Proudfoots By The River — Restaurant in Warrnambool

Let down by the experience. First off, we booked two months in advance for a special occasion. Requested a window table. Was told while it wasn’t a guarantee, we were the first booking for that night and the first to request a table so pretty much would happen. Confirmed this the week prior. On arrival, found that of the entire four tables, three had window seats. Yet we were given the one measly table without a window. On questioning this we were told there was no note about the window seat and this was blamed on an ex-staff member who no longer works there, based on me giving the detailed description of the person as being a male, age unknown (who sounded suspiciously like the male who was telling me this). Unsure how then the woman a week prior confirmed the note on our booking. Moving on. We chose the restaurant based on the menu on the website. That night while we got ready we had reread the menu on the website (unchanged) and chosen our meals. However upon arrival we were presented with a different menu. On asking we were told this was the summer menu. The menu had not changed, it was the same dishes except less of them. Of course, the meals we had chosen and were looking forward to (two of the three seafood dishes this restaurant is famed for) were the ones removed. No apology or acknowledgement from them that the menu on the website was not current. The service itself was average. Came to take our order and bring our food and ignored us other than that. No check ins for more drinks, or the dessert menu, and we had to flag him down to get the bill. The food also took ages considering the other tables all had their food when we arrived and the downstairs function hadn’t started yet when we ordered. The food itself was generally above average, although inconsistent. The arancini was excellent, but the cheesy garlic bread had no garlic flavour at all and tasted only of that cheap mozzarella shredded cheese that pizza shops use that doesn’t really have a flavour just a chewy texture. The pan fried market fish was cooked well and all the components on the plate were complementary and delicious, but the fish and scallop fettuccini, while flavoursome, was let down by the fact it was a weird black fettuccini (apparently charcoal) which was not mentioned on the menu and was still a bit crunchy. Never having had charcoal pasta I can only assume it should be the same texture as regular pasta so this was severely undercooked. It was hard to eat as it wouldn’t bend more than 90 degrees to twirl around the spoon. The prices were exorbitant, which is fine on a special occasion if the food and service matches the high price but unfortunately it did not live up to expectations and we were disappointed. I would not recommend...

We chose this restaurant after reading positive google reviews but left disappointed. We had the scallops for entree which was delicious and got us excited for the mains. We chose three mains to share between three of us. The staff and chef were kind enough to allow us to stagger the mains so as not to crowd the table, which we appreciated. First main was flat head which didn't resemble flat head and looked and tasted like it was out of a box. The crunchy crumb was overpowering. It was served on a leek risotto which was nice but a very strange combination which wasn't complimentary. Next main was duck gnocci which tasted great however lacked any sort of texture with boiled gnocci and soft duck in a thick sauce. A pan sear on the gnocci and a fresh element would have really lifted the dish. Lastly and most disappointently was the Beef Wellington with a price of $57. The beef fillet was tiny and overcooked (advertised as medium rare), the pastry was of inconsistent thickness with parts on the inside being undercooked and the outside overcooked, the peppermint gum smashed peas were terrible and also inedble. We are all pea lovers but these tasted like toothpaste.

We ate the small beef fillet and left the rest. We mentioned to two waiters that it wasn't a nice dish that was mostly inedible, we would have expected a refund of sorts but was offered no discount even though the dish was not as advertised.

With wine included the bill was $302- for that price we expect better.

Ambience was disappointing. The music came from a boom box in the corner playing the latest pop hits.

Location is beautiful. Plenty of room for...

Had dinner here recently while in Warrnambool and the staff were very friendly, seating us inside. We ordered the Pan Seared Scallops, Cauliflower Rice and Prosciutto as an entree, the King Prawn Fettuccine and the Market Fish (Barramundi) with Beetroot Blanc - Potato & Beetroot Rosti, Cauliflower Rice and Spinach. The restaurant itself was extremely quiet inside (with no music playing at all) and the tables had paper table cloths so the atmosphere felt odd and a bit awkward for such a restaurant. So after we shared the entree we switched tables to outside and it was a much more pleasant experience. By this stage the mains had arrived and they were absolutely delicious! Amazing produce used and the unique pairing of ingredients shows you that the chef here knows their stuff. Would definitely recommend this restaurant but maybe grab a table...