By Franz Scheurer
Lilianfels in the Blue Mountains is a resort that’s part of the Orient Express chain. This is obvious the second you enter the hotel. There is a recognisable style to Orient Express hotels and a price to match. Situated right at the edge of the cliff in Katoomba the views are as breathtaking as the décor is opulent. The sprawling complex occupies three distinct buildings and one of these houses Darleys restaurant.
As they recently had a change of chef, I figured it was time to revisit.
We arrived on a drizzly, foggy evening, after a long drive from way-out west and welcomed the warm welcome, the comfortable chairs and the old-fashioned, almost gentlemen’s club like atmosphere.
The menu was a good read and there was something for everybody. The food was better than average and more than competent, quite tasty and well presented. It would, however, have been a good idea if the waiting staff had asked how we liked our duck livers cooked, as they were too well done for one person and too rare for another. (No, we could not just swap, as one was an entrée and the other a main course.) Desserts were very good and the wine list the jewel in the crown. Whoever put this wine list together knows his wines and has done a fabulous job.
Somewhere between entrée and mains, we decided we would have another bottle of wine, book into the hotel and stay the night, rather than miss out and drive home. This possibility adds to the charm of eating at Darleys.
The rooms in the hotel are majestic and very well appointed… so they should as you are paying top dollar.
It also became obvious that the air conditioning maintenance people were mainly concerned with heating, not cooling, as neither of the room’s units managed to cool the room sufficiently to be comfortable. This must be fixed!
All in all we had a pleasant night, good food, good service and good ambience and if you feel like escaping the city and spending a weekend in the mountains, then this is a good place to do so.
Score: 6,5/10
For more information and bookings:
Lilianfels
Lilianfels Ave
Katoomba NSW 2780
Tel.: 02 4780 1200