Appellation Restaurant — Restaurant in South Australia

We were so very disappointed with dinner here. It started with requesting a window table and not receiving one, despite there being one available the whole night.

Before arriving, we let the staff know that my wife does not like/eat cheese or heavy cream. The first waitress asked if she would still eat a goats cheese tart, to which we replied no because she doesn’t eat/like cheese (lactose free or not). An alternative was given for the bite of food with our pre-dinner drink, which was great. At the table when we viewed the menu, we queried chèvre being on the menu and the waiter said a vegan alternative would be provided. We certainly didn’t expect to receive a vegan cheese, which tasted like cheese, despite knowing she does not like cheese! It was horrible for her and obviously inedible.

The gazpacho was frozen. We were told to sip it, but we couldn’t because it was all frozen to the glass. After 15 minutes it had melted enough (with some prodding). We tried to get a staff member to speak with, but we waited 25 minutes for a staff member to come to our table, by which time we were told the grape should be frozen- not the whole thing. It was very disappointing. The crab that it was with, was delicious.

Both desserts were like palate cleansers- the first was delicious with a beautiful peach sorbet. The second was a tiny dessert and lacked any substance. After we finished our dessert, no staff came near our table for 20 minutes. We had no food, no drinks and were about to leave but assumed there would be petit fours arriving. No such luck.

There wasn’t enough food. If you’re going to serve such small portions, including cheese as a “main”, the portions need to be larger. You need to offer an extra serve of bread, petit fours etc. The beef main was delicious but too small. We left feeling hungry.

The service was very friendly, but disjointed. No one asked us if we were happy or enjoyed any of the courses. We had two periods of 20-30 minutes where no staff members came near our table and we had no drinks or food. We had to ask for more water. When requesting a different wine we didn’t expect to be told that it wouldn’t be right with the next course and “I’m going to pour you this instead”. Absolutely fine to make suggestions to customers about what may suit a course better, but if a customer asks for a certain drink that is on the menu, you don’t tell them they can’t have it! The wine knowledge of our server was...

We had an unfortunate experience at the Appellation during our visit (in Feb 2018). We did not do the 'dining' menu per se. We sat outdoors and ate off their bar louise menu, while enjoying the beautiful view (which was the only thing that could earn them a star on my review). To eat, we took the cheese plate, and two of their burgers (the lamb burger and the cheese burger). The cheese plate was extremely underwhelming on the cheese front. It had scattered apricots and stale almonds. I think the server forgot about the burgers, because they were served pretty late. The lamb burger was brought out cold, and the patty on the cheese burger was burnt. That was the point where I decided on writing this review, because even the most moderate places would not serve a charred patty in the burger. Also, they did not have any pale ale on their menu (which might make sound whiny), but given Pale Ale has reigned as the most consumed Australian beer, I was rather surprised they not only had a Pale Ale, but the closest 'recommended' beer was a saison, which also, was not super chilled. I would have given it another star if the service was up to the mark, but the service complemented the food. There was one server hopping across all tables outside. Our dirty silverware sat on our tables till the very end. We waited over 15 mins after we were ready to go, to wait for the server so we could ask for the check, and despite that, we had to just get up and go to the host table and pay off the check there. All in all, this was a pathetic experience and nothing worked out besides the view. Thankfully for us, we had a lot of other great experiences in this beautiful city to make up for lost time (and $$). Even if 5 people read this review and avoid this place, I would consider my money and time having gone...

Appellation was good, but certainly not great. With improvements it could be great, but there are better degustation options close by in the Barossa Valley. To be clear: Pros: A wonderful dessert with innovative flavours. I don't like dessert, so this is saying something. Apertif drinks on arrival. Always welcome. Good quality amuse bouche/snack course to start. Good use of non-traditional vegetables eg. ice plant It was nice to have a vegetarian course which held its own with any meat dish. I'm sure it will not be to everyone's taste, but I really enjoyed it. Cons: An insincere staff member who I found to be overly enthusiastic and (I felt) fake-friendly, constantly refering to us a "gorgeous", "darling", "naaaaw so lovely" that I found it grating and infuriating. I was tempted to ask for another waiter. Decor that reminds me of a medical specialist's office or a nice nursing home. Well appointed but without character. What restaurant has magazines in the waiting area/drinks area? Serving a beer as a pairing with a degustation is exceedingly poor form. Appellation is pitching itself as Barossa fine dining. Beer has no place in this venue when there is so many good wine options from the region. Incoherent menu and service. During my visit the staff did not demonstrate the finesse or rehearsed poise of a very fine dining establishment. Courses were not well explained to me (a mysterious bread course for example, which overlapped with the main protein course). The flavours jumped around, and there was no thread of logic throughout the courses, flatware,...