Reviews for Oakdene Vineyards Restaurant
Critic Review
Telstra Country Wide Golden Plate Awards 2007
Winner for Best Menu of Local Food 2007
Review by GoldenPlateAwards2007 (21), left on 19-11-2007 at 22:30
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“A proud emphasis on regional produce was showcased throughout a seductive choice of dishes produced by gifted chefs in a unique environment.”
Critic Review
Telstra Country Wide Golden Plate Awards 2007
Highly Commended for Best Coffee 2007
Review by GoldenPlateAwards2007 (21), left on 19-11-2007 at 22:29
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“The coffee here is a stand out and by far the best of any Restaurant in the competition. With four visits just for the coffee experience we voted the coffee smooth as the service.”
Critic Review
Telstra Country Wide Golden Plate Awards 2007
Highly Commended for Best Customer Service 2007
Review by GoldenPlateAwards2007 (21), left on 19-11-2007 at 22:27
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“Some of the best trained staff I have encountered anywhere. A busy evening, several sittings, the staff remained serene, convivial and glided through tables not missing a beat.”
Critic Review
Telstra Country Wide Golden Plate Awards 2007
Joint Overall Winner for Best Restaurant 2007
Review by GoldenPlateAwards2007 (21), left on 19-11-2007 at 21:55
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"Beautifully crafted food showcasing the innovation and skills of the chef. As soon as the car pulled up the meet and greet procedure swung into action, a wonderful warm and friendly start to an evening of exceptional dining."
This place has the food revievers raving
Review by pamela (6), left on 30-01-2007 at 11:31
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My first visit to Oakdene was over 4 years ago not long after the Restaurant opened. My initial reaction to the ambience and decor of this lovingly restored homestead was one of complete rapture.Nowhere had I seen anything done in such good taste and with such artistic flair.
4 years on and at last the food revievers have discovered what a complete gem this place is. I was pleased to read a recent article written by Bob Hart (Herald Sun) which described the Chef as a 'Welsh wiz doing wonders'. The article goes on to rave about the wonderful food the chef is producing and after just having sampled the new menu at a recent dinner, I fully agree.The other thing that was noticable about the restaurant on my recent visit was the many awards hanging on the wall, on closer inspection I could see that most had the signature of the world renowned food critic Stephen Downes.
This Restaurant Vineyard, tucked away on the Bellarine Peninsular could hold its head up proudly amongst any of Melbournes finest eateries . You pay as much for dinner here as you would expect to pay in a good city venue but no more.
If you have not had the pleasure of visiting this venue for Lunch or Dinner or even for a wine tasting do yourself a favour, you will be pleased you did, and I bet you return again with friends to show it off!
Funky vibe, but it's the food you'll rave about!
Review by James (50), left on 11-12-2006 at 12:32
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We had our work Christmas party at Oakdene on Saturday, and we were treated to one of the best dining experiences I've had. Ever.
We had a set menu that allowed us to choose between three entrees, mains and desserts. Each course was immaculately presented and perfectly cooked - I had a seared scallops entree which was as much a work of art as the large paintings hanging from the walls. The lamb main was served on a large wild mushroom with spinach and shiraz jus, and was melt-in-your-mouth tender. Dessert was great too, a meringue with a passionfruit filling, topped with a circle of toffee and a scoop of handmade icecream. Heaven. Overall it was a fantastic night and we all stayed around talking and laughing over coffee until after 11pm, it was so good.
Staff are very professional and friendly, and the wine list is over ten pages long, with some bottles in there worth $400, and certainly something for every palate. As others have said, the atmosphere here is New York cool, with large paintings and sculptures in every room. There was a jazz band playing in the garden for most of the evening too, which added to the funky vibe. But it's the food you'll be raving about, trust me.
I'm not sure of the price (work paid) but I'm guessing it wouldn't have been cheap. But I don't care, next time we're having a special night out, we'll be coming again to Oakdene!
Flabbergasted
Review by Amy (2), left on 08-11-2006 at 14:18
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As a student I don't go to many fancy resturaunts, so when my parents took me to Oakdene I was absolutely flabbergasted. For a start we spent 20 minutes looking at the gardens and modern artwork surrounding the cottage and admiring the colourful, stylish rooms before even sitting down to our meal. When seated we were greeted by enthusiatic staff who were more than eager to meet our needs.
The service together with exquisite food and wine left us feeling like royalty. The prices were of course as extreme as the whole experience, but certainly one worth spending.
This delightful resturaunt could not possibly earn any less than 5 stars!
Critic Review
Telstra Country Wide Golden Plate Awards 2006
Winner for Best Cellar of Local Wine 2006
Review by GoldenPlate2006 (39), left on 01-10-2006 at 7:30
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“... the outstanding winner of this award ... a compact and very tempting overall list that showcases a wide range of wines from around the Geelong region... a degree of depth of vintages on offer and an excellent selection of local wine made available by the glass.”
Critic Review
Telstra Country Wide Golden Plate Awards 2006
Winner for Best Menu of Local Food 2006
Review by GoldenPlate2006 (39), left on 01-10-2006 at 7:30
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“The outstanding menu is a veritable who's who of outstanding produce ... carefully selected for flavour, freshness and supreme quality ...point of origin proudly proclaimed ... ingredients only brought in if not produced locally.”
Critic Review
Telstra Country Wide Golden Plate Awards 2006
Highly Commended for Best Restaurant 2006
Review by GoldenPlate2006 (39), left on 01-10-2006 at 7:30
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“The kitchen selected only the finest produce available to deliver the exciting and inventive menu ... highlights of brilliance in the technically complex dishes ... a wine list that brings the finest of local and global drops to round out the pioneering estate produce.”
Amazing
Review by Leasha (12), left on 27-09-2006 at 13:40
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I went here with my husband for coffee and cake. We were blown away with the atmosphere, art, staff, it was amazing! Expensive but so so classy. It's like Sydney, in rural Wallington. We had a look at the menu and wine list, there was a $500 bottle of wine! Have never seen that before! It's not just a restaurant it's an experience.
Quality with a capital 'Q'
Review by Jacker00 (1), left on 21-09-2006 at 10:45
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Oakdene has masses of modern art and things like cut-up windmills and wheelbarrows beautifully displayed around their spacious country property. The grass is green and the building old and grand, the kind of place that has a wedding party every weekend of the year. The inside is awesome too, each room decorated to a theme and funky art and sculpture on every wall.
As far as food goes, it's great! The coffee is excellent and there's a huge wine list too. While everything is pretty pricey it is also Quality with a capital 'Q', and I guess you're paying for the fantastic atmosphere as well.
You really have to go and check this place out, it's a real experience!
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Average, not bad. 
Acceptable but boring.
Sorry, not my cup of tea.
