1309 at Balgownie Estate — Restaurant in Melbourne

Normally I would just say this place is just OK, and not worth the money unless you want to explore... Sadly the experience my partner and I had at Balgownie Estate was extremely disappointing and the quality of service we received just makes me angry at this place. The customer service at this winery is appalling. It was a disappointment for us from the moment we arrived to check in, to the room, to dinner and so on. The staff that work here have no experience with Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA), not educated in hospitality (I would be amazed if the staff can prove that they have certifications in Hospitality), the kitchen is experimenting with food and even the wine they have is sub par.

It is clear the lower level staff that work here hate working at Balgownie Estate, and management act smug, unjust and rude. There was only one manager that seemed ok, from memory his name is 'Salvo' who actually sat down to listen and sympathise. But sadly as our stay progressed everything just kept going sour.

My recommendation; Don't bother with this place. they are hopeless with customer service and you wont end up feeling rested/relaxed after...

A party of 5 went for dinner to the restaurant and we had a rather unpleasant experience. We had called ahead and requests for an a la carte dinner and we told that it would be ok. We understood that the restaurant served set menu so we wanted to check before we arrived. Upon arrival we check with our waitress again who said that yes it would be ok and so we ordered 3 mains, some starters and drinks between the five of us.

We were then approached by the manager who apologized for the miscommunication but honored what was agreed on. We then had a bizarre experience whereby the partner of the waitress who allowed us to order a la carte approached us and accused us of being rude to her partner who was in tears. This was extremely unprofessional behavior and should not have happened. At no point we were rude to this waitress and there was no reason to do so. If something transpired between management and said person it needed to be sorted out between them and the concerned partner, patrons should not have been involved.

Having said this the food...

We have just stayed at Balgownie for 2 nights with friends. Accommodation was up to the good standard from the last time we visited but unfortunately 1301 which was going to be the highlight of the visit missed the target by a mile. The 2 or 3 course option was a bit limiting but understandable with current staff shortages etc. The pumpkin entrees was that, just 2 lumps of pumpkin presented on the plate. 2 on our table of 4 went for the deboned ribeye and both were totally inedible and had to be sent back to the kitchen. The other 2 went for the chicken ravioli which was 4 pieces of pasta with what tasted like chicken nugget meat. The meal was a disappointing experience for all 4 of us and we will probably not return to stay at Balgownie because of it. You really need to review the meals being brought out as we overheard a neighbour table also complaining about the quality. It doesn't take much for a restaurant to lose its reputation and I'm afraid we won't be recommending 1309...