Grand Dining Room at The Carrington

"The Carrington Dining room has recently undergone a menu change, which was a surprise when I turned up expecting some of my previous favourites.

For the price, the reputation of the Carrington is one of consistent quality and generous portions. We booked for a table of 7, for a birthday dinner.

The service was fantastic, we had brilliant floor staff who were very attentive and made us feel welcome. We had menu changes that were accommodated, and the food came out quickly.

The food was fantastic, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed their meals. It's expensive, but it's worth the money."

Tadd Lyons

"Dining in the Grand Dining Room at The Carrington Hotel was such a treat! This is a great venue to enjoy a pleasant dinner while experiencing the grandeur of colonial decor.

Highlights and key points:
- Booking was made online, and there were many options to indicate if the booking was for a special occasion. There was also the option to select to sit near the piano or further away.
- Upon arrival, we were greeted by a very friendly and pleasant wait staff who led us to our table. He indicated and acknowledged the special requests made as part of the booking. He was also very patient as we ran through what we wanted to order
- We were served with a bread roll to start. This helped tide us over while we tried to decide which 2 course meal we wanted.
- The entree of chicken liver parfait was pretty generous compared to other eateries i have been to in the past. The salad and jams complemented the parfait. If there were a few tweaks, it would be nice to get some colourful water crackers other than black and a few extra slices of bread or water crackers to go along with the amount of parfait.
- The beef short ribs were amazing! The meat was beautifully cooked, tender, and juicy. The sauce complemented so well that it heightened the flavours of the short ribs further. The mash was wonderful, too.
- The barra was pleasant. A little pale compared to the short ribs. The lemon butter sauce was pleasant, though it was a little bit more on the buttery side for my preference. If a few tweaks were also possible, it would be nice to have some native flavours introduced.
- We thoroughly enjoyed the live pieces played by the pianist while we were having dinner. Loved how it really added to the atmosphere and enhanced the dinner experience. The only drawback was towards the end of the night. The kitchen staff were quite loud with clearing of the cutleries and kitchenware that sometimes overtook the music being played from where we were seated.

All in all, it's worth going there for a meal and experiencing a beautiful experience. The drawbacks were minor in consideration of all the good experiences we had with our dinner."

J Fong

"The restoration of the dining room is spot on - it doesn’t try to be some new mish mash, but what it was originally meant to be - high class and gorgeous. You might think the menu looks staid, but each dish is done perfectly, with a modern flair. Service is impeccable and friendly. Cocktails are great!

Make sure you spend time in the attached bar, Ian’s in winter nights the mulled wine is great!"

Alexander Johnson