What this restaurant lacked in atmosphere, it made up for with food! We had the garlic scallops and…read morea pizza; both were superb. It's also BYO, so you can bring a bottle of wine to share. The service was great and kind. End your night with some Gelato, they make their own and serve it in the shape of the fruit the flavour it is. It's fun and delicious!

The service at this restaurant is terrible. My family and I reserved a table, and when we arrived…read more(on time) they had given our table away, and asked us to wait in a narrow hallway for an indefinite amount of time until someone was finished eating! Everyone had only just sat down, and so we knew we weren't getting our table anytime soon and had to leave. Another time we ate here, they brought out our starters and mains at the same time, which barely fit on the table they seated us at, and made for a bad dining experience. It is a huge shame, because we used to love this place, in the past we had always enjoyed the food, however due to the awful service I would never go back.

Always excellent food. Lovely service very nice people. I would recommend that anyone goes here…read morebecause it is a fabulous place delightful atmosphere and just the very nicest people.

Service and food was great Will recommend to my family and…read morefriends Ambiance is always great

We had the chicken wings -don't if you like chicken wings…read more They are not oven or bbq cooked in sauce but dry deep fried to the point where the skin fused to the meat (the inside meat was okay). The outside was also extremely salty. The wings came with a choice of two sauces in pots, both of which tasted like they came from a Woolies home brand bottle. Despite how dry the exterior of the wings were adding the sauce was counter productive.

A nice spot for a mid week birthday lunch in the Hunter Valley. I have been once before a few years…read moreago and the first thing I noticed was the parking. It has been upgraded to sealed surface rather than bumpy dirt. With a 1 week old new car it was a welcome sight. The wait for drinks and food after ordering was lengthier than expected given it was not busy. My husband ordered a beer paddle and basil fettuccine. A little more chorizo and less focus on the toppings would be nice but he enjoyed it anyway. The dumpling entree special was.... different. The filling was a bit dry and the texture was unusual. The chilli dipping sauce was not what we expected either. I can't really put my finger on what the flavour was. It was just lacking. In comparison to chilli oil that most people would be accustomed to that packs a massive flavour hit. My chicken supreme was delicious. I loved the vibrant colour from the carrot purée. The chicken was moist and the potatoes crisp.

Very disappointing. First off we were told there were no…read moretables available despite having a confirmed reservation and despite there being two empty tables right in front of us. Finally seated. Had trouble attracting a waiter. Ordered the seven course tasting menu. Main being marron. Entire dish fitted on my fork. Asked to see the chef, stated our concern and were unceremoniously asked to leave and not come back. Which we did. No option for no stars. So one.

Can't fault this place! It's simply perfect! The staff are…read moreextremely professional, we asked for some recommendations on wines and our waitress was awesome! The food is fine dining and a flavour explosion in your mouth! If you're wanting an amazingly delicious meal then definitely give it a try!!

Outstanding service Food was amazing…read moreGreat atmosphere and excellent view 10/10 experience

A perfect 5 star experience all thanks to an amazing location, outstanding food and a manager named…read moreSharon who made my recent visit something to rave to friends about! After touring some of the wineries in the area, I wanted to sit outside, enjoy the beautiful scenery and have some terrific food and wine. The Verandah, located at the Calais Estate, was the perfect solution with their wrap around upstairs porch overlooking the rolling estate. There were two choices for lunch- a pre selected "Tapas Tower" which is a feast for two with several daily selections ($80) or a la carte tapas items listed a few pages back in the menu. I went with the latter and had a chance to taste a wide range of their offerings and all were amazingly good. My favs were the polenta coated soft shell crab, the mushroom aranachi, and the jambon. They also had a nice wine list and were able to find me a local Cabernet that was quite nice! The service staff was super helpful, even re directing the fan my way given it was a very hot day on the veranda. But my visit was really topped off by the welcoming nature of Sharon, the manager. She kept stopping at my table to ensure all was well and even related a story about her recent trip to Chicago where someone went out of their way to help her and her husband. It made for a great visit. So I'll end where I began. If you want a great location, outstanding food and a staff that cares, look no further than The Verandah. It really will make your entire experience in the Hunter Valley one to remember!

Perhaps the first restaurant we've been to in Australia that really met the standards of the best…read moreanywhere. Really world class. Food and its preparation, staff attitude, knowledge, suggestions and performance and, of course, wine offerings from the area were just outstanding. The location was great, with an expansive view over vineyards. It was my wife's birthday and a very classy touch was added, with just a small candle in the dessert (not the embarrassing sparkler version that everyone in the place notices) with "happy birthday" written on the plate in chocolate sauce. Very reasonably priced for the quality; highly recommended

This place could easily be 5/stars. But there are a few issues that are mitigating that. Tables are…read morewobbly and in weird locations to the view. Dining room sacrifices the unused buffet tables used for breakfast, that have a view across the vineyard. No dining at these tables. Just sitting there empty. The service is best explained as "trying". Which is better than CBF, but is clearly inexperienced but attentive. The food was nearly flawless. Just question the portion sizes. As we had one dish that was very generous with scallops and pork belly, but the other was a 72-hr slow cooked short rib, and it was literally one rib! Very nice atmosphere, but was knock backed by the wobbly table, several attempts made to rectify, but unsuccessful. Had breakfast next 2-days at different tables, same issue. Need to fix this beyond pieces of cork.

Unfortunately both my husband and I ended up with food poisoning from the Pho. I have been…read moreparticularly ill and am still suffering three days later. Obviously we will never go to this restaurant again and do NOT recommend it.

This is as authentic as Vietnamese gets in Australia. Fresh ingredients expertly prepared to…read moredeliver an amazing meal. The pancakes are unlike anything you've ever had, and the caramelized pork was oh so tender. How tender I hear asked from the back of the room? This pork is so tender it could write a chart topping love song in its sleep. Definitely check out VietKing, I doubt you'll be disappointed.

The Sous Chef is absolute world class! Kyle price has excellent services. The food is great.read more

Lunch or dinner with a view. Upstairs location overlooking beautiful Lake Macquarie…read more Current lunch special of $28 includes your choice of light lunch with either a cake of the day OR select wine or beer OR tea or coffee. My mum and I both picked the pie and choc mud but we indulged and ordered the prawn toast as well as tea with our cakes. I was thoroughly impressed when the waitress listed the cake selections rather than the normal "let me go check" response.