Goldfish Hunter Valley Restaurant — Restaurant in Pokolbin

Why not document my first trip to the Hunter Valley with a review of one of the Hunter's most renowned restaurants, Goldfish.

The relaxed, cozy atmosphere at Goldfish is very welcoming and I love the decor, consisting of gorgeous framed mirrors, beautiful timber furnishings, ceiling hanging light-shades and chandeliers.

The food is meant to be shared! The menu is quite extensive consisting of small and large share plates, sides, pizza and desserts.

We opted for the set menu consisting of 6 small shares and 1 pizza. After being informed by the wait staff that most people don’t finish the set menu we proceeded to order an addition 2 small share plates, because apparently everything is a competition. We also had to try a famous cocktail jug, Mango Mojito, which was a light mango flavour and not sweet at all, highly recommend.

The set menu was presented on a large board, which consisted 2 servings of each dish. We received 1 full pizza as part of this and the additional 2 small share plates were of a decent size and a little larger than what you receive on the set menu.

For our small sides we chose the Ceviche & Soft Shell Crab.

Being my first time trying Ceviche, but a massive sashimi lover I was really keen to see what the hype was about and WOW, huge win! The kingfish was thinly sliced with the fresh flavours and citrus really shining through.

The soft-shell crab featured an asian slaw and a mango corn salsa, the batter I found slightly oily and the flavours weren’t entirely prominent, but overall well done.

The set menu consisted of:

Mushroom Arancini - moist with just the right amount of truffle, not over powering the other flavours

Charred Spiced Corn ribs - perfectly charred, but super juicy upon biting in, slides right off the cob as ribs should

Lemon Pepper Squid - batter was too thick & doughy, although the squid itself was not chewy, however not much other flavours of lemon pepper coming through

Flathead tacos - fish was a bit too big to get a proper mouthful inhibiting the true mixture of flavours, which is a shame considering the sauce and mango corn salsa would have paired perfectly with the flathead

Pork Belly pancakes - pancake itself was a bit dry, the deconstructed aspect was cool though

Lamb pizza - really cheesy, flavours worked well together, the yogurt gave it a refreshing feel, toppings where generous, however not over done

Roasted Cauliflower Salad - The chickpeas and the cauliflower were really dry, however the flavour was good and not too powerful

Overall the experience here at Goldfish was good, I really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere, although we did need to steal additional cushions off the chairs as the tables were too high. Next time we’d definitely try the larger tasting plates as the serving sizes look very generous.

The service is also worth mentioning, the wait staff are very friendly and the food was brought...

In the heart of the Hunter Valley within Roche Estate(formerly known as Tempus Two) complex is Goldfish restaurant and bar. The restaurant has alfesco dining with a pleasant outlook into the vineyard, with vines also clinging to the pagola providing shade and giving the feel of enjoing you meal in the vineyard. The internal dining space is suave with a vintage feel, filled with dark wood and leather furniture. The bar taking centre stage, with bottles nicely arranged decorating the space.

We popped in for Sunday lunch. On arrival we were greeted by the friendly staff and seated outside. It was a very hot day, but there the area was shaded and there was a nice breeze blowing. We peroused the drink munu there was plenty to choose from with an award winning wine list a plethora of cocktails and mocktails, as well as a range of beer, spirits to choose from. With something cold and wet our only requirement. White wine and mocktails were the choice. With a drive back to Sydney ahead of me after lunch I opted for a mocktail called cool as a cucumber, made with its namesake, flavoured with mint and lime, very refreshing. The staff also happy to assist with recommendatios to pair with your food.

The reasonably priced menu was wide and varied, geared at sharing. With pizzas, small plates, large plates, pizza and desserts. Perfect for a meal for two of for larger groups. With the staff delivering on their ethos and the food progressively arriving at the table.

From the shared plates the flavour packed flathead tacos, quickly disappeared as did the crisp wonton wrapper topped with Alaskan king crab, mayo and foie gras from the specials menu.

We savoured the delicous raw options of Hiramasa kingfish crudo and the tartare. Both served fresh, seasoned nicely with good flavour balance perfect optiond for a hot day.

We were excited for what arrived next a plate stacked with house made foccacia served with the creamy buratta, San Daniele Proscuitto, black fig , vino cotto and olive oil.

With chef delivering one of his creations from the specials menu, being the made up of classic flavour combinations Crumbed pork cutlet with a brown butter anchovy and caper sauce served with crisp sage and a side of fennel slaw and lemon to cut through the rich flavours. The avocado side salad with cos lettuce was freshly made and another good option for a hot day.

Again channeling the dessert stomach, we shared the decadent Jaffa mousse a rich dessert with the puffed rice crackle adding textue. We loved the goatscheese cheesecake with passionfruit sorbet served with ground almond, brown butter and keffir lime a stunning dish.

We thank Goldfish for an amazing dining experience and their hospitality. We loved the location and the food, a great place to...

Hello,

I welcome the opportunity to provide feedback on our recent experience at your restaurant.

We made an online booking and arrived on time at 7:30pm on Tuesday the 9th January 2024.

Upon arrival we were greeted by a staff member who told us we couldn't sit outside as they had decided to move everyone inside due to the weather conditions. However it did not rain at all during our meal, or afterwards. The neighbouring Japanese/Thai restaurant has approx. 20-30 people happily seated outside, under cover.

We order two main meals of a CRISPY SKINNED BARRAMUNDI for $36 and the PROSCIUTTO WRAPPED CHICKEN for $38 as well as two cocktails, a CLASSIC MARGARITA for $22 and a OLD FASHIONED for $22/

When the meals were served the BARRAMUNDI consisted of a small square fillet on a badly steamed bed of Baby Cos. Barely an entre size. The same for the PROSCIUTTO WRAPPED CHICKEN which included two small pieces of chicken wrapped in PROSCIUTTO.

The CLASSIC MARGARITA was not drinkable. It was so disgusting and had an old lemon slice which was dark and tarnished sitting it with so much salt around the rim I felt I was in Siberia. We then ordered 2 Chardonnay's which were very average for the $32 price tag and did not finish those either.

We left an hour later, very disappointed at the quality of the food and wine, and overall experience.

When I went to the counter to pay the bill the cook was pouring himself a large drink and said he was going to quit, and it was obvious to us none of the staff were very happy working there. No doubt due to the influx of tourists that arrive in large volumes during peak times.

We were charged $166 for our meal and drinks, despite being given a refund for the CLASSIC MARGARITA -$22

All is all this was by far the worst dining experience of my life.

I intend to warn everyone I can what to expect when considering attending your business.

There are a plethora of other cafes and restaurants in the Hunter Valley wine region that put your business to...