49 Keppel St, Bathurst NSW 2795, Australia
02) 6331 4901
The large red umbrella on the entrance of the charming lane way is the best thing about this venue, it is so visually attractive that once customers are down the lane; in a trance of how lovely it looks, like bees to the honey it captivates us and that is really about where it ends.
Outside there is a courtyard where the majority of people chose to sit, even on the cooler day that we visited, I opted to sit inside as it was too cool for alfresco for myself, LML ('lil miss morsel) & MM (mr morsel). Perhaps, because it wasn't my first choice of where we were going for my birthday breakfast I could be biased however, in all fairness reviews are based on general criteria.
As we were walked through the 'pass' (where the kitchen places its meals up for staff to deliver) there was a fair amount of renovation being done, and general mass clutter, we felt uncomfortable as it felt as we were walking through a staff only area. Felt like a no-go zone and definitely not a place to be seen by customers.
Now I know why people sat outside.
We were led out to the front of the building and were the only people in the room. I immediately wanted to go and sit in the cold with the others. New thick painted maroon walls (and power points) greeted us, there was no wall decor, no music (criteria), tables were clothed, but I could literally hear the sound of my watch as the sound of silence weighed in. We got an A4 sheet of copy paper as the menu, dog eared, food stained and very used (or pre loved depending on your outlook)...ok...(criteria). Pretty basic to present your menu in the best way I would think.
Anyway, we always start with the standard coffees, and it felt like we had been forgotten as MM had to get up and go out the back to order them. Arggggg, in preparation for receiving the first coffee of the morning we then had to search around for a sugar bowl on surrounding tables and finally found ONE that contained real sugar. Let me just say that it should be standard for a table to have clean salt & pepper shakers, sugar bowls that are full. (criteria)
Deciding on pancakes for LML, and eggs beno for us, the menu was basic, but completed most breakfast requirements. Our waitress came out, we ordered, then another came out and asked for our order. sigh..... the coffee finally arrived, was considered fair, a bit thin if anything, probably needed 1.5 shots.
LML received her pancakes first which was a good thing, but they tasted like the 'Shake n bake' type, but that was never confirmed. BTW we had to search for our own cutlery (criteria) Ours came out and it was all there, but looked un-appealing and typical to what most could dish up at home. The hollandaise (criteria) was out of a jar or a packet and once again confirmed the belief that this was all going horribly wrong, but in the best interest of a bit of family time, we continue on.
LML drops her fork, its pretty habitual for a parent to pick these things up, so I did and it resembled a hair brush, eeeeekkkkkk, yuk.That thought really lingers (do I really need to specify cleanliness as a criteria??) Once again had to go on a cutlery hunt.
Another table arrives and sits down, obviously have been there before as the owner is sitting with them. I wish there was music to drown out their conversation.
I hate paying for an all round disappointing experience, so we finished, we paid and felt we could and should of stayed at home.
This place needs a big re-think, a huge turnaround and owners who lead from the front, train staff and have thorough hospitality experience.
Links;
Menu
Where to find/Map
The Breakdown is;
| Food: | Australian |
| Price: | $$ - $7 to $60 (dinner) |
| Type: | Restaurant/Cafe |
| Alcohol: | No |
| Service: | Dine in |
| Payments: | Diners Club, EFTPOS, Mastercard, Visa |
| Features: | wood fire |
| Use of Local product: | NO |
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