Chifley's Bar and Grill — Restaurant in District of Canberra Central

The food was fantastic, we'd give that 5 stars. The location is also beautiful.. top marks. The service and the pricing were especially poor though, and for that reason we won't go back.

The trappings and pricing echo a 5 star restaurant, yet the service managed:

1. not to pull the chairs out, especially for my partner
2. not to take the wine glasses away from the kids
3. they didn't pour the table water and had dirty glasses
4. no service of napkins (I can put my own napkin on, but it's common in fine dining service for the wait staff to place them)
5. clomped plates of food on the table awkwardly and not oriented properly
6. said they'd put a bit of bread on the kids meals as per the request but didn't let us know it would add $8 to the bill
7. all round the service lacked quality and confidence

Pricing of kids meals at $15 each is rough, especially when you add $4 each for a bit of bread. Also charging $5 for a soft drink is outrageous.

Our meals and the desserts were superb, but the standard of service and the pricing, especially for the kids meals, means we won't be returning in a hurry and would only recommend the Chifley at Kurrajong with...

There are hotel bars that look awful, and deliver as much. THIS PLACE IS WORSE. It gives the illusion of possibility and raises your hopes of a decent drink with it's numerous staff flitting around and expensive drink list. Alas, it's a MIRAGE. This thirsty wannabe-drinker was duped. After being studiously ignored by the staff member only 2m away from me for 10 solid mins, I eventually got a drink list. My order - a single cocktail - prompted a forage for ingredients because apparently one was "missing" which, based on the time, could have been a trek to the substratum basement or to a shop 3 suburbs away. Eventually my $28 cocktail (with only one spirit in it) appeared. "Hallelujah!" I thought... until I tasted it. I am now aprised of what petrol mixed with sugar syrup tastes like (probably). And because I had the audacity to sit and sip this potent concoction, rather than necking it, MY pace apparently needed to be hastened, or atleast that's what I infer from THE STAFF TURNING THE LIGHTS OFF AROUND ME. Honestly, Chifleys is a poor excuse for a bar. Do not recommend. Not even to the most desperate of...

On Tuesday night this week I was invited to dinner with a former work mate from Darwin. He was in town to do some teaching at the Australian National University and asked me out to dinner so long as I could nominate a good place to get a steak. I suggested Chifley's Bar and Grill in Barton. Chifley's Bar and Grill is located in the Kurrajong Hotel. We both chose the wagyu rump steak which came with a cauliflower purée, cherry tomatoes and beans. My friend also asked for a side of chips. I asked that my steak be cooked rare and to be served with a Bearnaise sauce. The waiting time between ordering and receiving our plates was relatively short. The service was warm and friendly. The steak was really nice. It was tender, it tasted beefy and the Bearnaise sauce was a great accompaniment. I stole a handful of chips from my friend and they were crunchy and perfectly cooked. I thought the cauliflower purée was a little thin and it didn't have much flavour. The cost about $AUD48 per meal. I'd come back and eat steak at Chifley's...