Great restaurant overlooking a billabong, we had the whole snapper which was deliciousread more

From the owner: Experience fresh, smart and simple dishes during your outdoor dining at Leaves and Fishes…read more Specialising in seafood, with non-seafood, vegetarian, vegan, coeliac and lactose-free options, Leaves & Fishes delivers a unique blend of Asian and Modern Australian cuisine in a relaxed, casual and friendly environment. Leaves and Fishes has an ambience unique to any restaurant in Hunter Valley Wine Country - be sure to drop in on your next visit!

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!

So in the words of Nike - Just Do it!! There is amazing food…read more& there is food with love....this is food with love!! Aaaaaand.....I loved it. Gorgonzola Gnocchi that just melts the heart, ragu, staff who care, great wine! Come here, just come here......you will leave more whole!

Quaint Lodge-like atmosphere , oddly enough the tables were not the least bit shakey…read more Located in the middle of "The Hunter" as I have heard this area referred to. We stayed at this lodge where this restaurant is located in Pokolbin. We were with a group of 8, and they handled our service very well. The food was very good, the wine was great. The staff did an excellent job of making us feel welcome. When in the Pokolbin area I highly recommend this place. Reservations are a must. Also we saw a mob of wild kangaroos hopping along side our car upon departure, fantastic! Hopefully they were not running away from the cook....

It's was a Tuesday night and not many joints were open. Travelling midweek might save you money on…read morehotel costs but be sure to check that restaurants in the local area will be open (or bring a packed meal). Luckily for us Shaky Tables was open are ready for business. We were the only people there, so it as kinda nice to feel like VIPs with the owner talking to us. We were seated looking out onto the bushland with a "water view" which was a pool, cute little joke I'm sure the owner says to everyone... I still liked it. The place looked super snazzy with a bold colour scheme, strong paintings help to further outline the charm of this place. Bottles of wine, a mounted dears head, a candle stand with what appeared to be a lifetime of candle wax creating a miniature mountain on the floor. Truly unique. The guy has his own wines to try which I thought was good fun, as well as locally brewed beers. The food is extremely tasty, cooked well with everything coming into perfect harmony. Our appetisers (small yet free, at least for us) really set us up for a good meal. The mains were sensational to the last bite. And how could we resist dessert? We may have been bursting but my-good-golly the dessert was just an artwork crafted from only the greatest of flavours. As we were the only ones there the service was, you guessed it, amazing. It was a bit expensive but it really was worth it in my opinion. For two people, each with two drinks, a mains and a shared dessert it costed $157. The owner is a swell guy and his chefs really know what they are doing.

Brilliant take-away shop…read more The lady who works there is as friendly as they get, and the value is absolutely brilliant. Their works burger is one of the best burgers I've had in a long time.

A pleasant surprise…read more To book for this restaurant you have to book online or call in the day to see if they have room. My partner and I booked online and it stated we would be contacted to confirm our booking. We never heard anything by 8.30 on the day before we wanted to go so we called up and was told someone would defiantly get in contact with us. Next day came and still no one had called or emailed us so we went to the hunter to do some wine tasting before going for dinner. We called back at 5 pm to confirm our booking for 6 pm and the lady who answered stated they don't send confirmations for bookings yet online it states otherwise! Anyway the lady had confused us with a different couple and had to try and fit us in for 6 pm which ended up happening. When we drove up there and down the driveway we were shocked to see the restaurant was a house and very basic. We walked around to the front door and straight away great service from the staff. We ordered the 3 entree's ravioli, king prawns and filled mushroom. Great food and full of flavor. It is fairly pricy but worth it. Mains we ordered the steak and again amazing food. Very filling and cooked medium as we ordered it to be. Dessert we ordered two different dishes and well worth it. Only bad part the dessert was the biggest dish of the day compared to entree and main. As we had finished our dessert we were taking in the view and relaxing. When the waitress came and picked up our plates and asked us how it was we said good thank you and her response was "are you ok. You seem really sad" I'm sorry but that is very unprofessional when all we were doing was taking in the view and relaxing. Only because we weren't loud or as enthusiastic as she expected apparently we were sad! The couple sitting behind us even made a comment when the waitress left and said how unprofessional that was and apparently now you can't enjoy the view and the company. It only went downhill from there as when I got the bill I had a voucher for the restaurant which was given to me as a gift. The waitress straight away seemed annoyed when I showed it to her and was not very friendly when I said I would like to use it. Her response was "you know I can't refund you the money I will have to give you a new voucher". I never expected a refund or anything as it was a gift given to me and would only expect to have the remanding money for if I was to return to the restaurant. As the waitress walked away she shrunk her shoulders and had a slight attitude as it seemed like she was after more. One thing that would be very helpful would be something for the flies outside when you are eating as there was an insane amount around you and got quite frustrating. Apart from the few mishaps it was good food. It's not a place I would rush back to for the above reasons but certainly worth a try once.

Came with my partner for Sunday lunch for our anniversary. We decided on 3 courses. Both seafood…read moreentrees were nice but I think there could have been one more ravioli for the price. We both ordered the eye fillet. To look at, mine was overdone, but it was still incredibly tender. The galette, butter and gravy were perfect accompaniments. We were discussing what we thought so far and were not fully impressed but decided to hold off criticism until we had dessert. We made the right choice! I ordered the banana pudding and it was amazing. I didn't eat the toffee on top but it completed the WOW factor. The price was fitting for the location, service and food. Staff were very friendly and always on top of clearing the table and refreshing drinks. We also spotted a few roos amongst the vines. Lovely afternoon.

This is a very well run restaurant and the steaks were delicious. It was a bit on the pricy side,…read morebut the service and the food were worth it. Deserts were also not to be missed.

Over priced and underwhelming for what we received. T bone wasn't seasoned when cooked and it came…read morewith a scoop of coleslaw and a very small portion of corn on the cob. I mean maybe a 1/4 of an ear. Sorry but very disappointed

Small cute place with delicious food and friendly service! Was very pleased with everything, will…read moredefinitely come back!

As a treat during a weekend away at the Hunter Valley, we tried the degustation menu with matching…read morewines at Emerson. What can I say - just absolutely spectular food that was beautifully presented and tasted delicious. My first go at degustation - I was very impressed and I am now well and truly hooked on this way of dining. From the 8 courses enjoyed, it is hard to choose my favourite dish but I would say either the pan fried local snapper (so fresh!) or the angus beef brisket. Both cooked to perfection. My only complaint - and it's a strange one - the servings of wine could have been smaller. Serving a generous glass of wine with 6 of the courses was more than we could drink and left me a little too full to enjoy the desert. Would definitely go again and possibly drink less to enjoy the food more! One of my favourites.

I came here to eat back in 2010, and the food was delicious. I had the sausage and cheese sausage…read moreroll and it was amazing. The scenery is so peaceful which adds to the atmosphere. I came back in 2012 to eat here again, but I do want to try eat at the restaurant. This is as good as it gets...