Palace by Luke Mangan, The

5.8 Average

Food  6      Ambience  5      Service  7      Value  5     

Visited this place with my partner on one of the rare occasions out since the birth of our baby so was really looking forward to it. Unfortunately, we were disappointed. Entrees were nice, had the calamari and selection of cured meats. Cured meats were better than the calamari. That's where it ends.

Waited well over 40 minutes for main and the restaurant was not full. I ordered twice cooked duck with polenta and green beans. Beans were delicious! My duck was chewy and not falling off the bone. The worst part of the dish was the polenta, it was terribly lumpy and inedible. My partner ordered the rib eye steak medium rare and it came out medium and was also chewy. Both dishes were $35 and didn't earn it.

Service was good though, our waitress was lovely and attentive so no complaints there. Overall, not great and quite disappointing.

Mar 25, 2012 

3.8 Below Average

Food  7      Ambience  5      Service  1      Value  2     

Quite a nice meal (and possibly the best chocolate pudding ever) was, unfortunately, ruined by disappointing service, indifferent, inattentive and having to wait 2 hours for our meals to be served.

To add insult to injury, we watched nearby tables ordering, being served and finishing their 2 course dinners before we had been given a mouthful. Despite two reminders and prompts to ask where our meals were (alarming that service staff don't notice that for themselves constantly walking around a relatively small dining room), we weren't offered any explanation, or even extra bread or a bowl of fries to appease our growling stomachs! Our bread and butter plates were cleared an hour before we got our meal.

Understood that restaurant kitchens sometimes stuff up and miss orders, but this was not handled well and we were given no indication that the management or staff gave a toss about making good with us.

The staff were pleasant enough with the smiles and the 'yes sirs' and leisurely polishing glasses in the background while we sat waiting, waiting, absolutely poor customer service!

And a query about the amount of French champagne presented in a glass (for $18 in a pub, I expect more than a sherry glass full) was not followed up after a half-arsed "I'll check with the bar".

We weren't difficult customers - we remained nice, showed grace and patience, we didn't make a scene or complain loudly. But that didn't get us anywhere.

The management at The Palace obviously completely couldn't give a stuff about peeved customers because a complaint the next day on their Facebook was removed (twice) rather than followed up by management. How pathetic.

Go ahead and bury your head in the sand, management at The Palace Hotel, plenty of good gastropubs in Melbourne. Won't go back.

Mar 08, 2012 

8.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  8      Service  9      Value  9     

It is somewhat fitting that with the departure of Luke Mangan's name from The Palace, that the regally named John King moves in to own kitchen operations. Having worked in some impressive kitchens with the most recent being The Royal Mail Hotel, it looks like this is the opportunity for John King to make a name and reputation for himself in one of the classier gastropubs in town.

Read more on my blog

Jan 14, 2012 

5.3 Average

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  1      Value  6     

Arrived at 6 pm for an impromptu dinner in the bar with my husband. We walked in to the bar and there were two gentlemen at the bar and around 8 staff in the bar and/or restaurant. We were basically ignored. We were both well dressed having come from work meetings and had working platinum cards but for some reason were treated like we had walked in wearing thongs and trackies.

We knew we wanted to eat in the bar from the bar menu but were confused as to where the bar started and where the restaurant started. Our obvious lack of knowledge combined with us looking around blankly was ignored. I went to the bar and asked if we could take a vacant table that was clearly in the bar to order some food and drinks.

Despite the fact that there were two tables at the edge of the bar that were set for dining we were not offered this alternative nor were we asked if we wanted to eat in the restaurant. The dining tables remained empty (as did all other tables in the restaurant except one) the entire time we were there.

A group of 3 older (read 60+) people arrived and had the same confused look on their faces as to where to go and what to do, they too were ignored for an unacceptable amount of time before being shown to another area of tables off the bar (again not sure if it was considered the restaurant or the bar) and basically the waiter motioned to several tables and seemed to say just sit where you want.

Call me old fashioned but even in a pub restaurant if you are going to show someone to their table then show them to their table not just wave them off to an area.

One of the waitresses came to take a drink order from us but when I asked for another minute to decide on the drinks, we didn't see her again or anyone else so I was forced to go to the bar to order drinks and food. The guy behind the bar could not have been less helpful. You know when you are waiting for someone to take an order they tend to prompt you with something like "what would you like to order" well after waiting for 30 seconds while the guy looked at the computer screen and said nothing he eventually said "so what d'you want?"

Then instead of being asked after the first item what else we would like the same thing happened again. I waited thinking he was entering the order but after another 30 seconds and getting a "yeah?" I forged ahead and completed the order of three items and a bottle of wine.

Our meals came out in a very acceptable time but during that 20 to 30 minutes instead of one of the 8 staff who were milling around but not attending to the few customers that were there, bringing us cutlery and napkins this was done after our meals were brought to the table. Very irritating and in fact just plain lazy.

Now to the good part, the food. Chicken Liver Parfait was lovely but lacking enough brioche for the pate provided (another 2 pieces would be perfect making a total of 6) but the accompaniments were ideal for true pate lovers. The salt and pepper calamari was spicy and crispy but the accompaniments were confusing. The miso mayo and the caramelised eshallots listed were the issue, the caramelised eshallots looked like miso paste but the miso mayo was so underwhelming that I thought maybe the chef had changed the plating.

I inquired with the waiter (who I think was also the senior staff who was the worst culprit of the underwhelming service given his position) who cleared the plates as to the components of the dish and he clarified the dish for me but the attitude when asked a simple question about a dish (after having said how enjoyable it was) was just plain condescending. Last but not least we had the Wagyu Burger (minus the beetroot, just not a fan) which was very tasty, very crumbly and very devoured!

During the entire meal, one waitress came and topped up our wine, other than that the staff were back to ignoring the customers and doing nothing.

I would happily go back for the food. Bad service really does detract from a great night out. I don't know if they are trying to only have the "beautiful people" go to your pub but if they continue to treat other paying customers in such a lacklustre manner then word will spread rapidly that the staff are arrogant which would be a shame as the food is great.

Sep 09, 2011 

7.5 Recommended

Food  7      Ambience  8      Service  8      Value  7     

Visited here in September 2010. Very pleasant atmosphere and nice staff. The food wasn't anything special, more top end pub food but very nice all the same. Would happily go back.

Jan 28, 2011 

3 Below Average

Food  5      Ambience  3      Service  1      Value  3     

I took my partner here for his birthday dinner. The man loves a steak and this place holds it out as a steak restaurant.

Unfortunately, the meal was a disaster from the start. The dining room was noisy and the tables packed in closely together. The staff were inattentive and uninterested. From the start our hopes were not high although we were pleasantly surprised with tasty entrees.

And then came the mains. My partner's steak was over cooked. Poor form for a restaurant that prides itself in its steaks (and charges accordingly). My gnocchi main course was so revolting I couldn't eat it. This was compounded by the fact that I couldn't get the attention of the wait staff to remedy the situation. The woman and the next table had ordered the same dish and shared my fate.

My plate sat untouched (I managed two mouthfuls before my partner tried it and told me to stop being brave and stop eating it) and when it was noticed by waiters they quickly looked away and ran off, not wanting to confront the issue. When someone finally came to clear the plates and I remarked that my main was inedible it was met with an uninterested "I'll let the kitchen know". The kitchen staff responded with a shrug when told. Very disappointing. Avoid at all costs.

Jun 27, 2010