Mietta's Review
This is a long running and much loved restaurant with a reputation for excellence. It is located on the very picturesque lake at Daylesford and serves elaborate food. It is always busy with guests, weddings and parties, so it is advisable to book. The wine list, which is extensive, has attracted many awards, but it is pricey.

Other published opinions

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2010 "This guesthouse restaurant pays more than lip service to regionality, with a menu that reads like a snapshot of what the local area is capable of producing"

Gourmet Traveller 2010 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: ** "No restaurant survives, or indeed thrives, for 25 years unless there's commitment to quality, dedication to hard work - and a whole lot of love. And all those elements are in abundance at the luxurious Lake House, where diners are taken on a gastronomic journey thanks to a seasonal and locally inspired menu"

The Australian A List, 50 Great Australian Restaurants, John Lethlean, Necia Wilden, 5-09-09 "When Alla Wolf-Tasker built her house of dreams in the Daylesford dirt in 1984, she was either completely bonkers or a true visionary"

The Age Jane Faulkner, 9-06-2009 Score: 17/20 "For 25 years, Wolf-Tasker and artist husband Allan, whose images adorn the walls and menu, have worked tirelessly to create what Lake House has become today - one of Australia's finest restaurants and retreats. The Lake House experience is about pampering - eat well, drink well, sleep in, have a spa, go for a walk, enjoy a massage, eat and drink more, have a nap before dinner. Now, the cynical might say a top restaurant has to suffer as a result of continual expansion of such an empire. I don't think so. At heart, Wolf-Tasker is a chef. While David Green does the day-to-day running of the kitchen with great aplomb and skill, this is very much her domain, her menu, one that hints at her Russian heritage with dishes such as the smoked eel plated with beetroot remoulade and horseradish cream ($23)."

Age Good Food Guide 2009 Score: 17/20, Two Hats "17/20 9 9 Service Excellence Award Restaurants commonly nourish, satisfy, entertain. But how many enchant? Lake House remains one of the treasured few, a restaurant where all the elements -the tranquil lakeside setting, the Jazz Age artwork and soundtrack, a formidable wine list, culinary technique and wit, and true hospitality - add up to an inevitably transporting experience"

Sydney Morning Herald Good Food Guide 2009 "One of Australia's truly wonderful country experiences, Lake House fully embraces its sense of place, from the beautiful dining room and terrace views to a menu chock full of the finest produce in the region"

Gourmet Traveller 2009 Australian Restaurant Guide Score: ** "Alla Wolf-Tasker talks the seasonal talk and walks the locavore walk. Her menus list key suppliers and what's in season, and locals are highlighted on the 30-page wine list. Her house-made charcuterie is exceptional, and the sun can be tasted in tomatoes served fried green, with mozzarella and as a shot of gazpacho"

Age Good Food Guide 2008 Score: 17/20, Two Hats "You don't just eat at Lake House; you immerse yourself in one of Victoria's most enriching hospitality experiences. A visit here simply unspools, dotted with magic moments: a kookaburra swoops as you sip a cocktail on the deck; the kitchen spins your fancy for fish into a bespoke dish of bouillabaisse; you discover your favourite old South Australian shiraz on the 700-plus selection wine list; a waiter circles the comfortably deluxe dining room with freshly baked madelines for every table"

Gourmet Traveller 2008 Australian Restaurant Guide "This Daylesford institution is in robust health. Overlooking the lake, the restaurant in the beautiful boutique hotel and spa seduces people to return again and again"

The Age Good Food Guide 2006 score 17/20, 2 Hats "Few restaurants have as much X-factor as Lake House, and when this high roller turns on the charm, it would take the hardest heart not to swoon. The meal begins with a formal welcome from well-mannered staff, as they lead diners to their tables in the warm plum-toned dining room or on the lakeside deck."

Gourmet Traveller 2006 restaurant guide ** "Ah, Daylesford. Among the picturesque spa centre's other entrancing qualities, its abundance of good food stands out. And when it comes to good food and wine in a garden setting oftranquil indulgence, Lake House is simply outstanding. Just as the glorious trees around the famed lake respond to seasonal changes, so do Alla Wolf-Tasker's menus."

Gourmet Traveller 2006 Australian Restaurant Guide Best romantic restaurants "And if that date includes dinner, bed and breakfast, there is nothing to touch Daylesford's evergreen Lake House. The restaurant is delightful (formidable food and wine with service to match( and the rooms, with their glorious lakeside settings, leave little to desire."

The Age Good Food Guide 2005 score 17/2, 2 Hats "LAKE HOUSE has made special occasions an art form. But then, every occasion here is special. There's the sublime setting: an airy pavilion surrounded by decks and groomed gardens. Wraparound glass provides a window on the seasons, from autumn's golden halo to the blossoms and ducklings of spring."

Gourmet Traveller 2005 Restaurant Guide ** "Even the kookaburras know when it's dinner time at Lake House, swooping to perch patiently on the terrace rails. Guests enjoying an al fresco pre-dinner drink, or seated comfortably in the dining room with a glorious lakeside view, share the birds' keen anticipation; for this is Victoria's finest country restaurant."

The Foodies' Guide 2004,Allan Campion & Michele Curtis,'One of country Victoria's most popular getaways,it just screams 'special occasion' and long lazy weekends.Stay here and be seduced by the set menu on Saturday nights or the more flexible menu on other days.All their high-quality dishes utilise regional produce,with everything from bread to relishes in the kitchen.'

The Age,A2,June,John Weldon,'From $320 a night for a splendid room in a hotel-add about $200 for dinner-you can truly spoil yourself and your partner.Chef Alla Wolf-Tasker embraces the changing seasons with gusto,creating menus that move with the temperature and the colours of the year.'

The Age Good Food Guide 2004 Awards: Country Restaurant of the Year-Lake House,

Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide Australia 2004, 3 Red Stars, Excellent wine list,'is Victoria's most outstanding country hotel-restaurant complex...few if any can match her seasonally adjusted, regionally respectful dishes that are cosmopolitan, and captivating in their sensual appeal...A la carte and degustation menus are matched by a discerning wine list, smoothly professional service and a romantic ambience.'

The Age Award for Professional Excellence-Alla Wolf-Tasker Winner of 2 hats, score 17/20,excellent wine list and breakfasts, wide selection of vegetarain options and accomodation available

The Age, Epicure, 10/2/04,'10 Hot Young Chefs- Nardia Kitch'

The Age, A3, 30/12/03

The Age, 28/12/03, John Lethlean

The Age, Epicure, 2/9/03, Dani Valent

The Herald Sun, Weekend, Eat, Bob Hart, 9/11/02

The Weekend Age, Magazine, Oct 2002