Journal

On the road at Ashley’s Restaurant, Renmark, SA

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You’ve been on the road all day, you need somewhere comfy to stay the night and you stumble across this place.

It just so happens that Covid-19 has meant that finding a local motel to stay it is really difficult! Currently hotels are being booked out, every night, with Aussies travelling around the country, moving house and especially because overseas travel is simply out of the question.

Fortunately, you manage to find this place and Ashley’s restaurant on the premises is open for service. Man… it was a choice of fast food or dining in. No brainer really!

Ashley’s Restaurant is very simply decorated. It’s certainly a no-fuss restaurant with exceptional food and service! Our waitress was super-friendly, genuinely interested in us as customers and couldn’t do enough to ensure we were satisfied.

So…. a choice of chicken or beef schinitzel? Chicken. A choice of sauces – mushroom, garlic, parmagiana… Mushroom won out.

Top it off with a steaming chocolate pudding, oozing in a raspberry coulis and a creamy vanilla icecream… seriously… who needs those fancy shmantsy chef meals and TV cooking shows when you have this on offer huh?

On the road at The Old Bakery, Dunkeld, Vic

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Just when you think you can’t find the local bakery in the shopping strip, up pops a road sign to The Old Bakery. Visiting Dunkeld in Victoria, at the foot of the Grampians, is a delight in itself. A gorgeous little town with loads of tourist information for when you are travelling into those mighty and truly awesome ranges.

Be sure to head towards Ararat then take a side road off towards Mt Sturgeon and Mt Abrupt – follow your nose basically and you’ll find those lovely rich golden dirt roads that take you around those jaw-dropping drives where views of those mountains will take your breath away.

On your way back or on your way there, drop into The Old Bakery and have a sit down munch or get something to go. Cuppas and super yummy bread with artwork on the walls by Granville Montgomery – really worth looking at!

On the road at Heywood Bakery

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Ok.. Heywood is not exactly the biggest town on the map, but the Bakery is huge with plenty of space to shop, grab a cuppa or sit down and enjoy some home baked goodies.

One thing they do have which I find so hard to resist, but have of late (what is wrong with me?!) is their Bienstich (aka Beesting cake). Oh sooooooooo good! Crunchy sweet flaked almonds on top of a thin sponge, sandwiching a creamy, custardy mouthful of goodness and decadence.

But hey, let’s also go down the healthy path right? Salad rolls are obviously popular there, and I do have to say, rather scrumptious. Good old butter, a mixed salad, and don’t forget the mayo! Crunchy, fresh, made with love and super tasty. Highly recommended! They’re obviously popular because they have so many of them ready to walk out the door.

There are definitely multiple sweet choices and the vanilla slices are like Bienstich on steroids. Loaded with creamy goodness, you have a choice of Vanilla or French… (nope, I had no clue what that meant until I asked…). So, either icing sugar on top which will turn your clothes a different colour as soon as you take a bite, or icing to sink your teeth into. There’s nothing quite like a large gooey snot block is there? Or maybe there is… Bienstich… where are you?

On the road at Cape Bridgewater Café

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Ok… I agree. The weather was crap. The food was really good! When you leave town for a while and take in the sights at your leisure, you get to meet some really interesting people. The BNB we were staying at had a bung TV so having organised a TV technician (let’s call him Pete – well, ‘cos that’s what his name is) with the host, we got chatting, as you do, and he highly recommended this café at Cape Bridgewater.

Sure, it’s a bit of a trek, but if you’re on the road without an agenda, or you want a pretty speccy beach stop to take a squizz at, then this is it. The vast ocean and surf are pretty cool and no matter what the weather, the ocean does entertain.

We managed to secure a table inside given there were very few on offer as there were a few other larger parties with reservations and sat down to a serve of avocado smash with beetroot puree and a poached egg on crunchy sourdough and a serve of good ‘ole fashioned fish and chips. Nommie nom noms.

I’m sure a bright sunny day would just make this place shine and no doubt the crowds flock here in the summer months. Definitely worth a stop-over. It’s a quick drive from Portland and their chai latte is pretty damn good too I have to say.

On the road at Portland’s Artisan Bakery

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If you’re a sourdough bread addict like me, then you’ll love this little bakery. It’s tucked away behind shops etc and it looks like it’s a one-man show… but man… what a show!

We were out and about and looking for a nice bakery, hopefully to make us up a salad roll for lunch and a loaf to take home. Google found this one for us first go and with Covid rules in place, it was one person in a shop at any one time. So, I managed to stroll straight in and get served very quickly. I bought a white sourdough loaf and asked if he could slice it to toast thickness. He doesn’t have a slicer machine there as he said the bread is too soft to cut with a machine but offered to do it by hand. Most bakeries smell pretty damn good right? This one smelt divine.

Now I’d arrived around 1.30 pm and most of the bread had gone – as you can see in this image above, but in saying that – there was still a lot to choose from. Definitely going back for a cheddar and onion number. Eyeing off the pastries was just not enough. Simply had to try a salted caramel sourdough donut… OMG. If only you could post this stuff.

And how good do these almond croissants look hey? Soooo tempting, but nay nay… this little birdie is strong when it comes to calories… not. The sourdough donut was enough…. beautifully indulgent, filling and satisfying and you could most certainly taste that sourdough goodness and a whole lot of love thrown in.
When I left, there was a queue behind me of about 6 people waiting… that’s always a good sign.

Nommie nom noms… and then some.

On the road at Warrenglen Nursery Cafe

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It’s one of the most beautifully laid-out nurseries in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne. Be sure to drop by Warrenglen Nursery – their gift shop is just gorgeous and loaded with gifts and their cafe is definitely a must.

It used to be a bit of climb to get up to the nursery but during Covid-19 in 2020 they refitted the walkways, the little bridge across the creek and you now have an option to get up to the cafe via a boardwalk (great if you don’t like steps) or steps which are also not overly difficult to navigate.

Even on a cold, showery, wintery day, the balcony makes for great dining. Their menu does change but one the faves is definitely their gnocchi. Soooooo good! They also have their daily specials available too and if they are making it – grab yourself the pate and pickled onions and relish. Delish!

I’m certainly not affiliated with them in any way but am a regular cafe guest and always indulge in their yummy cakes too. If you’re into chocolate caramel slice – you might want a good cuppa to wash it down. Decadence with a chai latte – where can you possibly go wrong?

On the road at Fonzie’s Diner

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If you haven’t been there before, Fonzie’s Diner in Kilsyth, Victoria is certainly a trip worth making. Step back in time to that era when Elvis was kicking goals and Betty Boop certainly left her mark. (I could’ve sworn her eyes followed me around that restaurant and spotted me taking a photo…).

The restaurant is highly decorated with memorabilia, posters, models and other nostalgic pieces and if you’re really bored you can always sit at the bar and read the news articles and other publication excerpts to keep yourself occupied. Be sure to get out of your seat and take a stroll around the restaurant to check out the cabinet of old icecream cups and other nostalgic bits and pieces. Fascinating stuff!

Fonzie's Diner - Deanna Roberts Studio blog

I have to say too that the service was outstanding. We were greeted at the door, shown to a table and served a bottle of cold water with 2 Coke glasses immediately. Cutlery and serviettes then appeared while we browsed the menus, also really colourful!
We chose a Big Al’s Breakfast and a Ciabatta and eggs your way plus some avocado and bacon on the side. Me… thinking it would be a smallish serve… well… I was quite surprised. The amount of bacon on that plate made me feel like a real pig rather than the other way around… heh heh. The servings were certainly very generous and the food was really tasty, plus, the service was fast and efficient and the food hot…. as it should be.

Fonzie's Diner - Deanna Roberts Studio blog

The waitresses were dressed in the appropriate attire for the time period in the tuille-lined and flared skirts, hair done appropriately too right down to the white frilly bobby socks and white runners. Very cool. They were only too happy to assist with anything we needed too. Be sure to check out those mushrooms as a side dish! OMG… divine. Creamy, tasty, lush… just scrummy.

Pop by and lap up the good times. Get down and boogie to the juke box too if that takes your fancy.

On the road at Betty’s Burgers and Concrete Co

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Nope… they don’t make concrete there or really hard ice-creams!

Betty's Burgers - Deanna Roberts Studio blog

Outdoor dining at The Glen shopping centre in Glen Waverley, Victoria offers a selection of restaurants, from Mediterranean to American, Italian to Asian… so much to choose from and such a lovely atmosphere, especially on a balmy Autumn evening. Typical of Melbourne’s weather, 28 degrees C one day, 14 degrees C the next.

Betty’s Burgers and Concrete Co is very cool indeed. We sat outside and watched the world go by, kids giggling and playing blind-chasey on the nearby grassy patch and others just out for an evening meander. We were told that we’d have to choose from the menu and then go up to the bar to order… which we did. We had our little buzzer at the table and when the other half decided to disappear for a bit, of course the buzzer went off. The super-friendly waiter then popped over and offered to pick up our meals for us instead, given I was sitting at the table alone. Impressive. However, coming from a restaurant background myself, I am super-critical when it comes to dining out and service and would expect that if you’re paying premium prices for food that the service level should match. So, yes, the waiter offering to collect our food was nice, but in my opinion, should’ve been done that way anyway.

Tasty onion rings, fries (with the skin still on the spuds.. yum) and one big burger and mine – the burger without the bun – just wrapped in lettuce. Avocado was on offer too but didn’t make it to my plate. Otherwise, it was totally sufficient and totally yummy. Pigging out on fries and onion rings meant that a big carb fix with the addition of a burger bun just wasn’t necessary. The concrete factor was about how they prepared the ice-cream. We didn’t indulge as we were so full from the burgers, but gees… it was tempting!

Betty's Burgers - Deanna Roberts Studio blog

One thing they could do differently is add cushions to the backs of the chairs – those wire frames are hard on your back and the threaded ‘sides’ to the chairs look great, but just not necessary. If you’re not on the small side and have hips that lend themselves to booths more than chairs, then you might find rope imprints in your thighs afterwards.

Besides all that – very clean, great service, good food and a lovely atmosphere… and not overly priced either. You could easily start with an appetiser and one restaurant, a main meal at another and dessert at another again. Lots to choose from and that smell of the charcoal grill is rather lovely too.