Wickens at Royal Mail Hotel

Glorious food, glorious wine list, glorious surroundings.

November 18, 2024

1 / 6Priceless views at Wickens at Royal Mail Hotel.Supplied

2 / 6Robin Wickens at work in the kitchen.Kristoffer Paulsen

4 / 6Butter poached pork belly, hay and broccoli.Julian Kingma

5 / 6Sheep’s milk blancmange with broadbeans.Supplied

6 / 6The entrance to Wickens at Royal Mail Hotel.Emily Weaving

16/20

Contemporary$$$$

Is there anything more lovely than waking up to the view of Wurgarri (Mount Sturgeon) from one of the Royal Mail Hotel’s rooms? Perhaps waking up to that view with a memory of dinner the night before at the attached degustation restaurant? Chef Robin Wickens leads morning tours of the massive kitchen garden, which underpins his ambitious menus.

A subtle Jerusalem artichoke custard comes with mushrooms, whole-lemon puree and mushroom tea. Rich and warming roast corn-fed chicken with swedes is topped with stinging nettle sauce.

A wall of wine is a clue to the sheer number of drops on offer: at 4200 bottles, it’s one of the largest collections of bordeaux and burgundy in the country. Staff are wonderful at lending their viniferous knowledge, and – hopefully – your bed is just a few steps away.