Tweed River House — Restaurant in South Murwillumbah

Atmosphere and service were fantastic. The food however was terrible. Visually everything looked stunning - as you will see in my pictures - taste, however, was the biggest disappointment. Myself and partner often eat at very high end places and out of the 9 course degustation we had, only 2 dishes were 'hatted' restaurant worthy. I would have genuinely been disappointed if I received the other courses in a pub. Course 1: crab was acidic and very 1 dimensional Course 2: Lobster, this was very good Course 3: Smoked tuna tartare, very acidic and again not too many flavours on the plate for something that had so many ingredients present Course 4: Rabbit terrine was good but I had 2 pieces of bone in my very dry croquette Course 5: Venison, this was our favourite dish very good. Course 6: Duck was tough, vegetables undercooked - the fork couldn't even pierce them and the croquette was so dam dry again. Course 7: Steak dish - honestly the only thing on this plate with flavour was the horseradish cream - I would have loved to see the chef sit down and taste this dish and tell me that they thought it tasted good. It tasted like nothing - gravy was a jug of grease with no flavour, there was no flavour at all, and again the vegetables were so undercooked. The terrine was inedible - so dry and just tasted like rosemary. Zero seasoning anywhere. The petit four course was boring and unimaginable with a chocolate dipped strawberry on and cheese course was delicious but our whole experienced was marred at this point. For over $400 this was the worse food I have had, such a shame for such a great venue and amazing service/ambience. Do not...

I have a gluten intolerance AND dairy allergy, which I’d informed them of at the time of booking leaving my credit card & the booking fee. They emailed me to say they could only provide the vegan menu due to my dairy allergy. I assumed this was a misunderstanding, so decided to correct it on the day. It was not. I was told in no uncertain terms that they ‘cook in butter & would not modify any of their menu’. I tried my utmost to make suggestions & compromise, but neither the waitress nor the manager would entertain the idea. We were there just after opening so the kitchen was quiet, which made me wonder why the couldn’t meet my needs. Anyway, after agreeing to try the vegan menu, because it was too late to cancel & I wasn’t offered a refund or no charge to walk way, I was told that they could modify the vegan menu to remove the nuts as I haven’t had those specific nuts before. But hang on, they just said they wouldn’t modify any of the menu! As it turns out they do, just not the butter. So I suffered through the vegan menu, all the while the waitress kept coming back to ask how I was ‘enjoying’ my meal. I finally broke down in tears in front of the restaurant to say that her asking was like rubbing salt into the wound. They had literally ruined a special memory with my ageing mum, simply by not substituting dairy with oil. I totally understand legalities & cross contamination, however I had told them I was not anaphylactic. I have EoE so I can’t tolerate the dairy protein, but would have been fine with grilling. All in all the total lack of compromise, compassion & apology really was appalling. Never ever going again,...

Had lunch today for the first time at tweed River house, walked in the door and looked in awe at the pressed metal ceiling and beautiful dining rooms. We were led out to our table of 5 on the balcony overlooking the river and mount warning with a cooling breeze. Opting for the 5 course set menu $110 per person including 1 x 5 course vegan option. The scallop entree was simple and delicious although we all agreed we could have eaten 3 or 4 not just 1. The second course of lobster was slightly disappointing as it seemed over worked and to busy and it really could have been any protein with all the flavours although the bisque was excellent. Third course was smoked duck , duck pate and a rillette croquette. The rillette was the star of the dish , the pate was grainy and the smoked duck underseasoned , maybe brineing the duck after smoking would have helped elevate the dish as it was a little chewy and underwealming. The fourth course of beef with beef cheek croquette ( yes another) and horseradish mash was the star of the meal , beautifully cooked beef and creamy mash. We ordered 3 extra dishes to share , pork belly, rabbit terrine and fish of the day. And then desert. Great cocktails and efficient service. All in all a great lunch but at $200 ahead its not cheap . I feel there trying very hard in a competitive mark but maybe to hard and simplifying some of the dishes would make it even...