supercoach

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  10     

Totally agree with all the good reviews. Consistently good food and great service! Free local home delivery is handy too and the wait time is always less than what they say on the phone, even during rush hour! Love the pad thai (never oily) and the green curry!

May 14, 2011

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  7     

We ate here on a busy Saturday night and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We called during the day to book and were told that they were fully booked inside but we could have a table reserved out the front. We are glad that we were advised on the phone to "rug up" as there didn't appear to be any heating outside and I imagine it could get quite cold during winter.

We started with zucchini flowers and the falafel platter for entrée which were both delicious. The waitress was very friendly and took us through the menu prior to ordering and even matched me a beer to go with the food from their extensive drinks menu.

We were offered a table inside just before our mains were served but we enjoyed dining on the street and people watching so we decided to stay outside. For mains we had the Vietnamese crepe and the grilled halloumi bagel. The crepe was outstanding, very fresh and light with beautiful flavours. The bagel was nice as well but we will probably try something different next time. It was served with a side of chips which were very pub-style and quite average compared to the rest of our meal.

We had the mango tapioca pudding for dessert which was a great finish to the meal. Very sweet with an interesting texture that was well matched to the coconut ice cream served on the side.

During the meal we found a small piece of plastic in the crepe. The staff were very apologetic and more than compensated for the mistake by making some generous adjustments to the final bill. Had the service been of a lesser standard this may have tainted our view of the restaurant, but the staff were so fantastic that we left very satisfied and we can't wait to visit again!

May 08, 2011

2 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  2      Service  1      Value  4     

Unfortunately, we invited some friends to visit Encounter Cafe with us for Sunday breakfast. Having never visited, we should have stuck with somewhere that we knew would do a good job as we left utterly disappointed.

We ordered coffees to start, including one skim cappuccino and one with regular milk. When the waitress brought the first cappuccino she placed it on the table without saying which it was. Our friend asked if it was skim, to which she replied "I think so". We suggested she should go and check and it turned out that it was the regular cappuccino. When the next cappuccino arrived the waitress announced it as a skim mocha.

Our friend questioned if she was sure and she said "I think it's a mocha, did you want to taste it?". We weren't sure how to react and in the end our friend refused to taste it. Ultimately it turned out it was a mocha so it was sent back and shortly afterwards we received the skim cap that we ordered.

Along with this we requested a banana smoothie off the menu to be told that they had no bananas so they couldn't make one. Perhaps, I should have informed the staff that there are two Woolworths supermarkets within 100 metres either side of the cafe?

The coffee debacle should have indicated what was to come food wise and I now wish we had left at that point. Our friend ordered porridge with mixed berries which came out as raw oats topped with 2 strawberries. Another friend ordered the pancakes with grilled banana. We asked the waitress what would be substituted for the banana and she said it would be strawberries and blueberries. When they were served they came with barely any strawberries and not a blueberry in sight.

We ordered the waffles which were another disappointment. The dough had not been mixed properly so there were large clumps of sugar throughout the whole meal. They were also undercooked and still raw dough in the middle.

We sent back the waffles and were offered a replacement meal, so we ordered eggs on toast. When this was delivered the waitress handed across fresh cutlery and a serviette with a sopping wet hand, meaning the serviette was damp and the ends of the cutlery were saturated.

Along with this, the sourdough toast with the big breakfast was burnt to a crisp and the restaurant was also full of flies which was quite off-putting.
After all our complaints to the staff, the uneaten waffles were the only thing subtracted from our bill and we were also charged extra on the drinks for having them "dine in".

A terrible experience both service and food wise with no sympathy showed by the ignorant staff. Such a shame that we had to put our friends through such a horrible experience. We won't be back!

May 08, 2011

4 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  2      Service  5      Value  6     

We booked a table for 7.30 pm on a Saturday night. We arrived to find we had been shoved around onto a makeshift table in the back corner of the restaurant, behind the pizza oven and next to the high-chairs/storage area. Totally out of sight from the wait staff which meant the service was continually lacking for the rest of the night.

The presentation of the menu is disgraceful. It looks like a Grade 2 assignment made on Microsoft word. Mine actually looked as though a dog had been chewing on the corners. The laminate had come apart and the paper inside was food and drink stained. As we obviously couldn't see the specials board from our table, the waiter brought the whiteboard to the side of our table and awkwardly stood there while we read it, although I did find this quite helpful and considerate of him.

I ended up ordering a Prawn Linguine off the specials menu. The other dishes on our table were Pumpkin Fettuccini and a Gourmet Pizzza. The prices seemed reasonable for the area. Once our orders were taken I had to pour our own glasses of wine for the table as our water had run out and not been refilled.

When the food eventually appeared after a 45 minutes wait, it was the pizza which arrived first. Another 15 minutes and the pastas finally arrived. My pasta was cold and greasy, lacking any real flavour. I did taste the Pumpkin dish as well which was a lot warmer and quite tasty but still very oily.

Overall I left fairly disappointed in the food and service and will avoid dining here in the future with so many other options in the area.

Jun 21, 2010

9.5 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  9      Service  10      Value  10     

Totally agree with all the good reviews. Consistently good food and great service! Free local home delivery is handy too and the wait time is always less than what they say on the phone, even during rush hour! Love the pad thai (never oily) and the green curry!

May 14, 2011

8.3 Highly Recommended

Food  8      Ambience  8      Service  10      Value  7     

We ate here on a busy Saturday night and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We called during the day to book and were told that they were fully booked inside but we could have a table reserved out the front. We are glad that we were advised on the phone to "rug up" as there didn't appear to be any heating outside and I imagine it could get quite cold during winter.

We started with zucchini flowers and the falafel platter for entrée which were both delicious. The waitress was very friendly and took us through the menu prior to ordering and even matched me a beer to go with the food from their extensive drinks menu.

We were offered a table inside just before our mains were served but we enjoyed dining on the street and people watching so we decided to stay outside. For mains we had the Vietnamese crepe and the grilled halloumi bagel. The crepe was outstanding, very fresh and light with beautiful flavours. The bagel was nice as well but we will probably try something different next time. It was served with a side of chips which were very pub-style and quite average compared to the rest of our meal.

We had the mango tapioca pudding for dessert which was a great finish to the meal. Very sweet with an interesting texture that was well matched to the coconut ice cream served on the side.

During the meal we found a small piece of plastic in the crepe. The staff were very apologetic and more than compensated for the mistake by making some generous adjustments to the final bill. Had the service been of a lesser standard this may have tainted our view of the restaurant, but the staff were so fantastic that we left very satisfied and we can't wait to visit again!

May 08, 2011

2 Not Recommended

Food  1      Ambience  2      Service  1      Value  4     

Unfortunately, we invited some friends to visit Encounter Cafe with us for Sunday breakfast. Having never visited, we should have stuck with somewhere that we knew would do a good job as we left utterly disappointed.

We ordered coffees to start, including one skim cappuccino and one with regular milk. When the waitress brought the first cappuccino she placed it on the table without saying which it was. Our friend asked if it was skim, to which she replied "I think so". We suggested she should go and check and it turned out that it was the regular cappuccino. When the next cappuccino arrived the waitress announced it as a skim mocha.

Our friend questioned if she was sure and she said "I think it's a mocha, did you want to taste it?". We weren't sure how to react and in the end our friend refused to taste it. Ultimately it turned out it was a mocha so it was sent back and shortly afterwards we received the skim cap that we ordered.

Along with this we requested a banana smoothie off the menu to be told that they had no bananas so they couldn't make one. Perhaps, I should have informed the staff that there are two Woolworths supermarkets within 100 metres either side of the cafe?

The coffee debacle should have indicated what was to come food wise and I now wish we had left at that point. Our friend ordered porridge with mixed berries which came out as raw oats topped with 2 strawberries. Another friend ordered the pancakes with grilled banana. We asked the waitress what would be substituted for the banana and she said it would be strawberries and blueberries. When they were served they came with barely any strawberries and not a blueberry in sight.

We ordered the waffles which were another disappointment. The dough had not been mixed properly so there were large clumps of sugar throughout the whole meal. They were also undercooked and still raw dough in the middle.

We sent back the waffles and were offered a replacement meal, so we ordered eggs on toast. When this was delivered the waitress handed across fresh cutlery and a serviette with a sopping wet hand, meaning the serviette was damp and the ends of the cutlery were saturated.

Along with this, the sourdough toast with the big breakfast was burnt to a crisp and the restaurant was also full of flies which was quite off-putting.
After all our complaints to the staff, the uneaten waffles were the only thing subtracted from our bill and we were also charged extra on the drinks for having them "dine in".

A terrible experience both service and food wise with no sympathy showed by the ignorant staff. Such a shame that we had to put our friends through such a horrible experience. We won't be back!

May 08, 2011

4 Below Average

Food  3      Ambience  2      Service  5      Value  6     

We booked a table for 7.30 pm on a Saturday night. We arrived to find we had been shoved around onto a makeshift table in the back corner of the restaurant, behind the pizza oven and next to the high-chairs/storage area. Totally out of sight from the wait staff which meant the service was continually lacking for the rest of the night.

The presentation of the menu is disgraceful. It looks like a Grade 2 assignment made on Microsoft word. Mine actually looked as though a dog had been chewing on the corners. The laminate had come apart and the paper inside was food and drink stained. As we obviously couldn't see the specials board from our table, the waiter brought the whiteboard to the side of our table and awkwardly stood there while we read it, although I did find this quite helpful and considerate of him.

I ended up ordering a Prawn Linguine off the specials menu. The other dishes on our table were Pumpkin Fettuccini and a Gourmet Pizzza. The prices seemed reasonable for the area. Once our orders were taken I had to pour our own glasses of wine for the table as our water had run out and not been refilled.

When the food eventually appeared after a 45 minutes wait, it was the pizza which arrived first. Another 15 minutes and the pastas finally arrived. My pasta was cold and greasy, lacking any real flavour. I did taste the Pumpkin dish as well which was a lot warmer and quite tasty but still very oily.

Overall I left fairly disappointed in the food and service and will avoid dining here in the future with so many other options in the area.

Jun 21, 2010