food we received but the portions were extremely small and we were all still hungry after finishing both courses. We asked for the dessert menu but for $20 per dessert and judging by the size of the entree and main we didn't think it would be worth the money and there was nothing on the menu that sounded appertizing.

There was plenty of foam and air on the menu but nothing of any real substance. Our party are not big eaters and have average appetites but we could have grabbed some drive through takeaway if it had been available after we had left the restaurant.

Dec 30, 2009 

5 Average

Food  5      Ambience  5      Service  6      Value  4     

My wife and two friends found ourselves at Chez Pok as part of a package staying at the Peppers Guesthouse. This was our friends' first visit to the Hunter Valley, and quite frankly, we were embarrassed to have this as a an introduction to all that the Hunter has to offer.

The staff who waited our table were polite enough, surprising since one of them (who also appeared to be the maître d'), had been appallingly rude and unhelpful earlier in the Guesthouse bar. The real letdown at the restaurant though, is the food. It's been a long time since I've sat through a menu as lost and and as baffling as the one Chez Pok offers. We were first 'treated' to a 'surprise gift' from the kitchen staff, a ritual that is now becoming as boring as the expected second encore at the theatre.

I don't mind such things if they are truly inspired, but this was the lamest amusé that I've ever encountered, a single blanched shrimp on a dob of tomato sorbet. Basically a prawn cocktail. Again, not necessarily a bad idea, but in this instance, awful to the point of bathos.

My entree of scallops was curiously appealing, so I forgave the kitchen staff momentarily. The little flakes of toffee that garnished the scallops were unusual but not altogether a failure. But from there things went disastrously. My main course, full of 'foams', swirls of jus and globs of jam looked like a Miro painting and was about as palatable as I imagine licking one might be.

I can't even remember everything that was on it, there was overcooked duck, little curlicues of deep-fried calamari and one of the aforementioned foams tasting of wasabi. And there was more toffee. It was truly strange. The combination of flavours was unappealing and ill-considered. It was a meal that was at once pretentious and amateurish.

My dessert, a mandarin 'parfait', was bland and unremarkable. Far from perfect. My companions faired far worse though, two of them ordering a fruit 'soup' accompanied by donuts. It was as bizarre as it sounds. Worse, the 'donuts' were heavy and inedible.

This restaurant really needs to forget about any kind of 'gastronomy' and just concentrate on some decent cooking. 'Clever' food can be exciting and thought-provoking, if you're good at it. This kitchen is not.

Dec 19, 2009 

8.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  7      Service  9      Value  9     

Our experience there was great. We had amazing food. I was pregnant at the time and couldn't eat the complementary tuna tartare hors d'ouevres but the kitchen was more than happy to provide me with something else without me having to ask for it! The service was attentive and extremely polite. The meal was one of the best I have ever eaten, just shows you don't need to pay $500 to have a good meal. Nothing fancy, but very wholesome and fresh and absolutely delicious.

Buffet breakfast the next morning was nothing outstanding, pretty much the same selection as you'd get anywhere. The "hot" dishes were a bit cold but otherwise, great. The service staff were much nicer the previous night.

Oct 17, 2009 

9.3 Highly Recommended

Food  10      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  10     

June, 2009 - We were treated to a meal at Chez Pok as a gift for my fiance's birthday just a few weeks ago. They have a new Chef there, so things have changed. What a meal! We had a degustation menu and it was absolutely fantastic!

The wait staff were welcoming and friendly and knowledgeable and informative about the menu. Their service was prompt and the atmosphere was great, with a warm, 'you're at home here,' feel to it and the food itself was absolutely delicious, innovative and just beautifully presented.

We had an awesome night and cannot recommend Chez Pok enough.

Jul 19, 2009