The Abbey — Restaurant in Henley Brook

It isn't very often that a restaurant experience is faultless.,... but this came pretty close to it. Location, hidden away off the West Swan road, this is your first clue that you are in for something special. Located in the Swan Valley, Western Australia it provides a secluded tranquil and peaceful setting. A small sign on West Swan road leads you to a track of about 150metres which takes you to the parking lot of the restaurant.

The interior of the restaurant appears to be remodeled horse stables, which my wife was quick to point out, with a warm atmosphere .. wood being the predominant feature. There is an open fireplace which i am sure is used during dinner (we went there for lunch). The seats are comfortable, tables solid wood gives the feel and look of quality... not overly dressed with glasses and cutlery. Simple yet elegant. Table spacing is good... allows privacy of conversation and adequate room for movement of chairs. They also have outdoor seating. Lots of glass windows lends the outside serene atmosphere into the ambiance of the restaurant. Music level is perfect.

Staff were accommodating, friendly, prompt and extremely welcoming. Special mention to Andrew who managed to engage us with the perfect balance of interaction, friendliness and service to make the experience perfect. Nice to have staff with knowledge of the menu offerings... and his recommendation of the Crostinis for entree did not disappoint. All the staff managed to engage in eye contact and understand when service was required... very attentive.

The menu was well balanced with a good selection catering for most needs.. nice to see that items were identified as vegetarian (V), Gluten Free (GF), Lactose Free (LF) as we are pescetarians. Food was superb. We have the Crostinis for entree which was delicious. My wife ordered the Goats Cheese Gnocchi (Pan-fried Herb & Meredith Goats Chevre Gnocchi, Creamed Baby Spinach, Butternut Squash, Pinenuts, Crispy Sage & Wild Rocket) which was faultless... fluffy, creamy and flavours that just blended together. I have the fish of the day,.. (Seared Oven Roasted Fish of the Day, Lime & Vanilla Potato Cake, Asparagus, Cranberry Salsa & Sauce Choron... cooked to perfection. Although tempted by the Sticky Date Pudding, we both decided to have the Chocolate Delice (Rich, dark chocolate delice, miso caramel, hazelnut crunch, black sesame ice cream) for desert which was decadent. Food portions were more than adequately sized and we were more than adequately satisfied. The selection of wines is extensive and will satisfy any palate.

This restaurant is unpretentious and delivers a beautiful balance between ambiance, food offerings and wine palate. This is definately a restaurant we will be returning to... and for those visiting Western Australia.. a MUST...

Cosy decor. We were seated near the indoor fireplace which we appreciated. Not fine dining, but not quite pub fare either; somewhere in between.

Front of house staff were friendly and when we received the bruschetta starter impressions were positive. The serving was a bit large for a starter but quite tasty and you can’t really complain about getting bang for your buck. I did happen to see one of the junior chefs eating on the job which I thought was a bit unprofessional. Tasting for quality is acceptable, but not eating a meal whilst working in the kitchen, in my opinion.

Our mains arrived in around fifteen minutes. It was pretty quiet but nonetheless we were impressed with how quick the service was. Unfortunately the chicken risotto was pretty good but a bit bland. Needed salt for flavour. The American pork ribs arrived in a massive serving and, whilst the accompanying fries were perfect and the meat fell off the bone, the flavours were more Southeast Asian than American. The spice rub used (tasted like Woolies five-spice) had been way overdone, to the point where the flavour was so intense I could only eat a small amount before it was too much.

Front of house staff were receptive to our feedback upon leaving and responded positively. This alone was enough to consider returning to see if any changes have been made. This restaurant has the potential to be great, with a stunning location and beautiful interior space; the experience was just marred slightly by food that wasn’t quite up to snuff. It didn’t ruin our night, but if on a subsequent visit the food still doesn’t hit the mark, sad to say we probably wouldn’t be back.

If I could suggest any improvements, they would be:

1. Reduce the portion sizes by about 30% and prices by about 10%.
2. Work with the chefs to ensure flavours are present but not overwhelming, and consistent with the expectations set by the menu descriptions.
3. Streamline the menu with a handful fewer options and perhaps hone in on a specific region or type of food as the current mix is...

Used to be great. Family member even had a wedding reception there. Today i didn't receive my lunch meal while my daughter and husband ate all wondering why isn't mine coming out. The tables outside were dusty and dirty, except the groups tables. My family finished eating and my meal still didn't come & i said we might as well leave then, we told them we never got my meal. One last was surprised and the older lady at the counter loudly then asks the kitchen "what happened to that meal that never went out?!". So they knew about our table's missing meal and didn't do anything about it, no one came to us at all. All we got as compensation was not to have to pay for the missing meal i never ate. I never got to eat lunch and i was hungry. They didn't care and we ended up feeling that we were an inconvenience. Their main focus was on the bus groups that came through and they immediately went back to trending to the bus groups. Chesters was better with old owners. There is no manners with restaurants these days. They feel they don't owe you any kindness or compensation and that you're doing them a favour by eating there. I've been to a few cocky places in Perth like that where The customer isn't ever right and you can leave if you don't like it. Never going there again. I've worked in the restaurant industry for a really long time and things have definitely changed for the worse with no common sense and doing the right thing by...