The Dunes Ocean Grove — Restaurant in Ocean Grove

Last night my partner and I went to the lovely dunes for our 2 year anniversary. This was the second time eating here. We ordered our absolute fav scallops, when these hit your palet you can experience all the lovely flavours especially the miso. We ordered the octopus which was also delicious. Last time we came here we ordered the barramundi which was great, however the beans overpowered the flavours happenning on the plate. We recommend to the chef instead of beans to use a bed of either cous cous or pumpkin puree mash with sweet patatoe.

This time we went with the polenta batterred fish and chips which was cooked perfectly however there was way too much batter around the fish which made it oily, it should of been lightly battered. The chips was cooked perfectly, rhe salad was missing onion and cherry tomatoes it was just lettuce on the plate, you can barely call that a salad.

We opted to try 2 desserts to share, we tried the honey mousse and the peanut tart. The mouse was barely a mouse and more like eating breakfast as it was loaded with mandarins which took over everything. We moved it off the plate and ate the mousse part which was delicious but not enough, its like they mixed the mousse with coconut yoghurt or something. I recommend the chef place small peices of fruit on top in very little quantity and add more mousse to fix this. On the other hand the tart was delicious, we ate this wanting more😁.

Overall, we loved the atmosphere of this place with tranquil music playing, beautiful beach views and great service from the staff. We were congratulated for our 2 year anniversary from one of your very lovely staffs and offerred 2 drinks on the house.

Thankyou! We will definitely be back again, hopefully the chef reads this and takes it as constructive criticism and makes adjustments to what we have...

Dismissive Over Food Allergies

Used to love eating at the dunes, we were looking forward to the reopening. Place looks nice, the menu is a little over done and some things don’t look quite right (battered flathead tails usually come with chips not as a side order) We ordered, but when the food was presented we waited 5 mins Then had to ask for salt, cutlery and water (which is usually always on the table) My wife and sons meals were great However I have serious food allergies (FODMAP) this was told to the waiting staff who was understanding When ordering chips I said I am allergic to onion and garlic powder I was told by staff the chips did not have this, they were plain When they arrived I tried some and they did taste of onions, my wife also ate some and agreed they tasted of onion We asked the waiting staff to check, and were told by the waitress that the Chief Chef was insistent and said “no they did not have any onion or garlic in them, but they were a type of potato that has a different flavour” We even asked the waitress to try one but she declined It was obvious that there was a seasoning I didn’t eat anymore chips and they did remove the cost from the bill I was offered sweet potato fries but I cannot eat them either So I just ate the fish I ordered which was ok

It’s now the evening and I’ve spent hours with extreme stomach pains, vomiting and diarrhoea This is exactly what happens when I eat onion or garlic seasoning

It’s am very disappointed that the Chef was so dismissive over my concerns I wasn’t told what I believe to be the truth

Luckily I only ate a few chips, if had eaten more I usually have to spend time in hospital

If you have food allergies please be aware of how this was...

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟OUTSTANDING VENUE & TEAM!! HIGHLY Recommend 'The Dunes' as your wedding venue We held a large wedding in November 2022 & it was the most perfect event... Guests commented on how beautiful the venue was set up & organised by staff-they made our dreams come true. We were blown away by the speed & consistency of service throughout the night. Drinks were topped-up almost immediately by friendly staff, who moved around the space effortlessly. Food was perfectly cooked, so delicious & all our 200 guests were served within 20mins! Nothing was too hard for Zoe the functions co-ordinator. She went out of her way numerous times to help make our night special & always had a happy & approachable attitude whenever we contacted her. Zoe was prompt on email to assist with the finer details & made the whole process of planning so enjoyable & easy. The team were just as excited about our big day as we were, helping us plan fun drinks for our guests & providing helpful advice prior to the day. They were always flexible on the arrangements & ideas to help personalise our day. Molly took extra special care of our bridal party & she really put our needs first on the night, even making sure our little guests had activities to keep them all happy. The team here are truly something special, their attitude, teamwork & professionalism are exceptional. We went back to the venue numerous times during our stay in Ocean Grove & all our guests did too, (following the event) because they loved it so much!! They just keep exceeding our expectations for quality & service. We are truly fortunate to be apart of the amazing Dunes family! Thank you so much for making our wedding so memorable & fun!! We are forever...