The Cosmopolitan Hotel, Trentham — Restaurant in Victoria

I was travelling out of town for the weekend and decided to have dinner here on a chilly Saturday night. I had booked a week or so prior. The warmth of the crackling fire was the first thing that hit me, plus the friendly buzz of locals chatting amongst themselves at the bar and in the restaurant. There were plenty of wholesome choices on the food menu - I opted for the pork belly with a side of broccolini, and had a local beer while I waited for the food to arrive. The presentation of the food on the plate was very appealing and each mouthful of pork was succulent and the crackling was colourful and sublime. It far exceeded my expectations as to how good a dish can be. The pork belly came with swede and carrot mash, braised red cabbage, caramelised apple and cherry balsamic. A brilliant combination all up. The side of broccolini was a good choice and diffused some of the richness of the pork dish. I consider myself a bit of a discerning gourmet about pork belly having sampled it extensively around the world, and think this was at the top of the tree. I’ll definitely have it again should I visit this region in the future. It was also particularly nice and a hallmark of a good country pub that many of the staff had a brief and welcoming chat with me. As it was a busy night I would describe the service as being efficient without being overly fussy - another positive feature was that communication between staff...

Cosmopolitan Cottage in Trentham was a wonderful place to explore this charming town and surrounds. The cottage has been done up to give a feel that is equal parts period, rural and modern. The new kitchen and reverse cycle split systems (welcome the last few days for the effective cooking) fit in well with pieces of antique furniture and Timber interiors. Our kids stayed one night and wished it was their house (thanks…. 😌) and my wife and I another night. The downstairs extra bedroom was beautiful with all the natural light coming in. We ate twice at the Cosmo hotel adjoinin (thanks for your warm welcome and hospitality Fi), and were very satisfied with the quality of the food and drink available. I almost had the crispy-skin barramundi 2 nights in a row (but opted for a tasty wood-fired pizza instead the second night). One son said it was pretty much the best chicken Parma he has eaten. Well done. I thoroughly enjoyed the Red Beard sourdoughs, both blonde and fruit, and the fruit/custard danish was amazing. And but a walk from the accomodation! And from our base we enjoyed the local gallery with beautiful works and the begonia and fuchsia breeder in nearby Ashbourne. The Cosmo Cottages come highly recommended as a place to enjoy Trentham...

The WORST dining experience I have had in decades ! It started well .... meh . I complimented the young waiter upon his classical stylishness as he delivered our drinks , but it all went rapidly downhill when I queried why a table who arrived twenty minutes after us were served as we continued to wait for our meals . In fairness , perhaps I could have been a tad more diplomatic than saying " Tell the chef to get off his arse ... " Both of us had ordered the Sher wagyu rump steak ( incidentally , the most expensive dish ) and when the waiter delivered our food minutes later he made a smartarse remark . Naturally , I took umbrage at this and words ensued occasioning the appearance of the manager . NOTHING on the plate was acceptable , neither the steak nor any accompanying vegetables being of an expected standard . Upon leaving I queried why the experience had been so , only to be told by the manager that " several of the staff have mental health issues " ! Asking whether the bill might be reduced owing to their poor performance , I was told that "we don't have to put up with your misogynist comments " !!! When I asked why noting that the tucker was significantly sub-par constituted misogynism ... answer came...