stillwater

ploughman's lunch. a hot day so a light fresh meal appealed. ploughman's lunch at $33? i imagined the cheeses, the generous ham the pickle and perhaps even a surprise. well i was well and truly surprised but only at the meagreness of the whole experience. i didn't even get the ingredients which were described to me by the waiter. a finger of one cheese, a scraping of ham, a pile of salami, a few slithers of nice pickle (more pickle? no we've run out) truly i could have done better going to coles' deli with $5. the service very, very nice. when i mentioned that the waiter described pate as part of the dish and there was none and could they possible add some blue cheese it came straight away with apologies. but who goes to a restaurant and wants to complain. as we left everyone asked me how my meal was and what could i say? i escaped quickly and left my husband to pay the bill, he told me that ten percent had been deducted from the bill because "i had not seemed happy". another thing why on a hot day is lukewarm water brought to your table and not iced (cold would have been acceptable).

had to get off my seat to order my coffee top off. thanks, stillwater for the snob service. i had to end my dining experience at this place by complaining to the supervisor. this was the very first time i have ever made a complaint to a restaurant's supervisor. the very first. yes, it was that bad and it had to be done. i don't know why this place is raved so highly. it baffles me! what impeccable service are ppl talking about? i regretted that i even bothered to come to this place. i could just go to mcdonalds. at least i would get what i pay for. it's an absolutely atrocious dining experience. disappointed and what a waste of my money. i felt totally totally disgusted and painful that i spent almost $40 just for a simple breakfast which i could get for less than half price elsewhere with definitely much better service.

i wanted to give myself a treat of a good breakfast in my last day in launceston. stillwater comes up as a great place to go with good reviews about its service and food. ok, it's close to my hotel and it looked promising. or so i thought...

i walked in. it was busy but there were a few empty tables. i was served by a gentleman which i found out later was the supervisor. i asked if i could get one of the empty tables near the window but he said it's all reserved. ok that's ok. no harm asking. he showed me to a table at the far end which i was totally ok.

first thing i found funny was he straight away asked if i would like to order any coffee or tea even though i haven't even seated yet. mmm shouldn't you at least allow me to sit first and let me have a look at the menu?
but nvm that...it's a small matter so i politely replied "yes but can i please have a look at the menu first?" although i found out later that there's actually no drinks menu. mmmm...strange but ok. another young waiter came and served me the water and so i asked him about the drinks menu and he said i could order any coffee i liked and they would do their best to make it. so i ordered the caramel cappuccino.

i decided to have the full breakfast just to celebrate my last day of holiday. the food and coffee came out very quickly. the food was ok. nothing to rave about but the coffee was so good that i finished it within few sips (mind you, it's a small cup). but gosh, the toast...my jaw would break trying to chew that thing. so in the end i left one toast behind cos it was so so tough.

this was the time when things went downhill...quickly. in my opinion, it's a standard service that waiters in any restaurant should be trained to check on the diners just to make sure that everything was ok or if the diners needed anything else. i've been to cheap restaurants and they do that with satisfactory pass rate. but this was not the case with stillwater. nobody, and i mean nobody came to check my table if everything was ok. it's as if my table suddenly go *poof* gone after they served me my food. and this was supposed to be a fine restaurant that i paid top price just for a breakfast *big sigh*

now is the worst part. i never ever thought in my whole life i would have to do this in a restaurant that's supposed to be "fine". i was still eating and wanted a coffee top off and guess what?!

i actually had to get off my seat & walked to the counter myself to order it. unbelievable!!!!!!!

i hear you ask why??? again, cos nobody attended to me. i even put up my hand twice to get one of the waiters' attention but no one saw that. i waited and waited and waited and waited...in the end, i thought this was just ridiculous and i decided to walk to the counter myself to order it. mind you, my water also needed a refill too but no one seemed to bother to do that.
its only after i finished everything then a waiter came and asked if i would like another coffee. pffff! are you kidding me?!

i couldn't wait but to quickly get out of there just to end this unpleasant experience. besides i was rushing to join my tour. i went to the counter to pay and again the service i got right at the end when i actually wanted to pay was obnoxious. there's a little queue so i waited for my turn and the snobby waitress behind the till was serving everybody else completely fine, but when it's my turn, she didn't even bother to acknowledge my presence. i was right in front of her. unbelievable! another waitress walked pass by and saw me and asked if i was ok. and i said "well, i'm going to pay now but can i please speak to your supervisor?" and turned out it was the first guy that served me. i told him everything i needed. i stressed out the good points about the food and coffee and also the bad points about the bad service. he did apologize and did realise about the fact that i actually walked up to the counter to order the coffee. although i was very unsatisfied, i still thanked him for taking my feedback.

you know what, it was a big shame about this place. i can't believe i was this unlucky to experience this kind of service. who would have thought such service would happen in a restaurant like this?! i will never go back again. ever. i met a couple in my tour who recommended this place to me and i said to them "no way. i will never be back"

exceptional!. stillwater was exceptional! set in an old mill overlooking the boats and next to kings park.
excellent customer service, wait staff were attentive, friendly and knowledgeable.
the food was fantastic. the grilled zuchini that was served with the fish of the day (blue trevella) was to die for ! i completely recommend and will go again!

over priced breakfast. positives: sitting outside on a sunny morning, tasty food.
negatives: boring breakfast menu, waiting ages for coffee, menus and our food. our toddler hit her face on the table after the highchair came apart twice. over the top prices for standard breakfast items.
we won't return.

very pleasant lunch. i turned up without a reservation and although they were fully booked they squeezed me in. nice choices lor lunch and a nice list of wines by the glass. a lovely waiter who was attentive and helpful too. a must see is the area upstairs with a providore and kitchen shop and above that a small art gallery. a bit expensive but that seems to be the case for many tasmania restaurants. worth it though.

get a barista. why do i feel somewhat let down when i visit stillwater restaurant with friends and family?
from being the best in tasmania not so long ago. where do i start, the coffee from being the best to probably one of the worst,all foam,bitter,milk burnt,no flavour not made with any concept or understanding of what coffee should be.
next the food,well the menu sudden silence from everybody,the price with a quip from me it is the best?
( sudden seems to have gone off into the stratosphere) and it's not only me on numerous occasions i have seen people walk out after being presented with the menu.
the food fish not cooked the rest unsure what it was,followed up by cake which to be honest was dreadful,orange cake with syrup and fresh cream use to be so good at stillwater. it will be a long time before i go back if ever and recommending it to others no chance.

best meal, best service ever. just had the best meal experience at stillwater ever, across australia. being perthites probably means we are overly surprised by good service, however at stillwater the waitstaff are beyond efficient - they are also friendly and knowledgable and just a delight to be served by. as we're travelling we took our 8 and 10 year olds with us, who were treated so nicely my daughter feels she is now forever spoiled by them for eating out anywhere else! they were provided with child appropriate meals followed by ice cream and child size hot chocolates, a real treat (thanks james). my smoked huon salmon entree and pink ling main were outstanding and my husband loved his scallops and beef rib. thank you!!

satisfying. being a foodie with a toddler isn't always easy; we can only really eat out for lunch and today was the day to treat ourselves. the staff were incredibly accommodating, especially of our son (who behaved pretty well, phew!), and cannot be faulted. the food was not quite as good as i'd hoped but i did have pretty high expectations coming in. the house bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar kept our son going most of our visit and was delicious, my lamb shoulder was very edible but needed something extra (mint maybe?). my husband ordered the special, a beef burger, and it was interesting but not amazing. the dessert was good (vanilla bean creme brulee, shortbread, cinnamon cream and peaches, though i think they were nectarines in the end...) and the coffee the best we've had so far in launceston. the setting is romantic, picturesque, scenic and delightful - a perfect place for a dinner for two, lunch with the girls or to treat visiting family. a really good meal over all.

amazing experience. just back from the stillwater and still can't get over how exceptional the whole experience there was. not only was the produce perfectly fresh and local, but also beautifully prepared and presented...& in a lovely old historic building. but above all this, what amazed us was the enthusiasm, food & wine knowledge and general warmth of the staff there. really something out of the box! congrats to all at stillwater.

wonderful coffee and eggs benedict. my girlfriend and i came to launceston just for the weekend, and discovered still water on our first morning.
we were super pleased with the service and eating.
probably the best coffee and eggs benedict we've had, consistent with the two times we visited.
highly recommend.

it was a very pleasant family birthday dinner at stillwater and i would be happy to go back. i hear they do good breakfasts as well.

overcooked, overpriced and bad service. since when does a $4.50 serve of mushrooms = 2 mushrooms.

stillwater is a beautiful restaurant inside the historic ritchie’s mill. the decor is wood and white combined into a elegant but casual setting. the place seems to host many tables and if you head upstairs, they also have a gallery/gift shop selling tasmanian art, produce and souvenirs.

easily one of the best meals i've ever had. my boyfriend raved for months about how good it was and even then didn't do it justice. incredible in every way. want to move here so i can go more often.

absolutely delicious. the entire evening was faultless from start to finish. from our pre-dinner drinks in the little nook to the side, to the difficult choice of picking just one thing from the outstanding menu, to the deliciousness of the food when it did arrive. my trevalla dish was stunning. i can't stop thinking about it... i loved it!! i recommend this as a must-visit.