Benchmark Wine Bar - Canberra

We dropped in for lunch midweek and had the degustation menu with matching wines. Great meal and good knowledgable service. One of the best meals we have had in Canberra.

Our group of 4 spent $600 on the degustation menu, 2 out of 4 vomited that evening (and 1 wished to). We were in agreeance as to which section of the menu didn't sit well. The restaurant was contacted re this and our claim was promotly dismissed. Because of the restaurant's attitude to ourfood poisoning I am writing this review to warn other patrons.

I have been told I should go here since I arrive din Canberra in 2008. So I finally made it after 8 years - and wow, I have been missing great food and service. The waiter, English accent I think, was very welcoming, and efficient with a good knowledge of the menu and wine list (after, it is a wine bar). We had a number of dishes to share. Only two comments/suggestions - we were not showing/offered the daily list until we ordered dessert and saw that there was a menu for the night. The other is that there was a dish that I did not note had King Brown on them - King Brown what??? Turns out my eagle eyed dining companion saw them on the place just as I was about to eat one - a mushroom - which I am allergic to - the menu did make it difficult to read and make the connection. It could have become a very messy restaurant very quickly. I intend to make this the first place I eat on my next trip to Canberra to explore the wine list ad the menu further.  MUST EAT HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Angus steak was awesome and well cooked. Swordfish nice but a little dry. Wine list extensive with good variety with respect to both price and locations Good service and knowledgable staff. Very enjoyable evening. Will be back. Highly recommended

Feb 2012 - Good service, great wine list. Love the zucchini flowers, but did feel like all the meat based courses tastes the same. Dec 2016 Why is this place so quiet on a Friday night? Tonight we indulged in share plates for entree, again sampling the zucchini flowers which did not disappoint - crisp outside, firm green, creamy citrus goats curd inside. We also shared the prawns with cocoanut crumb which were perfection. For main a steak for my partner which was cooked exactly to order, and I had the barramundi with vanilla infused risotto. I rarely order fish when I am out, and was so pleased that I did as this dish was a delight. We finished with the chocolate fondant with fresh fruits and candied pistachios and the white chocolate moose with basil and strawberry salsa. So delicious the plates were clean, The wait staff are young but well meaning, and very attentive with the sparking water. I thoroughly enjoyed tonight - will try to get here again soon and try the rest of the tasting plates.