Taste of the Country - Pokolbin

This was the best food we enjoyed while in the Hunter Valley - just wish we had find time to re-visit before leaving the area. You have to look for this place as it is tucked away in the shopping complex just a few hundred metres from the Mercure Resort in Brooke Road. Well worth the effort. Friendly staff, ample accommodation both inside and out, and wonderful food.

Service was very slow with staff incapable of taking orders without their iPad. Food was average - nothing too exciting. Meals served by kitchen staff were "announced" on arrival, then shoved at your face across the table, not appropriately placed in-front of you. Coffee was horrid - luke warm, weak, milky and without flavour. Barista was rude, sassy and unhappy about being asked (nicely) to remake coffees. To her credit (?), she later checked on the replacement coffees - which were better - not fabulous - just slightly warmer but still tasteless. By this time, we had "had enough" and just wanted to leave - we did thank our Barista for her efforts, but unfortunately her final comments were uncalled for and inappropriate. At no time, were we rude or difficult to get along with - just honest and requesting a better cup of coffee! Thank you, yes, I am very aware of the taste difference when ordering coffee with and without extra shots - but that had nothing to do with all our coffees being luke warm and lacking taste! Prior to this unpleasantness, our table was left uncleared while staff continued to clear other vacant tables around us - their avoidance of making eye contact was brilliant - some of the best I've seen!!! Eventually we moved our dirty dishes to a clean table nearby, to make room for our disaster coffees! Never again - we won't be back - there are lots of other places to dine in the valley - with happier staff and better attitudes - thank goodness we have the power of choice!!!

My partner and I recently visited your business for coffee and breakfast. And I speak for the both of us when I say we will not be returning. Apart from the cramped interior and dark lighting the staff were incredibly rude. Happy to sit outside due to the lack of seating indoors we proceeded to find a table best sheltered from the icy winds that often fill the hunter valley in the middle of winter. Blankets were on offer - however not to every table. After clearing our own table and getting our menus we settled on our choice of beverage and meal. My boyfriend proceeded to the counter to place an order where he was advised that table service would come around to take our order, happily we waited, and waited ........ and waited. In fact I watched several other patroons be waited to seats and within seconds of having sat down having orders taken. After waiving a member of staff to have our orders taken again we were told 'she's coming around' we agreed that if the staff member with the iPad device didn't attend our table next - as she looked to be proceeding in a clockwise motion, we would get up and leave. After waiting it out for 45 minutes having sit in the cold wind and our menu open ready to order we felt it only appropriate to place our business elsewhere. To which we were actually too late for breakfast. Lucky for me my partner was happy to pop into each one of your fellow competitors until I had my lovely stack of pancakes with ice cream. Honestly if I could rate no stars I would not hesitate. As abit of a pancake snob myself I have to say I'm disappointed I could not try yours, unfortunately it's a no from us.

If you want simple cafe food like wraps, burgers and soup then this is the place for you. It's on the expensive side for the quality and quantity of food they offer. I ordered a burger, and literally just got a burger on a plate. No sides, no fries. The food isn't particularly bad, but it's not great either.

Lovely rear courtyard for coffee but the scones were terrible - oversweet and fluffy like a MacDonalds bun.