The Melba Estate at Coombe Yarra Valley

I visited Coombes as a guest of two friends and what a disappointment! Our previous visits have been wonderful experiences but on this occasion our food took forever to get to us, with my friend missing out on her food but then it came later after we had finished. The waiter was friendly and provided good service but apologised for the chef. (?) Our food was at best minimalist at worst tiny portions for the price. No value for money here in our opinion. I was totally embarrassed for my friends as their guest. Do not know what has happened at this beautiful venue, but we will give this place a wide berth for a while as there is so many other good places around.

The atmosphere at Coombe is wonderful. I took friends there yesterday having gone to the restaurant about a year ago. The food had changed dramatically for the worse I might say. We all had the lamb which was fine, but there was no vegetable content worth talking about. A half a small raw onion and another piece of something which might have been a quarter of a carrot. This type of food is not what I would associate with the Coombe restaurant. I expect a meal, not a piece of meat with a bit of unnecessary decoration. I ordered black tea and got green tea and we asked several times for a menu which seemed to be overlooked. Though I enjoyed the atmosphere I would not bother going there again unless they provide a more comprehensive meal.

Just over two years since our last visit to Coombe and the food is really amazing. It was exceptionally busy when we arrived for lunch with friends and there was a definite buzz in the air. Loved the Duck Livers with Lentils. Have to say it was a little chilly as we were seated close to the window and the restaurant doesn't have a lot of atmosphere but the staff certainly make up for any shortcomings and the crockery is modern which tends to make the food even more impressive.

A beautiful afternoon tea, bubbles, a beautiful space. I'm really only writing this to say thank you so much to the staff for being so friendly

Group of 12 proved too difficult for Coombe as our meal was served spasmodically over two and a half hours! If all our mains were served together this could be understood but that was not the case here. Other patrons around us arriving later were served complete meals while we were still on an entree. I also found it expensive and loathe having to pay for "sides" that should be included with a main meal. Disappointed but plenty of competition in the area for next time.