The Villager - MOUNT BULLER

When researching Mt Buller I had read about this place which serves French food which I'm a fan of. It has a prime location within the village. Enter in through two sets of doors and upstairs to the restaurant and bar.There's lots of skiers in early for a drink or two. The kitchen opens at 5pm and after a light lunch I was ready to go. I ordered at the counter and chose the following:Normandy Style French Onion SoupServed with Gruyere crouteDelicious soup, crunchy baguette with melted Gruyere, perfect dish for the weather.Coq au VinRed wine chicken, shallot, lardons, mushroom, herbsExcellent dish, lovely soft tender chicken with a subtle red wine flavour, love the herbed crumb, tender mushrooms, excellent dish in a cosy warm setting.Downstairs is The Little Villager which is noticeable from Bourke St as you walk back to the village after a day of skiing. Serving coffee, pies, pastries and quiches, this is an excellent place for something casual. There's also a water station to the right of the counter.I'd got a bacon and egg quiche and a vegetable pastie. Both were warmed, delicious flaky pastry, nice filling, enjoyed with tomato sauce and they're open each day. I visited again to grab some eats for the ride back to Melbourne. Two delicious bacon and quiches were thoroughly enjoyed. These are quality products.

I generally LOvE this restaurant. Most dishes generally match its mountain price and brings heartiness after a day of skiing. The ambience is really nice. This year, I tried their most expensive dish, $55) on the menu and was really looking forward to their signature Alpine Cassoulet Riz pilaf, rouille. Unfortunately, the dish was at most a simplified casserole, and fell far from its French traditions of a complex, long tendered meaty rich, warm bean hearty casserole, as it’s price would suggest. It was instead, a little bean spill with a small celebration of a tiny tasty confit Chicken drumstick, a piece of pork sausage and unfortunately undercooked hard bitey rice pilaf. Could do with a revision of price to reflect a simple casserole and perhaps better served with a crusty top and sourdough bread.. Still a good restaurant despite a one dish let down.

The snails were bland. Duck over seasoned but meat cooked perfectly. Meat is soft. Seared Salmon is good as well. However, service is normal. Where we receive the most attention was only during orders. Other than that, we were mostly left on our own despite seeing other tables constantly being asked hows the food , hows everything .

June 26, 2021 10.30am Around this time, we were at this cafe unfortunately. The woman ordered my husband to put his mask on before they spoke (in a very derogatory manner). My spouse has a terminal illness and is exempt. I clearly had my mask on. I went on to observe that this female barista did not harass anyone else to wear a mask. She pulled her mask down every single time she called for a person to pick up their order and would pull the mask down to speak to people. Her mask's resting position was not covered either. Firstly, she should turn the volume down if she cant be heard and secondly she shouldn't be a hypocrite with double standards. My spouse was singled out as they look middle eastern or Indian. We have noticed a trend in this behaviour this year. When we let another staff member know we were harassed and to let her know she should probably wear her mask before harassing those that are exempt, the girl said she would let her know, which she did. They both cracked up laughing whilst looking at us. I urge management to look at their CCTV footage if they have it and take the correct action. No need to be racist during a pandemic and make customers feel uncomfortable. People with additional needs also should be given equal treatment or be presented with an alternative. Not harassment! All races are following the rules and all races are breaking the rules. I have seen enough on my daily walks and watching of protests being broadcast to know where the issues lie. I urge others not to go here if they want to be respected. Female staff member had dark brown/black hair, grey skivvy and black white gingham shirt on that day (she is in the background of one of our photos which can be passed on). Next time you have a customer of migrant background, understand they actually might be educated or may even be in a position of power e.g. politician, foreign diplomat or senior lawyer. Don't underestimate people.

The food was excellent, the service was outstanding, and the staff was very friendly and courteous.