Bistro Sociale — Restaurant in Bowral

We visited Bistro Sociale for a birthday dinner last Saturday, with a reservation at 8:00 PM. Unfortunately, our experience was far from what we had envisioned. After being seated, we were left alone for over 30 minutes without anyone checking in on us, which was not a great start. When the server finally approached, we ordered cocktails and food along with 2 carafes of wine. The entrées arrived over 30 minutes later, by which time we'd been waiting for more than an hour. To our surprise, the cocktails and wine were served all at once with the entrées, which felt rushed and out of sync. The Harissa-marinated grilled stone fruit with labneh, radish, fennel, radicchio, and macadamia was decent but there was almost no hint of harissa. The scallops were well-cooked but were served in an overwhelming sea of green pea velouté. Additionally, there was no bread offered with the dish, and we had to purchase the house bread separately for $8, which felt unnecessary and disappointing. We did not purchase the bread. The main courses were where things really went downhill. The free-range pork was fatty and lacked flavour, and the duck confit, though tender, was slightly dry, with almost no celeriac mash—just an abundance of lentilles du Puy, which was too much in the plate.The replacement of the John Dory with salmon was understandable, but the salmon was paired with some beurre blanc & lumpfish eggs (not caviar) & petits pois, which didn’t hold up as well as it would have with the original dish. The spatchcock, priced at $42, was a major letdown. The saffron and cauliflower purée was practically nonexistent, and while the chicken was cooked well, the charred radicchio and leek were so bitter that even the raisin jus couldn’t balance the flavour. I was unable to finish my plate. We dine out regularly and enjoy exploring a variety of restaurants, whether they have Michelin stars or not, in both touristy and non-touristy areas. I understand that Bowral is a popular, tourist-driven area, and that prices tend to reflect this. However, the quality of the food and overall experience must align with the pricing, and in this case, it simply didn’t. At $384, we left feeling disappointed and very unsatisfied

We chose not to order desserts, as we weren’t confident in what we might receive, and after the experience, we felt it wasn’t worth taking a risk. While it's clear there are good intentions behind the menu and the atmosphere, the execution fell short. When we shared our feedback with the person in charge of our table, she surprisingly agreed with us, which left us even more puzzled. She mentioned she would pass our comments on to the kitchen, and we hope they take the necessary steps to improve.This was a miss for us, and unfortunately, we won’t...

Unforgivable Service at Berida Hotel and Bistro Sociale, Bowral

My recent experience at Berida Hotel and its restaurant, Bistro Sociale, in Bowral, New South Wales, was a disaster. What was meant to be a joyful Mother's Day celebration with my stepson and partner turned into a nightmare due to the inexcusable behavior of the hotel's management.

On arrival, we were charmed by the inviting ambiance of the fireplace, a warmth that would soon be completely overshadowed by the hotel's service. Our first indication of the impending disappointment came when we tried to book a table at Bistro Sociale. Despite being hotel guests, we were astonishingly informed that no tables were available - a flagrant disregard for hospitality norms. Their suggested alternative was a table at the whiskey bar, an utterly inappropriate suggestion given the presence of our 10-year-old stepson.

The hotel's manager, whose name I withhold, showed an appalling lack of customer service skills. Despite seeing several unoccupied tables for over three hours, he stubbornly insisted none were available.

In an appalling escalation, we were unjustly accused of causing a disturbance and asked to leave the hotel. This, while we were quietly conversing amongst ourselves in Portuguese, and had not interacted with the staff since our failed attempt to book a table. His threat to call the police on us, a family with a young child, was a gross overreaction and a testament to his lack of managerial aptitude.

Upon revealing our association with law firms, his tone suddenly shifted. He then hastily offered a free night at the hotel, a pathetic attempt to pacify us. My partner gracefully declined, stating our willingness to pay and point out that we do not need any kind of charity.

While the food at Bistro Sociale was indeed delectable, it was nowhere near enough to make up for the atrocious service and overall dreadful experience. The unprofessional management and dreadful customer service were shocking and utterly unacceptable.

To sum up, Berida Hotel and Bistro Sociale massively failed to deliver on the promise of a pleasant stay. The management should be ashamed of their abysmal customer service. A hotel of this supposed caliber should focus on providing an exceptional experience for its guests, rather than ruining special occasions with their...

(3.5 stars) As a hotel restaurant located in Bowral’s Berida Hotel, Bistro Sociale does an a la carte breakfast seven days a week. With temperatures hovering around minus three, and our car windscreen completely frosted over, the roaring oven fire was a welcome sight. As was our quick-to-arrive coffee order, which, across a cappuccino ($4) and a strong flat white ($4), was well-made and enjoyable.

We each ordered free range eggs with toast ($15.50) and then added four shared sides: chorizo ($5), bacon ($5), mushrooms ($4) and patatas bravas ($4). We were surprised when the sides already allocated onto our plates, two sides apiece. It must have showed, as the waitress remarked: “That’s how it comes.” More communication at the brusque outset of service might help to avoid diner disappointment; as might not hiding burnt bacon under a tasty chorizo…

As a concession to the weather, I would also have liked the attractive wabi-sabi (misshapen) plates could have been heated to keep our breakfast warm. The roast spuds wanted for some salt, necessitating a request because it wasn’t on the table. Luckily the well-seasoned scrambled eggs were warm enough to melt cold butter over our Turkish bread toast. The eggs had great flavour under a drizzle of house-made chilli oil. While it took two requests (and a number of caveats) to get some onto our table, we were delighted with the habanero-based result as it imparted plenty of flavour and a not-inconsiderable hot chilli burn. It left us enlivened and ready to...