The Waterfront Restaurant - Gungahlin

we use to be regulars at the water front, kids use to love the chiken salt w/ chilli,we have`nt been there for some thime now. We have been to Da Nunzio several times in last two months for dinner, and on weekends for b/fast and lunch.We also had take away pizza (superb Italian wood fire pizza) it is a place to try good food nice ambience friendly staff and very good limoncello.

essfer, I know you well and from the looks of the comments in the forum, it seems we lucked out and had one of the few good experiences.

Hey grumpy, glad you enjoyed it. Even tho you know I am a whinger, a cynic and an all-round nice guy… I had a shit time at waterfront.

The Mrs had her birthday dinner there back in March – a family do with heaps of adults, about a dozen kids and a few babies. From memory it was a weeknight, certainly not peak time. They stuck us upstairs, which was fine as they needed somewhere to stick the gigantic horde, but it was basically their storeroom, so we had kids running around collapsed tables, stacked and loose spare chairs, old curtain tracks, some lumber (serious!), excess cutlery and all the other crap they had nowhere else for. Made us feel like we were valued about the same.

If that was it then it would’ve been ok. Not so. Many of us ordered the banquet – a simple solution for a large group. After an almost unacceptably long wait for entrees and then subsequently for mains, of 5 dishes there was about 10 minutes between us finishing dish 1 and them bringing dish 2. When they did finally bring it out we had to ask them for more rice – when I did the waiter looked at me like I’d just asked him to go out to the ‘lake’ out the front and catch me a fresh lobster.

Maybe I’m wrong but I figured that part of the joy of a Chinese banquet was that everyone gets a chance to sample a bit of everything – together. So after receiving three of the five dishes over a half hour period I sought the boss’ permission to make a scene on her birthday (I had a hunch where this was going) and went to open discussions with the staff.

After trying to have a polite conversation with the head waitress and getting nowhere I was forced to make a right asshole of myself. Seeing as she refused to acknowledge the validity of any of my complaints I ended up ignoring the stated price for the food and just making an assessment of what we should pay. To my mind it was pretty generous for half a meal and really shit service. She disagreed quite vocally but by this point I had stopped listening to her.

Grumpy, I think you know that I don’t suffer fools lightly, but I think you also know that I will tolerate a fair amount for the sake of keeping the peace. This was too much.

I have never had such a woeful experience at any restaurant. I’m glad others have had a better time but if anyone asks my opinion I would rate the eating experience about on par with sticking a big mac up your bum and breaking your own nose with a house brick.

Used to be regulars at the Waterfront…..used to be.

Not a patch on what it was to begin with. Used to have a captive audience in Gungahlin but now there’s more variety around the area the Waterfront pales in comparison. Service has always been OK, the food just became less than average.

Tried the Chiang Rai Piri Piri place a few weeks ago. Absolutely tremendous.

Being ‘busy’ is no excuse in the hospitality industry. Put extra staff on to meet the demand.

I went to Da Nunzio a few weeks ago and was impressed. Casual dining restaurant. Nice feel to the place, should be particularly good in summer evenings with sunsets across the pond. Good food, lots of interesting stuff beyond the usual Italian dishes. Good service. Quite noisy with kids at two nearby tables and lots of hard surfaces. 7.5/10. Give it a try. I think they do takeaway, not sure about breakfasts.

Note: Only comparing takeout, but would have to +1 to Jasmine House over Waterfront. The latter have many times given me a soggy cornflour mush with unidentifiable squares where I had expected something different from the menu.

Seriously, I grew out of eating clag in pre-school.

Okay so it was Grade 5, but whatever.

Jasmine meanwhile you get what you expect and it is Goooooood.

Meanwhile;

Buggles said :

Speaking of restaurants on Yerrabi Pond, has anyone tried the new Italian place called DaNunzio. Had brunch there a few weeks and was most impressed.

Is it a cafe style place or upmarket, evenings only affair? Any idea if they do breakfasts on weekends? Or takeout? Have not been a fan of Little San Severo, and Belconnen/Kaleen is too far away to bring back takeaway pasta that works.

I’ve to also mention that it’s not the wait that we’re complaining.
The price are expensive for ordinary food quality and taste.
We gave them another go about 3 months after Valentine day, however same experience. So we’ll never going back there again.

lizw said :

We go to Jasmine House in Gungahlin whenever we eat out. The staff are friendly, the service is speeding, the food arrives quickly, and they’re great with kids, while still maintaining a good dining atmosphere for people without kids.

We also do takeaway from them. We’ve had a wrong order once since they opened, and when we realised the mistake, luckily before we left the restaurant, they fixed it quickly, and added an extra dish as an apology.

Jasmine house is exactly as you described. Service is the best I have ever seen. Food is great for take away and dine in. Always happy to accomodate large groups as well. Their specials when dining in are normally highlights.

I have only visited the Waterfront once but as a regular of Jasmine House, I think the food wasn’t up to those standards. I remember I ordered duck and it was very fatty. I know duck has a fair bit of fat, but it should also be nice and crispy. The food was still nice and staff were pleasant. I always thought that location would lend itself well to being a bar/pub with some decent restaurant food.

Living in Gungahlin, I have been to the Waterfront on numerous occasions since it opened as well as regularly getting takeaway. In all honesty, I never been disappointed, great food and great service at all times. Love there Malaysian Chicken Satay dish…fantastic.

Speaking of restaurants on Yerrabi Pond, has anyone tried the new Italian place called DaNunzio. Had brunch there a few weeks and was most impressed.

Just hope it survives. Over the past three to four years, there has been four coffee shops that have come and gone in the vicinity.

Seems to be a few empty sites around the locality suitable for restaurants up for lease at present.

We go to Jasmine House in Gungahlin whenever we eat out. The staff are friendly, the service is speeding, the food arrives quickly, and they’re great with kids, while still maintaining a good dining atmosphere for people without kids.

We also do takeaway from them. We’ve had a wrong order once since they opened, and when we realised the mistake, luckily before we left the restaurant, they fixed it quickly, and added an extra dish as an apology.