on melbourne cup tuesday we went for a country drive and ended up at this bistro for lunch as hubby was after his favourite pub meal chicken parma

we found it be a lovely modern bistro with plenty of seating.

we both ordered parmas which came with freshly cooked chips and little bowl of salad with a creamy dressing, priced about $18 was about reasonable.

hubby loved it and i found it be okay, sorry i am bit fussy as i found the chicken itself to be quite thin and lots of crumbing. in saying that ..... in all fairness it tasted quite good with the tomatoe sauce and ham and melted cheese

staff were polite, the waiter who brought us our meals gets the 4 stars for his friendly chatty mannerism which is always appreciated to get service with a smile

nice enough bistro to dine at

ohhhh there was a slight surcharge on public holidays too

We went with a group of 25 on a Monday night during the Christmas holidays - possibly the biggest earner of the year based on the lack of other patrons.

Inside the bistro was very tidy and spacious, with the room having some divider system that might turn it into smaller rooms if required.

I had the Thai beef salad which was disappointing. Soaked in some dressing but drained of flavour. Its not that hard to make and for $20-something dollars, I had expected better. My wife had the garlic prawns and I feared for the outcome - it was pretty good though and despite a fairly sizable price, the quantity and freshness were both up to scratch. The kids had some sort of value meal which included chips/nuggets and the obligatory frog-in-a-pond. At $10, this seemed the best value of all.

All our meals came out quickly, including a couple of 'roast-of-the-days'. We didnt particularly care for the wait staff hurrying us due to the pending kitchen closure - surely getting a few customers in should rate above leaving five minutes early ?

All up, it was OK - on the expensive side, solid but unspectacular.

Approximate cost: $24

I stayed here for 2 nights. I wasn't expecting much for my $50, and I didn't get it. The staircase up to the rooms was not stable and sunken in places- had to be very careful. My room was missing a lightbulb so I had to go down and ask for one. I also had to ask for a heater as my room was freezing.
The continental breakfast was dismal- white bread with a few spread, and rice bubbles/cornflakes to choose from.
Noise from the pub below really carries upstairs. Not a good place to stay if you have little ones.
Shared bathrooms.
Wouldn't stay here again.