Pipeclay Pumphouse — Restaurant in New South Wales

TERRIBLE!!!! Would give Zero stars if I could.

I email the business directly but haven't heard back so I feel obliged to let people know not to book this restaurant!

I called to booked for dinner on Sat 17 June 2 weeks prior as it was my partners birthday so I wanted a nice dinning experience to celebrate. Because I'm coeliac, I called to ensure the menu accommodates for dietary requirements (as per information on your website) I was assured it wasn't a problem as the chef would take that in consideration when working on the menu and alternative options would be provide where required.

When we arrived the staff seemed frazzled and distressed. A young blond girl took us to a table and said she would be with us shortly to take our order. She took us through the menu and initial said we could substitute items on the menu that weren't gluten free for the ones listed on the a la carte menu and if there was a course we didn't like we could change. Firstly we asked if we could substitute the olives for the dukha as we're not a fan of olives she said she would've to check with the chef first as she was new but didn't think it would be a problem. When she came back she said we weren't allowed to swap items on the degustation menu, so we said no problem we would proceed with it as is (sadly!). She then took us through the other course and said they didn't have gluten free bread or crackers so I would have to have the mezze plate without it (imagine my delight to find out I'd have to eat the pate with a spoon! Fantastic), fine, next! When we got to the gnocchi I was told I would have just the 'sauce' which consisted of bacon, mushroom and an egg, by then I have had enough and asked if I could get something else instead...anything that was gluten free. She said that the chef was 'having a baby' and they were 1 person short in the kitchen so she didn't want to overwhelm the kitchen staff! I was shocked at the response. Due to embarrassment and disappointment I just nodded and said ok I'll have just the sauce! Safe to say our night was ruined and we were appalled at the way we were treat and just wanted the night to end. When the desert came there was no candle, no happy birthday, nothing. Based on our experience thus far I wasn't surprised.

I'm appalled at the way we were treated. If I was dining at a pub I would've expected a level of resistance in accommodating dietary requirements but not when you're paying $115 per head and having a degustation menu. It's unacceptable.

If they can't accommodate dietary requirements I think you should have it on your website and also ask your staff to let customers know as if I knew that was the case I'd have made other arrangements.

I'm all for supporting local businesses but sadly I'm reluctant to give Pipeclay pumphouse another go or recommend to...

Mouthwateringly good!. Fresh, Vibrant and Flavoursome

We had the pleasure of dining at Pipeclay on our first trip to Mudgee, after seeing a few friends post photos of the Stein estate and the Restaurant, and after reading reviews on how great the food was, we would of been crazy not to visit such a cool looking place. Lets just say, our expectations were surpassed by the amazing experience and exceptional food at Pipeclay Pumphouse.

We were greeted with welcoming smiles as we entered the restaurant and from the moment we walked in, the service was faultless, our waitress for the evening, was well versed in the menu and just made us feel at home, quite a unique skill.

We opted for the 8 course degustation menu with matching wines and it did not disappoint. The marinated olives were amazing! and charcuterie, fit for a king, in particular the rillette was a standout. Generally, myself and my wife eat anything and are always game for something different, which we did receive in the form of the Kingfish crudo and Venison carpaccio, but, for those who arent as game, the great thing?… they give you options and you can easily swap it out for something else on the menu.

The Venison carpaccio was a personal favourite, such a unique flavour profile when paired with the subtlety of the pear, the kick of rosemary and the added complexity of the hazelnuts, so good. This was followed by the Bacon gnocchi and braised chicken which was intense! And the seared beef sirloin with truffle salted garden potatoes, WOW! Honestly not holding back with the flavours.

By this point, i was regretting the fact i had lunch, as the serving sizes, coupled with the wine, which was very easy to drink, was starting to catch up to me. Nevertheless, in for a penny, in for a pound.

Just before our friendly waitress placed dessert on the table, we looked at each other, content that we had made it through the degustation, and said to each other, ‘we’ll just have a spoon each’ because we were quite full.

Suffice to say, the Dark chocolate delice was placed on the table, and the combination of the Peanut brittle, mascarpone, peanut fudge and banana, was of such quality, it didn’t last too long.

Thanks once again for a great night of phenomenal food. We will make it back to Mudgee soon, and when we do, we will be booking a table at...

We’ve been coming to this restaurant for special occasions for over 10 years, and have always really enjoyed it. We came recently to celebrate a birthday and were looking forward to the experience. The food was lovely, and we especially enjoyed the flavours and presentation.

Unfortunately, the service this time fell short of what we’ve come to expect. When we sat down, my mum asked to order a sparkling wine and was told she needed to wait until she’d seen the wine list, which felt a bit odd.

We had planned to order the degustation menu for the adults, but were told the whole table had to do it, with no exceptions. While the adults were all happy to go ahead, it wasn’t suitable for my 15-year-old, and there was very little flexibility or understanding from the manager around this. We were told the restaurant prefers to reserve tables for guests who all do the full degustation, which was disappointing and left us with limited options.

There were a few other small issues—my wine took about 25 minutes to arrive and missed the meal, and my brussels sprouts were forgotten (though they were delicious when they finally came). The kids’ meal was $18 for just two meatballs, which felt a bit steep.

Overall, while the food was great, the lack of flexibility and attentiveness in the service made the experience feel less special than we’d hoped—especially given the price. The 7 empty tables (8 full ones) was telling given it was a Saturday afternoon on a weekend of the small farm field days which attracts over 20k tourists from all...