Benchmark Wine Bar
Editorial
As Australians, our national pastime is waiting for the mighty to fall. Naturally, several years into its primacy as both a fine dining establishment and wine and tapas bar, Benchmark has received a few informal thumbs' down. But, then again, the refrain “It ain't what it used to be” should really be part of our national anthem.
For many Canberra foodies, the small plates here remain the tastiest thing in town and the wine list one of the best. Expectations of staff are high and occasionally not met with the rapture that greeted this place upon its inception. However, on the evening these Citysearchers made their hungry, thirsty presence felt, everything appeared to be in a tantalising order.
Further, we were very glad we'd outsourced our driving for the evening. This is the sort of place that can afford the level of comfort that easily brings you over .05. Most particularly if you have a taste for good and varied wine, do not, under any circumstances, even think about taking the car.
And, what the heck is a $70 cab fare spent on Canberra's vast freeways after you've spent this much on luxe in a single evening! Really, it's not much at all.
SM King, May 2010
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Dissatisfied
May 26, 2008
The food and wine might be alright, but the service and attitude from the staff was nothing short of rude and arrogant. I would not recommend this place to anyone I know.
Justin Taylor
February 21, 2010
If the defence for the terrible service and attitude of the staff is the food that Benchmark Wine Bar serves, then it would want to be a lot better. After waiting for nearly an hour for our food order to be taken with only half of the table of ten receiving any form of drinks service, the Benchmark experience was sub standard. The wines, supposedly matched to the menu, were far from outstanding but it is difficult to enhance cold eye fillet and potato or the over-cooked rack of lamb that had been promised to be a loin. When waiting an 90 mins between courses you would hope the drink service would help you through the night, but as the dishes piled up on the floor (literally!) the table was scarcely able to get water let alone wine. When a waiter graced us with their presence, it was more often than not that the wine not available. A terrible experience, but a $1200 mistake that won't be made again.
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