The Cliveden Bar & Dining — Restaurant in Melbourne

JANUARY 2018 A month later I find myself here again... a birthday get together ... this time around I knew what to expect and had no real expectations...

+1 star... prawns were much nicer, bigger and fresh. Salads were great and the chicken n fish were done differently. sorry for the non description there wasn't much signage. Had to open the lids etc to see what it was. We liked everything today.

If they swapped out the cous cous with a fried rice or something I think that be better. No one touched it.

DECEMBER 2017 Basic buffet fair don't expect anything spectacular ... normally u leave buffets not remembering what they serve but with this I can count and recall each one.. so here it is nothing more nothing less... so go with a Cudo or Groupon voucher.. was here for a Saturday lunch.. Sunday is more $$$ but with oysters

COLD FOOD... Prawns - ok Muscles - very good Smoked Salmon - very good .. can't go wrong as long as supplier is good Penne pasta - excellent Spinach, Salad, make ur own Caesar, olives, beetroot Cured meat - excellent .. if u are a fan this is the place to be

HOT FOOD... Steamed Asparagus Roast Potatoes Salmon cooked in olive oil n tomatoe Lamb moussaka Pumpkin soup

Desert .. Creme brûlée, choc tart n pistachio mouse

For $50 for 2pax with a glass of wine each this is pretty good but I wouldn't do it...

TLDR: tasty food, pricey, extra convenient location

Full review: child-free lunch out with my husband, we had 50% dining.

When we arrived, the restaurant was closed (I assume due to the holiday season) but the bartender told us the menu was still available. We didn't mind as the tables in the bar area were still nice. My husband went up to the bar to place our order as there were no other staff. We also ended up going to the bar to pay after we ate.

Lots of other people soon sat down for lunch on their way to the cricket or the Aussie Open so the ambience was nice as everyone was in that happy holiday mood. A waitstaff soon joined the bartender as well as someone I think was the manager to help serve all the customers. I'm not sure what the place is like on a regular day but they seem quite understaffed today.

The food came out after some time so I wouldn't recommend eating here if you're in a hurry. We had ordered the lobster pizza and beef burger. The pizza was very tasty and filling. Fluffy lobster, perfect crust, great ratio with the artichoke and cherry tomatoes. I couldn't finish it all but my husband ended up eating nearly all of it on top of his...

We booked the table for 7:00 PM, and we arrived 10 minutes earlier. The waiting staff reminded us that the restaurant was not open until 7:00 PM, and we could sit but couldn’t order the food until 7:00. ( I have never experienced the 7:00 PM rule at an international hotel restaurant). Anyway, that strict rule put us off for the evening. We then decided to have a pre-dinner drink at the bar and the many signs at the bar counter said, “You can’t order drinks here; go to the front of the bar “. We were faced with so many negatives (can’t do) experiences to begin with. After the pre-dinner drink, we sat at the table. Even though the bar area was lovely, the ambience of the dining area was like I was in the cafeteria or canteen, not the restaurant. So the whole experience was not that appealing. The food was excellent, but the ambience of the dining area left the lingering impression that we had restaurant dinner at the canteen. Not a...