stillwater at crittenden

excellent food, let down by service issues. truth be told, i loved the food and wine selection at stillwater.

my partner and i shared the pork belly entree (which was excellent) and i then proceeded to enjoy the lamb rack for main (which was superb!) whilst my partner had the wagyu steak (which was very good, but i'm unsure if it warranted the $75 price tag?)

the issue we had was with service, particularly at the beginning of the meal. we were seated at an unset table, which means that thestaffproceeded to set it around us which made it a little difficult to relax if i'm honest. i'm gluten intolerant and naturally inquired as to what was safe to eat on the menu. not only did the waiter seem unsure as to what and wasn't appropriate, but he walked off when i attempted to ask a question - not good!

that said, as the meal progressed the service improved and the older gentleman was replaced with a far more outgoing individual (who had an accent, from memory).

one other thing worth mentioning - cudos to stillwater for serving gluten free bread (which i assume they made themselves), but please warm it before you send it out! gf bread can be quite dry and crumbly (especially when made with rice flour) so warming it can make it far more palatable. i'd also recommend using some chia seed to replace the gluten and assist the 'binding' process a little more next time.

otherwise, we were well pleased, :)

it was amazing! the view was spectacular, thestaffwere very friendly and efficient, the eye fillet blew me socks off, will defiantly become a regular!! thank you very much stillwater!!

came here a few months ago as it was the only place where we could get a table at the last minute so expectations were low but it was so much better than expected. first off, it’s a beautiful restaurant with a gorgeous set up and views. the service was incredible and thestaffwere attentive. now, the food was the best. wonderful flavours and cooked to perfection. kudos to the chef!

perfect spot for some drinks and tapas on a sunny summers day. charcuterie board & saganaki on point! friendlystaffhappy to help with selections and to go out of their way for you. outdoor area is nice on a sunny day.

we came here for dinner last friday and enjoyed the evening. lovelystaffand ambience. the entree of pork belly and tiger prawns were delicious, just wished the pork belly came with more sauce. we also loved the lamb more than the sirloin steak. for dessert we had the chocolate pot which was satisfying. my partner enjoyed the citrus tart. can’t wait to be back!

a simple but pretty winery, and the first i've visited in australia. i had a glass of dry rose as i sat out back on the deck and admired the lake view. for my meal, an asparagus terrine to start (a bit plain for my taste, but featuring a very interesting cured egg yolk that no one seemed to enjoy except me). and as a main, i tried the truffle gnocchi. it was nice, but lacked flavour and didn't taste like truffle at all. a bit more salt and tomato would have helped. as for service,staffwas nice enough but not super with it (i.e. took half the table's coffee orders and then disappeared before i got a chance to request one). it was busy, though, so i can cut some slack. i just hope this was a once-off unsavoury experience.

the food that was served was of great quality and cooked to perfection. there was a big group of us, so we were able to order each item on the menu and everything was delicious. no complaints. we also ordered a cheese platter and dessert - only complaint is we waited about 30 minutes for this to come out. bit surprised as our mains came out faster?

great views and the environment was nice, air conditioned inside and great natural light. great for all kinds of dining styles.

honestly service here overall was mediocre. the lady who served us especially had appalling service. (above the shoulder length blonde hair with a half ponytail) as someone who works in hospitality myself, i expected a place like stillwater to have a certain level of service and hospitality, however i was disappointed. we ordered a tasting platter halfway through our food because there wasn't enough but our server told us that it would be a bit too much (which we acknowledged), but we decided to go ahead with it. we finished our lunch, waited about 20 minutes and the checked to see if it was on it's way, which we were then to find out she did not put it through because it was 'too much food' but i didn't realise we lived in a communist society at stillwater. this wouldn't have been an issue if she had apologised about it but instead looked at us like it was our issue and asked if we would like dessert instead. we looked at the dessert menu and decided to get the cheese platter. i asked her whether we could grab some cold meat on the side with it and she responds by saying that we can't because it only comes with the tasting plate (which she didn't put through). i thought some compromising of her mistake would have been possible but apparently not. service makes a very big difference with how enjoyable a place is despite how great food is. management need to make sure theirstaffare equip to deal with conflict in this dining environment.

food was delightful, i do recommend the passionfruit dessert. view was beautiful. however, the service was not all there. manager was pleasant, and as was one lovely lady, but the otherstaffjust seemed rude, or unapproachable. and for a winery, you would think that they would be keeping our wine glasses full, or suggesting wines for each course. but no. while kids drawing supplies were given and high chairs are available, onestaffmember did not seem to want to deal with kids or an accidental spill.

great place and kid friendly happy to accomodate for our pram friendlystaff. pork belly was amazing as was the lamb blackstrap and the eye fillet 100 per cent i will return , looking out over the lake vineyard and lawn sets up a very nice mood while having quality wine and beer !

following a very enjoyable late morning wine tasting at crittenden estate, we decided to stay on and have lunch at the adjacent stillwater restaurant. our most recent dining experience was 2 days prior at dinner by heston blumenthal in melbourne cbd so it was always going to be difficult for stillwater to compare favourably with that outstanding experience.

the greeting fromstaffwas warm and friendly. we had a window table with a pleasant view of the small lake, garden and vines. service was very prompt and we quickly had glasses of water and had ordered our food and wine.

we chose the pork belly and scallops starters. pork belly is a demanding dish and is a very good guide to the quality of the chef's cooking. in this case, the pork belly was very good - crispy top and very tender tasty meat. the scallops were also very good. for mains we ordered the barramundi and tasmanian eye fillet. i enjoyed the barramundi - crispy skin and not too soft underneath. the steak was cooked to our requirements - medium rare - and was very tender. all the sauces and vegetables were very good. the accompanying sourdough was also tasty. we were too full to order dessert. we enjoyed a couple of glasses of crittenden wines but other wines were also on the wine list.

i thought the cost of $160 for 2 people (2 courses plus wine) was appropriate for the quality of the dining experience.

food was amazing. we got the 3 course meal on the weekend with there being a real variety of dishes (fish, meat and veggie) to select from. service was also fantastic with allstaffbeing extremely friendly. sitting on the balcony out the back overlooking the lake was also quite memorable. would go back in a heart beat! thanks!

this was my 2nd visit to stillwater, 12 months ago it was fantastic and a large group had a great experience, this time it was a bit and miss with things.

90% of the food was really good (avoid the lamb it's way to fatty) but it's way overpriced for the portion sizes. service was good from the manger but otherstaffseemed to have no idea and it was hard work even getting a drink ordered and they completely forgot 1 of our groups main meals (i give some leeway for this as you expect some top upstaffover the summer but not with forgetting a meal) it's a beautiful place to go and the grounds are beautiful but so are all winery's down there so that's not enough.

food taste 8/10 (pork belly, prawns, saganaki, antipasto, fish, duck all very good)
value 5/10
setting 8/10
service 3/10

stopped to do a wine tasting and then were lucky to stumble across this delightful restaurant.  thestaffwere lovely and very attentive. every dish was sensational, good produce known exactly how to be cooked. we ordered a couple bottles of the vineyard chardonnay which matched perfectly with our food. the scenery was gorgeous.  definitely a must for lunch if you're in the area.

love this place! the entry to this gorgeous property is enough to make you feel special but between the perfectly manicured gardens and the exceptional food and wine offerings, stillwater is truly a spectacular place. the food especially is fresh and vibrant whilst remaining traditionally and well executed. thestaffare seasoned veterans and well suited to the venue being professional, friendly and knowledgeable. a perfect place to take a partner or family! a must visit!

it's a great way to spend a saturday afternoon. the service was second to none with lovelystafffinding the right balance of service and attention. pork belly entree brought me to a tear, it was that good. my wife had a moment at dessert. mains were lovely but slightly over cooked. the cellarstaffwere the only let down. not very friendly or helpful, sadly. but overall it was an absolute pleasure to visit.