Owner Malcolm Carlin will happily tell you that his mother must have had him lobotomised at an early age. Apparently it is the only sound explanation for why he has stayed in the restaurant game so long, but Canberrans are awfully glad he did.
Since opening in '74, The Hermitage has become something of a Canberra dining institution. People frequent this classically toned eatery for a number of culinary reasons. It's the establishment's signature dish that gets the most lips smacking; beef tournedos with bug tails, potato gratin and bearnaise, to be exact, and by all accounts it is more than worth the trip.
The wine list that was once more than 2000 bottles strong has been refined a little in recent years. The international selections are still impressive and there is also a fair representation of bottles from '70s harvests. They can be enjoyed with a meal or sipped in the comfort of the eatery's separate wine bar.
Katherine Hartmann
Open
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Breakfast
Lunch
O
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Dinner
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Late
Mon-Fri 11.30am-2.30pm, 5.45pm-10pm Sat 5.45pm-10pm
Modern Australian
Entree: $11.50-$19.50
Mains: $24.50-$33.50
Dessert: $11.50
Payment accepted: MasterCard, Visa, Diners Club and American Express
Licensed with bar. Wine is available by the glass. BYO $10 corkage per bottle.
Vegetarian options available
This venue accepts bookings. It is advisable to make a reservation ahead of time. Group bookings are supported.
Seats 58
Outside dining area
Wheelchair access
and wheelchair-accessible toilets
All reviews and ratings are the expressed opinions of our users, and in no way reflects the opinions of yourRestaurants, its staff and its affiliates.
Posted by:
saundo
|
1 April 2009, 9.17am
Where was all the asparagus?
We were going to the theatre so decided to have dinner before as the show didn't start until 9.00pm. We had booked the previous day so were a bit surprised when we arrived that our table hadn't even been set (booking was for 7pm). The service was good and we ordered our entrees and main courses and a bottle of wine. The entrees were very nice. For main I had ordered Tasmanian Salmon with asparagus. The meal arrived with 'two' pieces of asparagus. I was surprised that there were only 'two' pieces of asparagus but was even more surprised when I discovered the asparagus had been sliced lengthways so what I really got was one piece of asparagus. I find it really amazing that a restaurant with the good reputation of The Hermitage would do something as petty as this.
By 8:10pm we had finished our meals and decided to have dessert as we still had plenty of time before the show. We placed our order and a few minutes later the waitress came back to say that the desserts would take half an hour as 'they were very busy'. We said that we would have the cheese plate instead and were advised that that would also take half an hour. I find it difficult to believe that any dessert (unless it was made straight away) would take that long. Most restaurants have the desserts (such as cheesecakes etc) already prepared ahead of time. How long does it take to prepare a cheese plate??
The Hermitage had a nice feel to it despite our criticisms and was close to the theatre.
Food:
Visit: Sat 28 March 2009
Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:
Posted by:
Ben Davis
|
29 September 2007, 8.37am
Good food in a nice location
For entree we had the scallops and chilli king prawns. Scallops were good with a hint of coriander but could do with a touch less soy. Chilli prawns were swimming in oil, so a lot of the flavour was lost.
Mains were barramundi and duck. The mandarin star anise sauce with the duck was very suitable for such a dish, sweet with a hint of cinnamon.
Did not have dessert as we had a show to catch. Was surprised that there should have been a few more people in the restaurant for a Friday night. But it was picking up when we were leaving.
A nice location but parking is crap. Anywhere in that area of the city and parking is difficult at the best of times.
Overall a nice restaurant and definitely a place to go before a show at the theatre
Food:
Visit: Fri 28 September 2007
Mealtime: dinner
Service:
Atmosphere:
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