Wantirna Hill Club — Restaurant in Melbourne

The decor has been updated since we last ventured here but the web site has not been updated to correspond with this. There is a children’s play centre is at the rear of the building behind the bar so all of the family dinners should ask for a table near the play centre. The decor of the dining room is now a collection of darker brown tones, the wall in the middle of the room has been removed with a trellis like screen replacing it, this gives the dining room the sense of more space and openness. On this night we booked our table which was a good decision as the dining room was full and any extra people coming in were unable to be seated. There was no drinks menu on the table so gathering one at the bar I made my choice for my wife (sparkling wine). Thinking I would like a beer to start my evening and would share a bottle of red wine later with my friend I looked at the beer selection on tap and what I could see in the drink fridge, I concluded that this club is a CUB / SAB Miller site. I asked the bar attendant if there were any craft beers available? With the reply ‘what is a craft beer?’ …..so can I have two glasses of the sparkling thank you….! Referring to the picture supplied, do I ask for one flat white and one sparkling…? Returning to the bar for drinks for the remainder of the evening I asked a different bar attendant for the Rosemont Cabernet, this bar attendant not knowing where this bottle was and after interrupting two other team members with the question “is that a white wine”….my bottle was produced with a ”sorry I don’t have my glasses on”….. I also asked for a bottle of the Yellowglen sparkling and after confirming I would like 2 sparkling glasses, instead of the 2 white wine glasses that were being delivered to me, I decided it was best that I opened my own bottle of sparkling at the table. Can someone please give the bar team training to improve their knowledge and skills in regards to the wine list and beers that are available on site and any possible questions that a customer may ask.

The chicken schnitzel bolognaise, the chicken schnitzel itself was good, but it was topped with browned minced meat which had no added flavourings and absolutely no resemblance to a bolognaise sauce. The melted cheese on top was there to hide this pitiful attempt of ‘bolognaise sauce’ topping on the schnitzel. The one and only wedge of tomato provided in the sub standard salad did not have any red or orange colour and the seeds were falling out indicating both poor quality and not being fresh. The salad overall was under par it consisted merely of a mix of salad leaves (mesclun) and two crescents of cucumber with the seeds had been removed, this detracted from any quality that the meal could have had which was a shame. The beer battered chips were presented in the trendy wire basket and were cooked well. My meal was the beef wellington on the main menu, I found it to be good on this night with the eye fillet well rested in the middle and still pink with a good covering of duxelle (braised mushrooms, onions and herbs) but this needed more herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage) and more seasoning to give more of a lift to the dish. The single piece puff pastry covered all the single piece of eye fillet making it a readymade for service item and when ordered by the customer just matter of placing it into the oven to reheat. This meal item is a good idea from the kitchen team as this speeds up service as the potato rosti is ready for service just requiring the fresh broccoli and sauce to serve the meal. The rostii was still soft in the middle, again needing some more seasoning. The sauce was good, suggesting not just the highly salted thick packet mix gravy, but a base stock and thickened up ready for service. Calling it on the menu a “jus” is not correct as this is ‘pan juices’ and would be a completely different sauce, so it would more like a beef sauce, rich beef sauce, red wine beef sauce, or similar. The broccolini was cooked and crisp, thank you, and...

My gripe was the service. I had to re-state to staff my order 4 times in order for it to come out right. It was pretty sad as the whole table finished their food and mine came out pretty much when everyone was finished eating and I was pretty hungry. I hate being the one to complain about staff I know what it’s like to work hospitality but it felt like the staff themselves were not switched on or the kitchen perhaps did not receive the message due to poor communication. 2 other people on our tables got their orders wrong but it was immediately corrected. It was a shame as it took longer for me to eat as it was getting later in the night and everyone had to wait longer at dinner than expected. I also don’t typically enjoy eating when not many other people are and I don’t like rushing to eat :/ I know the staff member was courteous in the end by offering things on the house but it was frustrating it had to take 3 mishaps to get there considering there was an emphasis on the 3rd time re-stating my order and I am allergic to seafood for him to almost put in the system with seafood on it. It was pretty ridiculous - I had to hold back from not losing it because I hate to complain. I just voiced my frustration and stated my order again - 4th time’s a charm I guess because my food finally came out right by then. The food was average, nothing show-stopping. I also felt a little bit bad for the staff - it didn’t seem like they were set up with success at a bar with one person making drinks, taking orders and serving with a few other table runners on a Saturday night with the...

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We rocked up here last minute and they were quite happy to accommodate us. We were happy to come early and so the venue wasn't busy.

The value for money is very good when you have the two for one coupons; which are given to you as soon as pay the first time, which you can use for your next visit but within a month; a bargain if you ask me. We happened to also be there on Parma night.

We ordered heaps of food and were not wow'ed but satisfied with how speedy it was and the portion sizes.

We ordered: Nasi Goreng Aussie Beef Burger Lamb Roast of the Day Creamy Chicken, Mushrooms and Bacon Aussie Parma

We absolutely loved the burger; we reckon it was probably the best dish we had. Followed by the parma although it was a bit on the dry side. The Nasi Goreng was far from authentic and had a really strong taste of aniseed. Lamb roast was nice, the apple sauce on the side was a no-go though. The creamy chicken dish could have been a 10/10, but it lacked a salty element which would have made it top notch.

We would definitely be back here if it wasn't for the abrupt service. Don't get us wrong, it wasn't impolite or rude, but it was super rushed; you know when they get your plate from in front of you and you haven't finished your chips? Yeah, like that. Same sentiment was shared around the table.

We finished off with the apple crumble; it was nice, hot and crumbly; exactly what it should be.

Definitely worth giving a try if you're in the area; don't forget your...