Langlands Restaurant and Bar — Restaurant in Melbourne

I recently dined at Langlands to try their new steak night and had an absolutely dreadful experience. From the moment I arrived, things were off. After waiting in line for 20 minutes, I reached the front desk only to be told there was no table available for me DESPITE having made a booking. This wasn’t due to a mix-up or an error with my booking, I was simply told they had no space for me. It was the most baffling thing I’ve encountered.

They directed me to the bar, where I sat for another 20 minutes before a manager (presumably) finally approached us with complimentary refreshments as an apology. Some time later, we were finally escorted to our table. The manager explained that the delay was due to previous diners overstaying their time and refusing to leave. Personally, I found this explanation weak—poor management shouldn’t be passed off as an unavoidable mishap.

The seating arrangement was pleasant enough, surrounded by large windows and a cozy ambiance. While many rave about the "view," I found it underwhelming. Hard to call the backs of office buildings a view, even from 25 floors up.

By this point, my mood was understandably sour, and I expected the service to at least make up for the earlier debacle. Unfortunately, it was abysmal. The staff seemed untrained and inattentive, like it was everyone’s first day on the job. No one checked in on us, and I constantly had to wave down waitstaff for basics like menus, water refills, or placing orders. For a venue within a Hyatt Centric hotel, this level of service was unacceptable given the premium pricing.

One particularly laughable moment was when a server cleared our table after the entrée and asked if we were ready for dessert. I had to clarify that our mains hadn’t even been served yet. Being unaware of where your guests are in their meal displays a carelessness that was a first for me. While minor, it was emblematic of the lack of attention to detail throughout the night.

It is now an hour and a half after our booking time and the food has finally arrived. We both ordered steak (duh) — one with chimichurri, the other with Café de Paris butter. At $36 each with chips AND slaw, it seemed like an amazing deal. The steaks were of a nice cut and decently cooked, though the fat could have been better rendered. The flavor, however, left much to be desired. Mine, paired with the butter, was passable—the butter’s richness masked the blandness of the meat. My partner’s chimichurri, on the other hand, was downright unpleasant. The overpowering olive oil and grassy "herbs" tasted more like lawn clippings than a proper chimichurri. There was no sign of the garlic, chili, vinegar, or salt that should balance the sauce. The fries were overly salted, and the slaw was average although mine seemed to lack the vinaigrette that was present in my partner's.

By the end of the meal, I just wanted to leave, but even paying the bill was a chore. I stood at the register for several minutes, being ignored as staff avoided eye contact. When I was finally acknowledged, I was told the EFTPOS machine was unavailable, and the alternate machine wouldn’t connect. It took an unnecessarily long time to sort out the payment, and by then, I couldn’t wait to escape.

In summary, the ambiance was fine, the food was average at best, but the service was abysmal. The wait times and lack of professionalism made this one of the most frustrating dining experiences I’ve had. I truly hope this was just an off night because this level of service is unacceptable for a hotel of...

Toma is beautifully decked out in earth tones and sits pretty on the 25th floor, surrounded by views of high rises. It’s a lovely, relaxed but upscale environment which makes it great for professional meet-ups but also just a nice dinner with friends. Also, their happy hour cocktails at $14 are a STEAL.

Kingfish ceviche w/ corn and watermelon ($22) has a great blend of texture and flavor. The sweetness adds a great balance to the tangy citrus taste, and the kingfish was lovely and fresh. Me and my friend personally didn’t love eating it with the corn chips and preferred eating them as individual components so that we can get the full burst of flavor, but that’s down to preference!

Spanakopita manti ($18) are these little pockets of goodness that come in a beautiful burnt butter sauce. There’s just a bit of crispiness in the outer casing, and the insides are beautiful, creamy, and flavorful.

Smoked eggplant fava w/ pita ($15) is a BARGAIN, ok because the pita is refillable!! The pita comes out steaming, and the dip is fantastically smokey with some crispy bits of chickpea on top. Very very satisfying and a great snack to have over chats!

Slow roasted lamb shoulder ($46) wasn’t a favourite just because it was a bit underseasoned. The cook on it itself is fabulous because it’s tender and falling apart, but we sorely missed some flavouring - salt, pepper, anything on the insides especially. It was a bit bland. Even when we’re eating it with the pickled cabbage, it’s not quite savory enough. However, it was mentioned that due to the transition in season, the lamb is a bit fattier than usual and slightly harder to work with so it may be down to teething issues.

Overall, it was still a lovely experience, and we wouldn’t mind revisiting later on down the track for the drinks and entrees (all of which were good!)

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Langlands Restaurant and Bar is a modern Australian dining venue located on the 25th floor of the Hyatt Centric in the heart of Melbourne’s CBD. It features panoramic views over Southbank and the Yarra River and is the perfect spot for a cozy Sunday roast

Here’s an overview of what we had:

❤️‍🔥 Langlands Porchetta: Super crispy outside, juicy and tender inside, no chew, just perfection. LOVE. 🥩 Black Angus Sirloin: Insanely juicy with bold flavour. Big fat cap, but the meat was so generous it totally worked. 👀 Richard’s Yorkies: Massive, fluffy, crisp, smothered in gravy and it’s pure heaven. ♥️ Roasted Pumpkin & Parsnip: Cooked and seasoned just right. Comfort food done well. 🥦 Charred Broccolini: Zingy lemon, crispy garlic, perfectly salted. Simple + delicious. 🥔 Kipfler Potatoes: Beef tallow crisped these beauties up, crunchy outside, fluffy inside with capers, shallots & parsley. Addictive. 🥵 Sticky Toffee Pudding: Coconut ice cream, mascarpone, walnut, crunchy banana, it was rich but not too sweet. Loved it. ☕ Tiramisu: Creamy, with just the right coffee hit. A perfect finish.

This place hits every time for me! Can’t wait to come back! Such a good Sunday roast! Worth every...