Meninas Grill — Restaurant in Highgate

I came with a group of friends, we regularly dine out at many different restaurants. First thing is the decor and the building, it is divine with attention to detail looks and feels as if no expense has been spared. It’s fresh it’s clean. It’s modern. We came on a quiet Thursday night, we immediately noticed that the waiter that was looking after us was perhaps new, or in need of some additional guidance and training. He needed some help with understanding customers, maybe listening to them better but certainly had no idea about the wines on offer. Sometimes he would deliver something into the table, and leave again without taking empty plates etc. back. At the end of the night our wait person was encouraging us to immediately leave a review, i didn’t, I felt like I was at a pub bistro. I’ve never had someone do that even at a medium quality establishment let alone something a little more up market. Obviously this is a way to build more positive reviews. Like everyone, we are here for the food and the food is outstanding, compliments to the chef, the entire kitchen team and even the suppliers of such fine produce. Yes it’s definitely expensive, probably one of the most expensive restaurants we have visited, including some of Perth’s best fine dining establishments that are perhaps waterfront or with premium views etc. here we had a view of the street. whilst we did not have a fine dining experience, we really did enjoy ourselves and we will return just not as often as we would have otherwise. Ordinarily, I would deduct one star for the service, but on this occasion I’ve decided not to because everything else was above five star and that is clear that most of the team here is working hard to maximise the review rating even if some of it is artificially solicited. Get in have the experience and try this restaurant, you will enjoy yourself. Maybe you’ll get a different waiter. Arrive early to ensure you can find some parking somewhere, there is none available at the venue and is in short supply in the area, perhaps consider...

Had a booking for 6.30pm last night. Besides the glass of water offered when we sat down, no one approached us to take our order until 7.10pm, after we flagged a staff member down. This is the beginning of a terrible experience.

We received our drinks, (with no lemon in the lemon lime bitters drink) shared entree of 3 meatballs (which was lukewarm) and chorizo another half an hour later.. no offer for another drink at this stage. No apology to let us know our mains were delayed. No interaction by ANY staff this whole time sitting there. It’s like they were avoiding you!

We knew the paella would take 35mins as per the menu, that’s fine - however after 2 hours since being seated, we had to go find someone to ask where our food was, at 8.25pm! The restaurant was half empty at this stage. The table next to us who arrived shortly after us were experiencing the same thing, wondering how long their food would be.

They came back and said it would be 2mins, otherwise they can pack it up so we can take it and eat it at home! Yes, we had to pack half of it up and we had children at home waiting and we should have been home by then, but an explanation would have been better option an hour before we got to that point. We would have just left.

The paella being $159 was absurd for what you get. A third of the weight for the steak is a big bone that you can’t eat and the pork belly was overcooked.

We had the entrees and two soft drinks taken off our bill, but the whole experience has left a sour taste in our mouth and will not be recommending the venue to anyone.

Please take the advice and train your staff with proper customer service skills. Looking at other reviews, the wait time and service levels are a...

$139 for a paella that was underwhelming and barely bigger than a dinner plate - as a table of 3 it was barely enough food and this was the base price paella (I would expect a normal paella to feed 3-4 and there was no guidance as to how many it should feed on the menu). The four large prawns were on the verge of dry, the calamari tough, the pipis and mussels overcooked, and the fish was mushed into the rice. There was no evidence of the tomato base sauce- when asked about it we were given a small serve of very delicious sauce that was clearly not part of the original dish (would have been great in the dish). The tortilla is tasty but literally the size of an espresso saucer.. A lot of friendly staff but uncoordinated- we saw food that was delivered to two other tables before finding the right one.not once, but twice. We were asked if we wanted to reuse our plates for the main and said yes - then someone took them away, then we were given plates but no cutlery. - when asked for it it was dumped at the end of the table. Our promised ice bucket never arrived. As locals we were really hoping this was going to be great, but sadly on this night not a great impression. The free olives were fab though! The manager to her credit offered us free dessert or a 10% discount. - we took the discount. I would not normally write a negative review and hope they reconsider pricing, improve food offering and get the staff up to speed- but I’m amazed by the other reviews to the point that I am wondering if we were at the same restaurant. 3 stars Atmosphere for the restaurant fit out which is great, and the fun in watching meals see if they make it to the right table by the...