Jaspers Pemberton — Restaurant in Pemberton

I am so disappointed to be writing a negative review for this place because my fiancée and I had high hopes. We recently stayed 5 nights at the Jasper's Cabins and visited the onsite restaurant twice during our stay. My fiancée (who's birthday we were celebrating) is a huge whisky fan, so this place was perfect on paper for us.

I will mention the cabins are beautifully appointed and facilities such as complimentary tea and coffee, Chromecast, toiletries and extensive local guide are a wonderful touch. Our disappointment came with our 2 visits to the onsite restaurant.

I booked a table for Tuesday and Thursday evenings both at 6:30pm, and specified that Thursday was my fiancée's birthday. Tuesday night, we were greeted by the host who I will say now gave us some of the worst service we have ever received at a hospitality venue. When being seated he explained to us that one of their fridges had broken over the weekend, which meant there was no steak or pork belly available. It was not an apologetic conversation in anyway, and was defensive as if we had walked in demanding the food they didn't have available. We were taken aback by this, but assumed he had been met with disappointment by other diners. As 2 people who have worked years in hospitality we know how difficult nights like that can be, so we did our best to be friendly and understanding to help turn their mood around. I acknowledge fully that a broken fridge is out of their control, and the fact that my fiancée does not eat lamb or poultry was not their problem. She settled on the paella and me with the lamb rack, which were okay despite the lamb being covered in an overpowering balsamic vinegar reduction.

Although our first visit was lacklustre, we put it down to an off night and hoped our next visit would be better. I contacted the restaurant on Thursday early afternoon to see if they had pork belly and steak available. They confirmed, and I asked if we could also push our booking from 6:60 to 7:30 that evening (our plans in the day resulted in a late lunch).

We arrived at dinner admittedly late. That's on us. But we didn't feel a 7:35pm arrival warranted the greeting we received. We walked in to the same host we met on Tuesday and joked that we were running late and that we had a 7:30 booking. We assumed he would laugh along with us, but instead he sternly said "yes actually, you are very late!" and we quickly explained that we had changed our 6:30 booking to 7:30, thinking that perhaps it was not updated his end. He explained to us that "the kitchen closes at 8:00pm, so you better get your order in quick!". It was a belittling interaction, and we think they should mention that to guests upon booking that time if it's going to be an issue.

We sat down and quickly scanned the menu. Thankfully we both knew we wanted the steak and ordered immediately to reduce any inconvenience to the kitchen. We also ordered drinks at this point which were delivered to our table nice and quick. I enjoyed a beautiful local SSB (Picardy), and my partner a whisky.

After a short wait we received our steaks, which were both cooked beautifully and were accompanied by great sides. We finished our drinks towards the start of our meals, however where we had been sat outside there were no other guests, so the waitstaff were focussed on the rest of the diners inside and we did not have an opportunity to order a second round. Later our empty plates were cleared and my partner requested a whisky/dessert menu. We each ordered a whisky chocolate dessert, and it came promptly.

We decided to head back to our cabin to enjoy some more drinks there instead of the restaurant. Normally we would have worked our way through the whisky menu and a bottle or 2 of wine, however we just didn't want to overstay our "welcome".

We are envious of those with good experiences here, and regretfully won't be recommending to our...

A great dining experience with friendly service and love the available choices of cocktails and drinks.

Our meal:

The Garlic Butter Marron is a mouthwatering dish that features a half local marron served with garlic herb butter and sits on a bed of fresh mixed leaves with a delectable balsamic glaze. The combination of the succulent and flavorful marron with the garlic herb butter creates a fantastic harmony of tastes. The garlic butter adds a rich, savory element that enhances the natural sweetness of the marron. The bed of mixed leaves provides a refreshing contrast and a hint of bitterness, balancing out the flavours perfectly.

The Mushroom Medley is a delightful dish consisting of a trio of mushrooms, enhanced with the rich flavors of truffle oil, herb butter, and a balsamic reduction. The combination of different mushroom varieties provides a range of textures and earthy flavours that come together harmoniously. The truffle oil adds a luxurious and aromatic touch, amplifying the overall savoury experience. The herb butter further elevates the dish with its fragrant and herbaceous notes. Lastly, the balsamic reduction imparts a subtle sweetness and tang, balancing out the earthiness of the mushrooms. The Mushroom Medley is a refined and delectable choice for any mushroom enthusiast.

Pork Belly Ribs was a generous portion that was tender and succulent with a subtle blend of Cajun spices, creating a tantalising flavour. The combination of apple sauce and whiskey BBQ sauce complemented each other perfectly, adding a delightful tang to every bite. The homemade slaw, while satisfying, could benefit from a touch of sweetness or spice to enhance its overall taste. However, the star of the dish was undoubtedly the carrot jam, which was simply fantastic, offering a burst of savory and sweet flavors. Overall, a memorable and satisfying dish.

Room for improvement: Using branded commercial salt and pepper grinders detracts from the overall experience and nice stationary (a better pen) for...

What an utter disappointment we experienced this evening dining here. I had read reviews and was excited to dine here with my partner after a long awaited getaway. We felt there was very poor communication with your staff -or maybe minimal training and a total disregard for a unique and courteous dining experience. Such a shame given the splendid surroundings and exorbitant prices of a real dining experience. We were asked to take our cutlery upon paying. I felt this to be a very “cheap” way of being treated given the beautiful ambience.

Please make your guests aware of changes to a menu as we felt misled to say the least. The mussels with chorizo was totally inedible with the largest amount of flavourless “soup” which consisted primarily of oil and dried herbs and to make it worse the mussels were “green New Zealand” variety . The 4 slices of bread were not as stated “sour dough” and were stale and cold with a drizzle of oil.

In addition the ridiculous price of $14 for “hand cut chips” were in actual fact a low grade frozen variety. Another disappointment. The dark haired waitress (upon knowing my dissatisfaction) exclaimed you’d only been opened for 4 weeks & offered to replace my meal but I declined. I strongly suggest a refund rather than a replacement should be mandatory especially when I noticed the chef simply “shrug” her shoulders when told of the problem. P.S : The reflection from the front door into the kitchen from table 2 enabled me to see her ”who cares”attitude. My partner was still eating his barramundi but the younger waitress attempted to clear our table instead of removing my “uneaten” meal first & this is where I feel there could’ve been more communication amongst your two staff members. The three Gentlemen at the bar seemed to be treated with more attention than the few tables which were...