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Windsor, Gowings, Mayflower, Circa, Pei Modern and other top hotel restaurants
Cars. Drinking. Police. Smelly taxis. Standing on streets trying to hail smelly taxis. The cost of those smelly taxis. Looking for the receipts from those smelly taxis the next morning. Sometimes it all just seems so damned hard, doesn’t it? Going out for dinner, that is.
But what if you go out, but don’t? Is there anything more relaxing, more conducive to getting loose over a second bottle of wine, more secure-feeling than simply leaving your hotel room and going downstairs for the night without having to negotiate the world outside?
You don’t even need your wallet. Just a bit of plastic to get you back through the door and into bed when you’re ready. How good is that?
So I stay in a lot of hotels. Or, rather, I stay in hotels a lot. I worked it out the other day; around one in five nights I sleep in a bed other than my own. And a lot of those beds are in hotels I like.
Do I eat in-house? Usually, no. But there are exceptions. There are hotels around Australia I’d gladly — enthusiastically — eat, drink, be merry and charge it to my room. They are the exceptions that prove the old rule hotel restaurants are rubbish.
So if you’re the kind of traveller who wants to stay in-house for dinner rather than stroll the streets and risk a mugging, this is my list of places to doss and dine.
111 Spring Street, The Hotel Windsor, Melbourne: Yes, we all know the Grand Old Dame cliches, but the pub’s expansive (not expensive) restaurant has an elegance and Old World refinement that transcends hotel culture and name tags. More important, chef Joel Alderson is the real deal; the food is modern, whimsical, grounded. The wine list is accessible and very fairly priced. And the restaurant itself is about you, not them.
Gowings Bar & Grill, QT Sydney: With no street frontage, you need to seek this place out. Do. Retro classics, great steaks, big, proud flavours and real restaurant personnel make Gowings a real inner-Sydney clubroom. There’s the advantage of a rather lively adjoining bar, too.
Mayflower, The Mayfair, Adelaide: Again, there’s a bit of a retro theme happening here, but chef Bethany Finn cooks classics really well. There’s a stonking wine collection and, like many Adelaide restaurants, it seems like excellent value for money.
Circa, The Prince, Melbourne: A lovely dining room kept fresh by chef Ashly Hicks’ energy and talent. Modern, light, informed and always delivered by personable staff. The restaurant has the advantage of being a brilliant breakfast venue, too.
Pei Modern, Four Seasons Sydney: Contemporary, but not faddish. Lots of wood grilling. Delicious. Not very Four Seasons, which is why it’s a pleasant surprise.
Thomson’s Reserve, The New Inchcolm, Brisbane: Lots of buzz about this Brisbane restaurant in a smaller hotel. Our spies are fairly reliable.
Glass Brasserie, Hilton Sydney: A classic, quality hotel restaurant run in collaboration with restaurateur Luke Mangan. Never had a bad meal here. There’s a reason why this place has just ticked over 10 years in business.
Monster, Hotel Hotel, Canberra: You’re young. In design, PR or marketing. You stay at Hotel Hotel when you’re in Canberra and, frankly, why would you leave the building when you have a Monster in your midst? Of the hyper-contemporary school, so not for everyone.
The Melba, The Langham Melbourne: Simply one of the most surprising “buffets” in town. More like a hawker market with quality everywhere. Heaps of fun; great value for money.
Wildflower, Como Perth: It opens any minute; that doesn’t stop me recommending Wildflower. Jed Gerrard, the chef, has considerable form, the rooftop site is amazing and Como does things properly.
Bentley, Raddisson Blu, Sydney: What can I say? Brent Savage is one of the great chefs of Australia, his partner Nick Hildebrandt a brilliant sommelier/waiter. Bentley is a complete gem.
Paper Daisy, Halcyon House, Cabarita Beach, NSW: Fantasise about walking up from the surf, rinsing off in your room and grabbing a bite in-house? Our Hottest Regional restaurant 2015 is the biz; chef Ben Devlin is a fine regional ambassador.
The Lake House, Daylesford, Victoria: Chicken or egg? Is the boutique hotel so popular because of its refined-yet-modern restaurant or vice versa? Whatever, Lake House is a Victorian institution for good reason.
Capitol Bar & Grill, QT Canberra: Salumi, steaks, pollie-watching, local wine. Noice.'
Source: The Australian, John Lethlean, 12th September 2015
Originally published as: Windsor, Gowings, Mayflower, Circa, Pei Modern and other top hotel restaurants
