Overall, we left Three Blue Ducks underwhelmed—while the food quality met expectations, the service unfortunately fell short.
We arrived with anticipation, only to be left standing in the cold for close to ten minutes at the “please wait to be seated” sign. Staff moved fluidly inside, attending to tables, yet not one paused to acknowledge our presence. In hospitality, the first impression is everything. Here, it was a disappointing start.
Once seated, we were warmly welcomed by a young waitress who gave a great rundown of the menu. However, just a few minutes later, a second waitress approached and repeated the exact same spiel. This overlap suggested poor coordination between the staff -
For starters, we ordered the king prawns and some warmed olives. While both were nicely prepared and flavourful, the portion of prawns—just three, with less than 100g of meat—felt a bit stingy at $38. A thoughtful moment came when another waiter offered us some bread so we could mop up the prawn sauce; however, this later appeared on the bill as $10 for two little rolls—a price he failed to mention, making the gesture feel less like warm hospitality and more like an upselling opportunity.
If this is how the dish is prepared (with plenty of sauce), how is this a surprise to the staff?
And again, this was the 3rd seperate staff member to attend our table in as much as 15 minutes.
Unfortunately, the same level of thought wasn’t shown when a half-full bowl of olives was cleared away without asking by the waitress that cleared up our empty plates.
The real letdown came after the starters. We waited over an hour for our mains to arrive. At the hour mark, we asked a waitress for an update, only to be told, “They haven’t forgotten, it’s coming.” That response missed the mark—obviously we weren’t asking whether we’d been forgotten, but how far off the meals actually were. After pressing further, we were told it’d be 10 minutes, which turned out to be fairly accurate. We later learned a group of 12 had ordered at the same time, which caused the delay—understandable, but better order staggering or communication from the staff could have mitigated the issue.
When the mains did arrive, the food was excellent. We had the lamb shoulder, gnocchi, carrots, potatoes, and fries—everything was cooked well, full of flavour, and reflective of an autumn menu. The food was.. if a little meagre on portions, generally worth the price.
Unfortunately, the experience again soured at the end. After asking for the bill, we waited over 15 minutes while a staff member (possibly the manager) whirled around the restaurant without acknowledging us again—even though it was only a quarter full at this point. We eventually gave up and paid at the counter. When asked how everything was, we shared that the food was great but mentioned the poor service—this feedback was met with complete silence. If you're going to ask for feedback, the bare minimum is to acknowledge it.
Also worth noting—paper napkins were a bit of a damp squib for a restaurant charging these price - Small touches like this really make a difference to the overall impression.
In summary, Three Blue Ducks in Bellingen delivers high-quality, seasonal food from a seemingly capable kitchen; however, the experience is ultimately undermined by a disorganised, inattentive service that detracted significantly from what could have been a great experience.
Sadly, I wouldn’t return—not because of the food, but because the service training clearly needs serious...
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