Club Jervis Bay — Restaurant in Huskisson

We planned on visiting your establishment on Saturday 31 Oct as a group of 8. On the 19 Oct I had called ahead to check whether we could book (see phone logs attached in image). I was advised this wasn’t possible but to come just before bistro opens. I then had a call back from the same gentlemen to remind me that if I was coming from out of town, this was a club and as such ID was required (but no mention of it having to be Australian, just ID). This was a lovely touch and good customer service. However, when we arrived on the day one group member had a UK driving licence and no Australian ID other than her recent citizenship certificate (was waiting for her Australian NSW driving licence to arrive). Although we were all Australian citizens in the group, we are also English, with English accents, and the gentleman who called me back on the 19 Oct could quite easily have picked this up and advised me of the club rules that it had to be an Australian form of ID. It would have seemed like the right thing to do (if indeed he knew of this policy and all your staff are properly briefed). I note that you also have a notification on your website to Australian Victorians with respect to visiting the club, but nothing at all about foreign ID holders. This could easily be seen as discrimination to foreign nationals, with an ‘Australians only allowed’ attitude, given you seem to have taken the time to address the issues for Australians from VIC and the pandemic but not for those foreign nationals who may reside here, or be on an extended holiday due to the pandemic, and not have an Australian ID card. One can see from your recent reviews that we are not the first group to deal with this policy and then go on to take the time to highlight how this has greatly inconvenienced us. Of course we appreciate there is a pandemic and I can see your copy and pasted response to other complainants above, but the attitude here could be interpreted as discriminatory to foreign nationals as you have not taken any steps to make a public announcement about their attendance to your club (as you did with VIC residents), almost implying that foreign guests could some how circumvent your own state and federal governmments strict quarnatine rules and somehow be here without first being screend and properly serving quarantine periods. I would strongly advise you from a legal strand point to bring this up as an agenda item at your next branch meeting and make notice of this foreign ID policy on your website, your social media accounts and anywhere else you make public and visible announcements to ensure your policies are clearly communicated and not seen as discriminatory. Again, the gentleman would have noticed my English accent and could have quite easily (and should have) notified me of this policy on the phone when he very kindly called me back, as this could have prevented this unfortunate event from arising. Upon being turned away, we were a large group with infants with no restaurant booking on an incredibly busy weekend night. Everyone appreciates the cautious attitude being taken by venues across the country is to protect public health, but in this instance your policies and communications have sorely...

Went here on a Wed nite with parents who live in the area, and who took us to the Husky Pub, where we'd been a few years earlier when visiting them, but it was shut. Went round the corner to the Club Jervis Bay. Arrived 5.30, ordered 5.40ish (we have a 4yr old and a 6 month old, hence eating early). 2 x Market Fish, 2 x seniors fish and chips, and a kids nuggets. Bistro was less than 1/4 full. Food took 40 min to arrive, and when it did, the seniors f&c weren't ready and they had to wait another 10min. Given 4yr old was melting down from the worlds worst hunger, as 4yr olds tend to do, and the 6 month old was bored AF from 40 min of high chair and being walked in circles around the club, we had to scoff Market Fish down before the folk's food arrived, and help the older one eat their nuggets and feed the 6 old month respectively. Tantrums eventuated from it being late, and we left early to give the folks and those around us some peace.

The good: Market Fish (grilled salmon on fennel smashed potatoes) tasted great ... from the 5 minutes I spent eating it.

The OK: F&C were apparently OK. Not great. Not bad. Nuggets looked a littke pale and werent very crunchy. But 4 yo didnt mind.

The bad: Too damn long. Seriously... it wasn't busy when we arrived and ordered, and I'm sure I saw folk order after us and get food sooner. 45 min is a bit of a joke.

There were days where this wouldn't have bothered me. These days, when i go places back home and the order includes kids meals, they come out first - and within 10 min. I've hardly written any reviews less than 4 stars. This would be 1 star if it weren't for...

An absolute disappointment from a place that used to create some amazing food.

We called in advance to see the availability of tables and was told that it was busy, so we waited a couple of hours and called back again. We were then told it was dead quiet, but the kitchen would close in 30 minutes (8:30pm). We all rushed over to find that the place was PACKED with customers, and upon ordering food the cashier informed us many ingredients were sold out (that part’s okay, it happens).

We were expected to wait 45 minutes for a meal. It turned into 1hr 20minutes. The “garlic bread” was just plastic cheese on cheap bread. The Surf and Turf meat was alright with some sauce however the bay bugs were the tiniest things I had ever seen and tasted foul. Fries were very cheap and over-fried. And the biggest disappointment- the seafood platter.

Several years ago they used to have this stunning seafood platter with some of the freshest seafood around. Bugs, prawns, oysters, fresh fruit.... it was a great meal and worth every cent. The new seafood platter was ghastly. Everything was pre-packaged, frozen, re-heated, and dripping with grease. How can a restaurant that sits next to the water serve that kind of atrocity?!

Honestly I got fresher seafood from the fish and chip shop across the road. That’s how bad it was. We asked a server why the old menu was gone and we were told new management “innovated” the menu. Nah, costs were cut. That’s not innovation. Never going back and will spread the word for people to go to Husky Pub next door or the fish...