Fishbank Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Adelaide

TL;DR: Beautiful decor and good food, but service left a lot to be desired.

We had high hopes for our evening, but it turned out to be a mixed experience.

Starting with the positives: the booking website is straightforward and easy to use. You can specify the occasion and dietary requirements, and even upload a photo of yourself, which, as the website claims, should help the staff identify and greet you upon arrival. However, this promise fell short. Not only did they fail to recognise us or acknowledge my wife’s birthday (which I had noted on the booking page), but it was clear they hadn’t read any of the details we provided, which raises concerns about whether dietary requirements are being noted either.

When we arrived, we were seated fairly quickly but waited for around 10 minutes without any service – not even a food menu. Eventually, the manager approached and asked what the occasion was, proving that our booking notes had gone unread. I then asked our waiter for more information about the "feed me" menu options, and to my surprise, he wasn't familiar with the choices and had to consult the manager.

As for the food, it was good overall, though not outstanding. We chose the "feed me" option and particularly enjoyed the brisket, which was tender and full of flavour. However, we were disappointed with the XO sauce dish – advertised as featuring abalone but, oddly, had none. This dish left us feeling let down given the high expectations set by the manager's description.

During the extended periods we were left unattended, we couldn’t help but observe the experience of other tables around us, and it became evident that our table wasn’t alone in facing service issues. For example, one table was asked about their water preference twice, and they were later served the wrong bottle of wine. Another couple waited over 30 minutes before asking the manager if a waiter was assigned to their table; it then took them even longer to get their drinks. When their food finally arrived, it was incorrect, and the manager had to re-verify their order. Their frustration was obvious.

The quirkiest moment we saw was when a waiter placed two salad bowls directly on a couple’s dinner plates, leaving them to eat from the bowls instead of transferring the salad onto the plates first – certainly not what you expect from a restaurant of this calibre. Please don’t think we’re overly critical; these observations were simply hard to miss given the amount of time we waited without service.

Despite the disorganised service, we did enjoy the evening in the sense that we had good company and liked the ambience and some of the dishes. That said, I’m not sure other diners could say the same. For a $200 meal, I was hoping for a more polished experience, particularly with service. It’s an experience we won’t forget, but unfortunately, not one we’re...

I had the pleasure of visiting Fishbank last week, and I'm glad I did. The venue was lively but respectful and controlled, and that made for a great atmosphere to dine in.

I ordered the romp in the sand cocktail and my partner ordered hunky dory, and both were excellent and complex. I got the southern rock lobster and my partner got the king george whiting, with caviar to start along with the prawn toast. All of the food was amazing! The prawn toast was tender and crispy, with a sauce that is to die for. The whiting was excellent, and my partner, who is a bit of a whiting connoisseur at this point, said it was the best she'd ever had. After tasting, I agreed that the fish was excellent, but the serving of the capsicum could have been a little more exciting and a little less watery, but that's a minor point. The lobster was excellent, it would have been great if the dish was served in a less unruly way (i.e. cut the antenae and give more room on the plate), but the flavours were done right and the chef made the flavours of an excellent lobster speak for itself. I only have a few complaints, and they don't speak entirely for the restaurant but instead I'm just letting others know my experience. The first was that when we ordered 10g of caviar, I also wanted belvedere shots as a side, but the staff were a little confused and brought the promotion cart (a generous bump of caviar along with a shot of belvedere) which I took and then had to explain that we wanted the caviar along with bread and creme fraiche. That was fine enough, however I don't think that the potato crisps were really necessary and cheapened the experience considerably. On top of this, the price of the lobster was POA, and I knew this before coming to the restaurant. Perhaps it was my ignorance, but I'd assumed a price would be in line with the $100 mark, but ended up being doubled, which I didn't know until I got the bill. We are two 21 year olds, and it was clear to see that we weren't made of money, and although I was lucky enough to afford the meal, it was a real shock, and a little guidance from the wait staff on how much it was likely to cost would have been a great help in my opinion. Nonetheless, we had a fantastic time at fish bank, and we'll...

I recently visited Fishbank with high expectations, but my experience started off on the wrong foot. From the moment we arrived, the host’s lack of communication and inattentiveness left us feeling overlooked and confused. We waited for 40 minutes with little interaction, and had to figure out basic things like where the bathroom was. I was disappointed by the overall lack of attention, especially considering the restaurant’s reputation.

However, Ash, the bar manager, truly turned our evening around and went above and beyond to make amends. After I expressed my frustrations, Ash took it upon himself to personally ensure we had a much more enjoyable experience. He provided us with complimentary dessert and champagne, apologized profusely, and immediately took charge to elevate our evening.

When we ordered the lobster, Ash didn’t just serve it; he took the time to explain how to properly prepare and enjoy it. He showed us how to use the tools, explained the elements of the dish, and walked us through the flavors, making our Christmas dinner even more special. This level of care and personal attention made all the difference, transforming a frustrating start into a memorable experience.

I also appreciated how Ash handled the service throughout the evening. Ash ensured that the rest of the team was attentive to our needs. Fresh cutlery, drink refills, and checking in on us were all handled seamlessly. His professionalism, kindness, and thoughtful approach to customer service made me feel heard, validated, and valued—something I truly appreciated after the rough start.

Ash’s service was exemplary, and I want to take the time to acknowledge his effort. He is the kind of professional that makes a good dining experience great, and his diplomatic and respectful approach truly elevated our night. His dedication to making sure we felt taken care of was the highlight of our visit, and he absolutely deserves recognition for his...