Bistro Molines — Restaurant in Mount View

We were recommended this place by a friend...was told that the food is superb and the service was impeccable...

This was not our experience...we felt the food was overrated and the service was mostly good, but one server ruined it at the end.

We order the lamb brains and the prosciutto wrapped figs for entrees...both were a decent start. We then had the pork neck and the venison as mains...both were overcooked, though the medley of vegetables they came with were delightful (disappointing when the sides were better than the main part of the dish) We then had the sticky date pudding and the panna cotta...I enjoyed the panna cotta (I asked for vanilla ice cream instead of the banana ice cream) it was great with the crumbled honeycomb...

The sticky date pudding is what ruined our experience....

It wasn't the dessert itself that ruined it, it was the server and her attitude. Being a foodie, I had scrutinized every part of that menu way before I even reserved my table. All the dishes on the menu had the descriptions and thus we knew what we were ordering. My husband ordered the sticky date pudding, when it arrived we noticed that it was covered in crushed nuts as a garnish. As there were no nuts listed on the menu to describe the dish, we asked the server if they were crushed peanuts, as my husband is allergic...she said she didn't know, but would take it back to the kitchen. She returned 15 mins later with a new dish without any nuts. Great! HOWEVER, before she put down the dish, she felt it was necessary to berate us and lecture us on how "normally, people with food allergies let them know"....well lady with short brown hair, NORMALLY restaurants with written descriptions of their food would include things which people are commonly allergic to!

The other servers were fine, but that one server and her rude attitude ruined the experience for us. Having been a server myself for over 10 years and growing up in the restaurant business, I understand what it's like to do the job....I have high expectations but I'm also understanding. It wasn't a big deal that the dish came with nuts, we appreciated that they fixed it...but that one server and her air of pompousness made any food that may have been great taste sour.

Will not...

Location and Ambiance: Bistro Molines is blessed with beautiful views of the vineyards, creating a serene and picturesque dining environment. The natural surroundings and elevated location make it a perfect spot for a relaxed meal with a great atmosphere.

Food and Wine: The food was prepared to perfection. Each dish arrived warm and ready to be enjoyed. The sourdough bread was particularly exceptional. For my partner’s birthday, the restaurant added a special touch, which was a delightful surprise. If you’re celebrating a special occasion, I highly recommend mentioning it in your booking notes, as the staff go out of their way to make it memorable.

Pre-Dining Experience: We arrived a bit early and decided to explore the area. We took a scenic drive around the mountain, then arrived 30 minutes before our booking. We visited Carillion Wines, located in the same building opposite the restaurant. We enjoyed a nice glass of wine while taking in the beautiful view and chatting before our reservation. The staff promptly escorted us to our table when it was time, adding to the pleasant experience.

Service: While the overall experience was fantastic, some of the staff seemed a bit nervous and uncomfortable, which made interactions slightly awkward. They were not unfriendly, but their demeanor did not contribute to a relaxed dining experience. This might be attributed to the busy Saturday lunch service, and as someone with years of experience in the hospitality industry, I understand the pressures of a busy day. A bit more training and confidence-building for the staff could enhance the service quality.

Comfort: The only other minor issue was the temperature in the dining area, which was a bit on the high side. It would have been more comfortable with a slightly cooler environment.

Conclusion

Bistro Molines offers a fantastic dining experience with its beautiful location, excellent food, and thoughtful touches for special occasions. With a little more training for the staff and better temperature control in the dining room, it would be perfect. Overall, we had a wonderful time and appreciate the efforts of...

This is a lovely restaurant, as almost everybody has said, with a real Mediterranean ambience, friendly wait staff and a pretty high standard of food. Despite loving our lunch there (2 course, $100) which was decent value, it was the ambience, service and views I'll remember most because this isn't high-end dining and I don't think it's really trying to be. The portions are very generous and it's well presented, but I have to admit being a bit disappointed with my twice-cooked duck which was quite plain and relatively tasteless. As somewhat of a fan of duck, especially paired with a good pinot noir, it was somewhere in the lower middle order of execution.

Which brings me to my other (relatively minor) gripe. The lack of choice of wine by the glass. Given that most people who visit need to drive, if only two of you are dining and you are having quite different choices, then I suppose I've just become used to having a reasonable choice of wines by the glass on offer so you can match to your food without buying several bottles of wine and taking the remainder with you. They only have two reds by the glass, a fairly pedestrian cab merlot from the winery next door and a flavoursome shiraz. The trouble was that they were both heavy reds, neither suited to either of my courses (a light pinot noir, gamay or suchlike would have been perfect) and, in the case of the shiraz, clearly from the bottom of the bottle with a volcanic beach worth of sediment lurking at the last sip.

So, very good but room for improvement. My wife certainly enjoyed her scallops and then lamb, and we'd be...